Page 34 of Tempting the Goalie (Riverside U #5)

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

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“Look at you, Daddy. Hot date tonight?” I ask.

Daddy gives me a crooked smile. “In fact, yes, I do have a date, Bean.”

“Whoa, who is she?” I ask. He’s dressed in a white short-sleeve, button-down shirt and gray dress pants. He never looks this spiffy. If he isn’t in his police uniform, he’s in jeans and a T-shirt.

“She’s the new florist in town. She just moved here a few months back from Nova Scotia,” he explains.

“And what were you doing in the flower shop?” I ask.

“Look at you being nosy,” he replies.

“Don’t deflect.” I laugh.

“Someone broke the glass window of her shop one night, and she reported it,” he explains.

“And the director of the police station showed up for a broken window?” I inquire suspiciously.

Daddy laughs. “Everyone was out on more serious calls.”

“Uh-huh.”

“And I heard there was a new pretty single lady in town. Close to my age,” he adds.

Daddy was devastated after Mom took off.

He dove right in to taking care of his kids and remained dedicated to his job, which is how he ended up director of his station, but he was always hesitant to date again.

He would mumble things like, “No woman in her right mind would want a single dad with five kids.” He had dated here and there, but nothing ever came of them.

For some reason, this feels different. He’s smiling in a weird way, and he’s really cleaned up.

“So where are you taking her?” I ask.

“No more questions.” He chuckles. “How about I give you the third degree?”

“About what?” I ask him.

“Luc,” he deadpans. “And why he is climbing down our fire escape every night when we have a perfectly usable front door.”

I feel my eyes bug out and my cheeks flush. “He’s been having a hard time,” I explain.

Daddy blinks. “Him and his sister are safer living here.”

“Thanks for helping them, Daddy,” I say to him.

“You know I came from a broken home. My own dad was an addict. If I can help someone in that situation, I will. Besides, I know how important he is to you.”

“I love him, Daddy. I’m just worried he may not want to have kids one day.”

“That boy loves you, Bean. He always has. But I can understand where Luc is coming from. I can’t promise you, but give him time. I think he won’t disappoint.”

“Thanks, Daddy. You better go. We don’t want to leave the florist waiting,” I say to him.

“Her name is Sandy.” He grins.

It’s nice seeing Daddy with a spark in his eyes. I’ve never seen him like this before.

“Maybe grab some of those black-eyed Susan’s from out front and give them to her,” I suggest.

“Good call, Bean.” Daddy winks. He kisses the top of my head. “Take care and don’t overthink it.”

“Thanks, Daddy.” He leaves and I head up to my room to change out of my pajamas.

While I’m in my room I begin to pack up my things.

I hear a ruckus downstairs, which isn’t unusual when my brothers are together.

I head downstairs to see what is going on, and I catch all four of my brothers wrestling each other in the foyer.

I pause a few steps from the bottom. “Will you guys ever grow up?”

I get Phoenix’s attention as he straightens out to look at me, but then Eric comes from behind and gets him in a headlock.

“Bean, we’re going fishing. You should come. We’ll barbecue tonight on the back porch. It’ll be a sendoff,” Phoenix says.

“I can go fishing,” I confirm. It would be nice to spend the day with them before leaving.

Eric releases Phoenix and Asher begins to hoot.

“I need to go up and change,” Becket says.

“Where’s Daddy?” Asher asks. “He’d want to go fishing.”

“On a date,” I relay.

Asher’s right brow arches and each of my brothers have a different look of shock on their faces.

“A date?” Phoenix asks.

“Yeah, you know, when you take someone out and get to know them,” I say sarcastically.

“Since when does Daddy date?” Becket asks.

“I don’t know but he seemed happy. He got all dressed up in a nice shirt and slacks.”

“Whoa,” Asher says.

“Yeah,” Phoenix agrees.

“Don’t be like that,” I scorn. “He deserves to be happy.”

“He was happy living the single life,” Eric says.

I roll my eyes at all of them. “You guys are all ridiculous. This whole I don’t need a relationship to be happy nonsense.”

“Bean, you’re the baby of this family,” Phoenix says.

“Yeah, so?” I place my fists on my hips.

“So, you don’t remember what a mess he was after Mom left. One minute they were a happy couple and the next she was gone,” he shares.

“Why didn’t anyone try to find her?” I ask, staring at them.

“Because Daddy said she didn’t want to be found,” they all reply.

“And you listened to him? She was hurting after Maggie died. But maybe something happened to her. Maybe there was a reason she couldn’t get back to us,” I suggest.

“Don’t be ridiculous. Daddy had a search put out.

Her car was seen traveling toward Ontario.

She stayed in motels along the way. It got to a point where he felt like there was no point tracking her.

She left and she didn’t look back,” Eric says.

I can still feel the hurt in his eyes and can tell the way his voice cracks that Mom left a wound in all of us that hasn’t healed.

“I’ve had enough of this talk. It’s just a downer,” Asher cuts in. “Let’s go grab some beers and go fishing.”

All my brothers hoot again. I hoot along with them and that causes them to laugh.

We head out front while Phoenix hitches the boat to the back of the truck.

Eric places a cooler of beers and sandwiches to eat on the back of the truck.

We all get in and head toward the lake. Phoenix turns up his country music with the windows rolled down.

The moment feels nostalgic. There were many times growing up when I went fishing with my brothers.

I always wished I had a sister to share girly things with, but I’ve gotten over that wish.

Again, I find myself thinking of Luc. His father was dysfunctional, and his sister wasn’t always around.

Besides my family, he didn’t have anyone to rely on.

I think of how deeply it impacted him growing up alone that way.

And yet, here he was a protector, a caregiver.

He was back at home taking care of his nephew.

He put him to sleep in the afternoons in his crib.

He walked him around the property in his stroller.

He was a good uncle, a good boyfriend, a good brother.

But who was taking care of him? Daddy said he felt like Luc would come around on the kid’s issue.

I sure hoped he would. Would I be happy if it were just the two of us?

I didn’t feel equipped to make that decision.

What I did know was I always wanted Luc in my life.

We arrive at the lake and my brothers get to work putting the boat into the water. The fishing rods and tackle were all on the boat already. While my brothers are working on the boat; I give Luc a quick call.

“Hello,” he answers after one ring.

“Hi,” I say. “How is little Braden doing?”

“We’re walking around the maze,” Luc says, and my heart grows even fonder.

“Give him kisses for me,” I say to him.

“Will do,” he answers and falls silent. “Where are you?”

“I’m going fishing with my brothers,” I say to him.

“Nice. Enjoy.” I hear Braden whining in the background. “I think the little man is hungry. I’m going to stop at one of the picnic benches and make him a bottle.”

“Okay, sounds good,” I reply. I want to compliment him on being so good with Braden, but I don’t want him to take it the wrong way and think I’m trying to push the wanting kids issue.

“Bean, get off the phone with Loverboy. We’re heading out,” Asher shouts from the shore.

“My brother is being annoying,” I say to Luc.

He chuckles. “Your brothers are so closed off to relationships that they don’t know what they’re missing,” he says.

“You aren’t wrong. Love you. Got to go.”

“Love you too.”

We end the call, and I head out to the boat.

“I can’t believe how mushy you and Chabot are being,” Becket says.

“I have no words. You should be finding someone to settle down with,” I retort.

“Not a chance in hell,” he replies.

“Right, you’re married to your job, just like Daddy,” I say to him.

“Damn straight,” he agrees.

We get to the boat and settle in. Phoenix drives us out onto the water. It’s a calm day and the sun shines. I inhale the fresh scent of the lake.

Eric hands me a sandwich wrapped in paper. “Eat. You’re probably living on love and air.” He chuckles.

I take it. “Thanks, Dad.”

Becket cracks a beer open with the edge of the cooler. “So, senior year. You ready?”

“As I’ll ever be,” I say, taking a bite of the sandwich.

Asher flops back, letting his legs dangle over the edge. “You’re not nervous?”

“Nope.”

Phoenix throws me a look. “About Luc?”

I knew that was coming. “No.”

Eric raises an eyebrow. “C’mon, Bean. The guy’s headed to the NHL. That’s not a regular college boyfriend.”

“He’s still Luc,” I remind. “Same guy who used to climb through my window when he couldn’t sleep.”

“Yeah, and soon he’ll be climbing onto team buses and into hotels filled with puck bunnies,” Becket mutters.

“Gross,” I say. “And we have puck bunnies at school. That isn’t something specific to the NHL.”

“Real,” he replies.

“You think I haven’t thought about all this?” I say, sharper than I mean to.

Phoenix tosses an empty can into the bin and grabs another. “We’re not saying you are. We just know how this kind of thing goes.”

“No, you think you know. But you don’t know Luc like I do.”

Eric leans forward. “Bean, we just don’t want you hurt. It’s not about him. It’s about the world he’s walking into.”

“Wait, did you guys bring me out here to stage an intervention? Because I sure as hell don’t need one.”

“You guys are always together. Daddy said it was okay for him to stay over,” Becket says, and it looks like a shiver crawls up his spine.

“Because Daddy loves Luc like a son. He trusts him and he trusts me. I know what I’m walking into it with Luc. You guys don’t need to worry.”

There’s a silence. The kind where they’re all thinking but no one wants to be the next to speak.

Then Asher says, “If he breaks your heart, I get to key his car.”

“Grow up,” I retort.

Becket points his sandwich at me. “Just promise you’ll tell us if he screws up. We’ll handle it.”

“There’s nothing for any of you to handle. I appreciate you all feel the need to look out for me, but I know what I’m doing. Things with Luc feel right.”

“Do they feel the way they did with West Knight because I saw the news. The guy was very involved with puck bunnies.” Asher rolls his eyes.

I wince.

Phoenix smacks Asher in the chest. “You idiot.”

“Not everyone is a West. Luc and I share a past,” I remind them.

“You guys were always best friends. I don’t get how that changes,” Becket says.

“It just does,” I reply without explanation. My brothers do not want to hear the circumstances around Luc and I getting together. “You guys need to accept him. Accept us. You’re not stopping me,” I say. “Just so we’re clear.”

“No one’s trying to,” Eric says. “We’re just giving you a hard time. It’s what we do.”

“I know and I appreciate that you guys are looking out for me, but I’m a big girl now,” I say. I take the last bite of my sandwich and throw the wrapper away. Then I grab a beer from the cooler.

“When did you start drinking beer?” Eric asks.

I sigh and roll my eyes. “Can you just be my brothers? I have a father.”

They all laugh.

“So, Phoenix, how is it going with Elyna and Braden living in your loft?” I ask. He hasn’t said a word about them since they moved in.

“Fine, I don’t know,” my eldest brother replies.

“How do you not know?” Eric asks. “You went to high school with her. You know who she is.”

“We never got a long and that isn’t going to change overnight,” he says, standing near the edge of the boat, calm and steady like always.

He flicks his wrist, and the fishing rod arcs smoothly, the line sailing out over the water with barely a sound.

It’s precise, practiced like he’s done it a thousand times without thinking.

He reels in just a little, then settles in with one hand on the rod and the other around his beer.

“Bro, you’ve got a hot chick living under your roof and you don’t acknowledge her?” Asher says.

Phoenix side-eyes Asher. “What do you know? Besides, Elyna is a single mom. She’s got a lot on her plate. I’m giving her a place to live. She doesn’t need me hounding her.”

“Hounding was not where my mind went,” Eric says.

I should be grossed out by their boy talk but I’m too used to it.

We spend the rest of the afternoon chilling and chatting. Phoenix reels in a northern pike and Becket reels in a small-mouth bass, and then they are competing about whose fish is larger.

When Asher almost falls overboard reeling in his fish; my other brothers come to his rescue.

We return home with three nice catches. My brothers are pleased with themselves, and they get to work cleaning the fish while I head upstairs to shower.

I shoot Luc and Elyna texts to come to the main house for dinner.

Elyna comes up with excuses, but I convince her by saying Luc and I are leaving for Riverside, so she needs to spend our last night here with us.

She finally agrees and so we have a cookout with my brothers, Luc, and Elyna. That isn’t a recipe for drama. No not at all.