Page 15 of The Winning Hat Trick (The Steel City Knights #1)

"Surprisingly, no. She actually called me last night to congratulate me on scoring a goal. When I asked for lunch, I was sure she would shoot me down or at least push back a little, like she did when I offered to help get Talon to and from practice, but she accepted right away."

"That's great, man. She agreed to let you help with Talon?"

"Reluctantly, but yeah. She said she didn't want to be a burden, but after I reassured her that I was the one who'd offered, so it obviously wasn't a burden, she said she would take me up on my offer if she needs help, and I'm available this week."

"Hell yeah, man." Thor raises his hand for a high-five.

Shaking my head, I clap my palm on his then enter the PT room.

"Good luck with everything today. Let me know how it goes."

"Will do. Later, Thor."

"Later."

I probably don't need to do PT, but I'm being extra cautious with my shoulder this season. The games we played last week were rough. One of the PT assistants gets me set up with some heat while I wait for the PT to finish up working on one of my teammates.

I'm relieved when they confirm everything seems great with my shoulder and relax while they massage and help guide me through the strengthening stretches.

I'm just finishing up when Celeste texts me.

Celeste: How does an early lunch sound? Layla got up stupidly early, so she's a bit crabby and is gonna need an early nap.

Maclan: I'm good with that. The Tavern opens in half an hour. That would give me enough time to shower and meet you there if that works for you?

Celeste: Yep. We can make that work. Thanks for being so flexible, Mac.

Maclan: No worries. See you soon, gorgeous.

I race home so I can grab a quick shower and make it to The Tavern before Celeste and Layla.

Too anxious to wait in my car, I pace on the sidewalk in front of the bar.

I finally see Celeste's car pull up, and all the anxiety that has built up over the last few weeks melts away when I see her stunning smile directed at me.

The next thing I know, I'm opening her door, reaching in to unbuckle her seatbelt, and tugging her out of the SUV to pull her into my arms. Obviously, my body and my brain are not communicating because this is way more aggressive of a greeting than I planned to give Celeste.

Luckily, she's laughing as she circles her arms around my neck and rests her cheek on my chest.

"Well, hello to you too."

I chuckle along with her, relieved as all the tension leaves my body.

Leaning down, I kiss the top of her head.

"Sorry about that." I give her one more squeeze, then force my arms to let her go, and I take a step back.

"I might have missed you a little bit." I raise my hand and pinch my thumb and index finger together.

Her chuckle turns into a full-out belly laugh. "That's alright because I missed you too." She blushes, then turns her head to break our eye contact.

Before I can get ahead of myself and say something I might regret, Layla screams from the back of the car, snapping my attention her way.

"I hear ya, Layla Bug. I'm coming." I jog to her side of the SUV and rip the door open.

Her smile fills my chest with warmth as she stretches her chubby arms out to me.

I get her out of her seat then scoop her into my arms. "Hey, sweet girl.

" I nuzzle her neck as she wraps me in a tight hug and babbles.

"I missed you." I squeeze her tighter to me as I inhale her sweet baby scent.

"I think it's safe to say she missed you as well." Celeste smiles from the sidewalk.

"Good." I smirk. "Come on. I'm starved." I grab Celeste's hand and tug her to the entrance of the restaurant.

Reluctantly, I let her go to open the door for her.

Inside, a few tables are filled, but the lunch crowd hasn't descended yet.

With my hand on her back, I guide Celeste over to the corner that is set up for families with kiddos.

The wall is painted with chalkboard paint so kids can color while they wait for food.

There are also blocks, cars and a few other toys for them to play with.

I snag a few of the cars off the carpet and grab a highchair for our table.

I try to put Layla in the seat, but she starts fussing and wants nothing to do with it as she clings to me.

"Shh, it's okay, Layla Bug. You can stay with me," I croon in her ear, running my hand in circles on her back to get her to settle.

"Damn," Celeste mumbles across the table, pulling my eyes to hers.

"What?"

"I swear you're a baby whisperer or just have some insane pull with my tiny humans, 'cause they sure as shit don't settle down that easily for me." Celeste huffs as she crosses her arms over her chest, pushing her breasts up.

My eyes dart down, but I quickly flick them back to her face.

"That's because you're their mom. They're safe to feel all their feels with you, whether it's the happy feels or the angry feels. You get the brunt of those emotions."

"Hmm, maybe. But I still think it's some weird voodoo shit you do."

"Hey, if that's what makes you feel better, keep telling yourself that." I smirk at her.

Before either of us can say anything else, the waitress comes over to take our orders. Layla is content in my arms, playing with the cars I snagged, which gives me a chance to take in Celeste.

She looks stunning, as usual, but she also looks tired. I can't imagine handling everything she does on her own, but I'm hoping she'll let me start helping with some of her burdens.

"So, what were you working on so late last night?"

"I was going through headshots from my old agent. She branched out on her own a few years back and is now inundated with more people than she can handle. She's more than willing to take me on and show me the ropes. I'd be independent but have her support."

"That sounds awesome. You get along well with her?"

"Yes, Gabriella is wonderful. She's fierce, doesn't take shit from anyone, and knows the business inside and out. Having her knowledge at my disposal would be invaluable. Plus, then I could hopefully avoid Chad."

"Chad?" I know who Chad is, but this is the first time Celeste has brought him up, and I'm dying to hear her take on her ex.

"My sperm donor," she sasses.

I choke on my drink.

Celeste giggles. "Sorry." She shrugs, but she's anything but.

"He's in the industry?"

"Technically, yes. His dad owns a modeling agency.

That's how I met Chad. I actually adore his father.

He's still involved with the kids and knows Chad's pretty useless, but his wife enables Chad like it's her job.

He tolerates Chad's bad behavior to an extent, to save his marriage because he genuinely still loves his wife, even though she's let their wealth and status go to her head. "

"Wow, that's a lot to digest." I lean back in my chair and caress Layla's back as I try to process her ex's family dynamics.

"It is, but I find it admirable that even though he knows his son is a bit of a lost cause, he still tries to guide him where the business is involved and get him to take an active role.

He's learned to keep Chad away from any major deals, though, after he's almost cost him valuable contracts.

Now, I think he's stuck in the marketing department. "

"Hmm, that sounds messy."

"It is, which is why I'm glad Gabriella is willing to take me on."

"Me too. Does Chad see the kids at all?"

"No. I have full custody of them. He signed over all of his rights, and I made it perfectly clear that he would not be a frequent flyer in their lives. He was either in or he was out."

"And he agreed to that?" I scoff in complete disbelief that any man could walk away from his kids, least of all these three.

"Yep." Celeste pops the P as if to punctuate her point.

We fall silent, each lost in our own thoughts, but it's not uncomfortable.

Layla's babbling away in my arms, which makes me wonder even more how that asshat could walk away from this sweet baby girl. Snuggling her close, I kiss her head, then smile when she looks up at me and gives me a messy kiss on the cheek.

"Well, if that isn't the sweetest thing I've seen all week…" the waitress sing-songs as she places our food on the table.

We dig in and enjoy our lunch, Layla letting me set her in the highchair now that her food has arrived.

"So, what's the game plan for the rest of the week? When's Talon's practice, and did you pin down your meetings?"

Worrying her lip, Celeste narrows her eyes as if she's assessing whether or not she's going to clue me in on her plans. I'm dying to reassure her that this is what I want, but I sense being patient and waiting her out is the best move.

"Talon has practice tomorrow and Thursday. I can take him to his practice tomorrow, but I'll need help Thursday if you're still available." She won't make eye contact, but I can tell that she's nervous because she's picking her napkin apart.

"Sure. I should be done with work by early afternoon. You need me to get him from school or pick him up at your house?"

"Can I let you know? It depends on what my mom has going on."

"Absolutely. What about the girls?"

"I was going to see if Daph or Ez could watch them."

"I'll take them. We can swap vehicles if you don't care."

"You know Layla is still in diapers, right? And Calla is potty trained, but she still needs help going to the bathroom sometimes. They're a lot, Mac."

"It's fine. I know Layla needs her diapers changed. I can handle that. We can do a trial run now if you want. I know Mav has a changing table in the men's room. There's a ton of places the girls and I can hang out during Talon's practice. We'll be fine."

"Okay. If you're sure, that would be super helpful."

"Totally sure."

"I should be able to pick Talon and Calla up from school. Want to meet at our house on Thursday at 4pm?"

"That sounds perfect." I beam at Celeste, happy that she's letting me in.

I pay the bill and follow Celeste out to the car. I insist on putting Layla in her car seat so that Celeste sees that I'm getting better and know how to keep her baby safe. After kissing Layla's cute cheeks, I then lead Celeste around to her side and open the door for her.

Before she can get in, I snag her hand and pull her into my arms, holding her tight and breathing her in. I tip her chin up, kiss her forehead, then step back. "Thanks for meeting me for lunch and for trusting me to help with the kids. I'm really excited to see them Thursday."

"No, thank you, Mac. I really appreciate it."

"Anytime, gorgeous. I'll talk to you later." I can't help the wink I shoot her way, which makes her blush and me smirk.

Stepping back on the sidewalk, I have to fight pumping my fist in the air in victory.

Today felt like a huge win where Celeste is concerned. We still might be in the friend zone, but at least I know we're moving ahead in our relationship. She's entrusting me with her kids, which are her whole life, and that's huge.

Now it's time to prove that her trust isn't misplaced, and that having a partner by her side can be just what she needs, even if she doesn't realize it yet.