I could have a crush on the unattainable man and see things that weren’t actually there, and I could ignore those as much as I did the metaphor. I felt happy, finally, or at least as close to it as I’d ever been. I feltmein a way I hadn’t been before. That had to count for something.
“Wanna race?” Uncle Teague asked me.
“Teague…,” Charlie said with a groan.
I smirked. “You’re on.”
Chapter 13
Law
Iwanted to kiss him. Just take his face in my hands and show him exactly what good kissing was all about. I shouldn’t. Icouldn’t. But that didn’t stop me from wanting it.
I could logic my feelings toward Oak Mulligan away. He was a sweetheart who had thought of this lovely thing and included my children. He was kind and gentle and a little bit broken. I was hardwired to care for and protect. So really, all of that coalesced into wanting to take care of Oak.
But that didn’t mean I wasn’t also attracted to him. And all of those things that made up who he waswerethe reasons I wanted him. It didn’t have to be mutually exclusive. It wasn’t that I was feeling brotherly toward him. I was feeling partnerly toward him. And it hit me like a ton of bricks, as I watched him skate, laughing and smiling, beautiful and graceful out on the ice.
I knew it was a bad idea. That expression “don’t shit where you eat” ran through my head. We worked together. He was my brother’s boyfriend’s nephew. Mary and Sean’s grandson. On top of that, he was not only far too young for me but he had a lotof baggage. There was trauma he needed to work through. And yet, it didn’t stop the feelings taking root and growing.
I was so fucked. And not in a good way.
I would have to ignore it. Just push it away and pretend it didn’t exist. Because this kid didn’t need an old man perving on him. Not that I was old. Or perving. But in that moment, it was what it felt like. And if I was being completely honest, I had enough of my own baggage too. He didn’t need mine added to his. And that was yet another reason this couldn’t work.
“Dad?”
Marlie’s voice shocked me out of my thought spiral and I took a quick second to firmly plant my brain in the present before I smiled down at her. “What’s up?”
“I wanna try.” Her voice was barely above a whisper.
I immediately crouched down. “You sure? It’s okay if you don’t. Or if you want to wait until next time. But if you’re ready, then let’s do it.”
She squinted at me. “Not you. You don’t know how.”
I gasped, affronted, but Marlie just giggled. I squished her to me for a second, laughing along with her. “Yeah, not me. You need someone who’s good at it. Who do you want?”
Marlie tapped her chin for a moment, watching the skaters. Teague and Oak were racing the length of the pond again, tearing toward us, Harper had let go of Charlie’s arm and was gliding slowly beside him, and Tristan took yet another fall, laughing hysterically while he did it.
“Maybe Uncle Teague?”
I could understand why. Teague was big and strong, and to a little girl like Marlie, he seemed capable of taking on the world. She knew Teague wouldn’t let her get hurt.
“Good choice.” I straightened. “Hey, Teague!”
Teague immediately veered in our direction, stopping in a spray of snow that he thankfully aimed in the opposite direction.Marlie laughed, delighted with the performance. Teague made a show of bowing. “How can I be of service?”
I nudged my daughter, but she was too nervous to ask. We were working on that, but now wasn’t the time to push her. “Marlie’s ready to give it a try, if you’d be willing to help her.”
“Aces. You know I got your back, Marlie girl. Let’s get the skates and helmet on, and I’ll show you how it’s done.”
It took us a few minutes to get her outfitted, and then Teague took her hands and led her onto the ice. I watched with an eagle eye, ready to rescue my daughter if she needed it. But I should have known she wouldn’t. Marlie needed time to warm up to ideas, and the skating had been a surprise. But as she watched everyone else have fun, she got comfortable with it. Now with Teague keeping her upright, showing her how to skate and making sure she didn’t so much as wobble, she was fine.
Tristan was really getting the hang of it but I wasn’t surprised. He had a natural aptitude for sports, but even more than that, the quicker he learned, the sooner he could go fast. And my boy loved moving as fast as he could. Charlie had stepped off the pond on the opposite side from me, his gaze glued to Harper as she made a slow circuit. She was gaining confidence and speed with every glide.
Now that Teague was occupied, Oak made his way back over to me. He was flushed from the exertion and the cold and grinning like he’d never been happier. He was utterly breathtaking. I was overwhelmed again with the urge to kiss him, and I had to shove my hands in my pockets to keep from reaching out.
“Cold?”
It took a second for me to realize what he was asking, and since it was a better excuse than the real reason, I nodded. “It’s a bit brisk. Perhaps if I had a scarf…”
