“What did your mom tell you?”
He shrugged. “Just that you’re seeing where things go.”
Things were going. Things were definitely going. But he didn’t need to see where things were going to go, he knew. Deep in the pit of his stomach, and in every inch of his heart, body, and soul, he knew. She was his endgame. He was never letting her go again, and he regretted ever having done it before.
The kid’s face turned somber.
“What is it, Mason?”
“She’s been through a lot.” He gnawed on his thumb.
That was easy to agree with, she really had. He nodded, his chest warming at the boy’s concern for his mom.
“I know grown-ups can’t really plan the future. But can you try not to hurt her? Please? I hate it when she’s sad.”
This kid.
Elliott stepped toward him and gave what he’d hoped was a reassuring pat on his shoulder. “I’m hoping to help you take care of her if that’s okay.”
Mason smiled and nodded.
“I’m sure sometimes it’s hard for you to do by yourself.”
Another nod.
“You do a great job looking after her, Mason.” Another shoulder pat.
What else could he say?
“It’ll be harder for me to take care of her from my dad’s house. So I could definitely use the backup.”
His dad’s house? That didn’t sound good, but the sadness in Mason’s eyes, and the fact that it was none of Elliott’s goddamned business – even though curiosity burned him from the inside out made him keep his questions to himself. “I got you, kid.”
When they descended the stairs Clare was shaking her ass to Destiny’s Child in the kitchen. She had put sweat pants on, probably from the laundry room, her sweater had been replaced by a green t-shirt, and she wore a bright red apron as she whisked pancake batter in a huge mixing bowl.
She looked no less a goddess than she had in the slinky, shimmering gold dress and heels the night before. He was a goner for the woman.
Catriona leaned against the counter, singing into a wooden spoon. “Morning, Coach.”
He saluted her. “Catriona.” He poured his cold coffee into the sink and got a refill. “How was prom?”
She shrugged, but a smile teased her lips. “Fine.”
“Theo was a gentleman?” He narrowed his eyes to slits. Theo had better have been a fucking gentleman or Elliott would string him up by his ankles and have the team beat him with hockey sticks.
Oh. That was a damned good idea. He’d most definitely tuck that threat away for the future.
She nodded. “Once he figured out how to use the English language again, anyway.”
Clare barked out a laugh. “Poor kid was kinda scared of you at first, wasn’t he, Cat?”
“He couldn’t complete a sentence for what felt like an hour. He just kept…staring. So weird.” She cringed. “Some of the other players kept stopping by to make sure I was okay.” She pinned Elliott with a glare. “Did you have something to do with that?”
He shrugged in answer. “Theo’s new to town, to the team. I just didn’t want anything to go wrong.”
Cat gave a knowing grin and pressed a button on her phone. Paramore’sI’m into Youblasted from the speakers, he’d heard it enough times at the rink to almost know it by heart. Clare covered her face with her palm. He was sure if he could hear her, he’d have heard a groan, too.
She took Cat’s phone and pressed the volume button on the side. “Subtle. I think he’s well aware I’m still into him, Catriona.”
