“You’re doing great.”
Not sure if she’s happy or sad that I’m doing great as there’s a pang of disappointment hanging on her words that feels awfully like she wants me to fail. I’m sure she doesn’t. She’s probably just scared of me spending time with Wyatt and not wanting to include her.
“Hey.” I cup her face with my free hand, acutely aware we’re in a kid’s play area and kissing the shit out of her at the bottom of the slide is probably uncool, too. Yet the urge is like fire in my veins. “You’re a package deal for me, you know?”
Tears well in her eyes, but she doesn’t seem convinced as she nibbles on her lip.
“I mean it. I want things to work out between you and me as much as I want to be a good…” I pause, he’s right here, and I don’t want to say the D word in front of him yet. “I want to be there for Wyatt. I’m falling for you, Victoria. I’m not here to take him from you, or to make you feel less of a mom, or whatever fears are floating around in that smart brain of yours. Consider me back up, a relief pitcher after some long, hard innings by yourself. I want to be a good role model, sure, but I also want to be a good partner to his mom.”
I mean every fucking word of it, too.
The smile on her face is shaky, vulnerable, and tells me I’m not too far wrong with my guess that she doesn’t want to be pushed out of her kid’s life in any way. Which is fine for me, because that’s not what I want either.
Standing up from a foam mat with a spider monkey kid clinging to your person takes more core control than I apparently have. Turns out, Dad muscles and hockey player covered in heavy hockey equipment muscles are totally different. It’s wobbly, takes a few attempts, and results inVictoria snorting with laughter, but we get there in the end. Maybe it’s ‘cause I’m not wearing skates.
Wyatt refuses to let go. Victoria says he doesn’t take midday naps anymore, but this mini firecracker is tired.
“Should we go for a drive? See if we can get him to take a n-a-p?”
She smiles again. “Ever the hopeful optimist, eh? We can try.”
Before I can take a step forward, a stab of pain hits behind my eyes. I don’t have time for a migraine, but that’s not how these things work. Hopefully it’ll stay a low-key headache until we can get back to the house.
Fruitless optimism again. There’s precisely zero chance of me making it beyond the fucking parking lot without this blowing up inside my brain. My vision blurs. Can I make it out to the car?
Maybe. But certainly not worth the risk while carrying my son in my arms.
The temptation is to hide what I’m feeling from Victoria. But if this thing between us is going to work out, I need her to be able to trust me, and for that to happen, I have to be transparent in all things.
“Tori?”
Either the use of her nickname or my tone makes her head snap toward me. “What’s wrong?”
“Can you take Wyatt for me, please?” The pulsating pain in my head gets stronger. The screaming kids, the harsh bright lights. This is literally the worst possible place to have a stupid headache right now.
My eyes can’t focus as she guides me to the door. She’s got her camera bag, Wyatt’s bag, and Wyatt, but she’s somehow ushering me to safety, her hand on my lower back. She’s saying something to me, but the sound of her voice is distorted. All Iknow is that she’s not yelling, or maybe she is and that’s why there’s a drummer in my skull banging on my brain.
“Keys.” Her voice is sharp. We’re somehow at Apollo’s SUV, Wyatt’s in his seat and Victoria has no bags hanging off her. Man, she works fast.
The world sways as I grip the side of the car. She’s patting down my pockets, and while I want to help, all I can do is grit my teeth and hope the nausea welling in my stomach passes quickly, if nothing else.
She finds the keys and helps me into the car, starts the engine, and before we’re out of the parking lot, I close my eyes and let the darkness win.
CHAPTER 31
Victoria
I’ve never suffered from migraines, neither has Mom, but when Raffi turned to me in the Fun Station, pale, wincing, and disoriented, my gut told me that’s what it was. He was out cold before I even backed the car out of the space. He woke up when I roused him, so I figured we didn’t need a detour to the hospital, but the thought crossed my mind.
There was no way Mom and I could get Raffi out of the car and into the house, so I had no choice but to call for backup. Eloise is pacing the sidewalk outside my house when I pull up. Ares and both his brothers are waiting to help.
They asked if it would be better to drive to the hockey house and put Raffi in his own bed, but I told them no. I don’t want him waking up and thinking I just dropped him off at the first sign of trouble. I don’t want him thinking I left him.
I’ve lived that and wouldn’t wish it on anyone.
Not to mention that I really want to take care of him.
Between the six of us, we get a pretty out-of-it Raffi into bed. Apollo found migraine meds in Raffi’s bathroom, so wemanage to get those and small sips of water into him before he lies down again.
