“Latte at first sight,” she corrects, laughing softly. Then her smile fades into something quieter. “But yeah… he asked me to marry him after a couple of months. I said yes. And instead of going to college, I stayed home. It’s what he wanted. He wanted kids right away, too.”
I lean my hip against the pool table, studying her carefully. “I’m not trying to sound harsh here,” I say slowly, choosing my words. “But maybe that’s what he found attractive. Someone who didn’t have an outside life yet. Someone whose world revolved around him. His career. His plans.”
Her eyes lift to mine sharply, not offended, just assessing. “You sure you didn’t study psychology?”
I huff out a laugh. “Pretty sure. And now you want to go to law school?” I ask.
She sucks in a breath like the idea still startles her. “I want to be there for other women. To help them when life hits them over the head and they don’t have anyone to turn to.” Her voice steadies as she speaks, conviction replacing hesitation. “I don’t ever want someone to feel as small as I did.”
I take a shot and miss, and she pushes to her feet, cue in hand. “What about your dreams, Tuck? Did you know you always wanted to be a hockey player? Any demons in your past?”
I swallow as she studies the table, and a part of me feels like she deserves an honest answer to that. But I don’t talk about my past. Ever. She takes a shot and sinks her ball, then turns curious eyes my way.
I hesitate, not sure how much to say or even what to say. “When I was a boy, I wanted to be an astronaut, but then my hockey skills became apparent early on, and the rest is history.” She waits for me to expand, talk about my demons, when I’m saved by the bell.
I pull my pinging phone from my pocket and read the message from Tanner. “Tanner wants to know if he can bring Stella over later to see the kitten.” I mock shiver and she laughs.
“You’re scared of her.”
“Damn right I am. She’s out to get me.”
“Why did she call you ugly, anyway?”
“That got twisted.” I tell her what Stella really said and she reaches over and takes my hands. “These really are ugly,” she teases. “I actually have some cream with me that would help. Want to try it later?”
“They’re that bad huh?” I joke.
Heat moves into her eyes and I don’t miss the way her body quivers, and it takes me back to when I ran my callused hands over her body. “I uh, I’ll let him know it’s okay to bring her, if it’s okay with you.”
“It’s okay with me.”
My phone pings again and I see that it’s Ash. “Jesus,” I say. “Now Zoe and little Grant want to come over. I don’t think I’ve ever had that many people in my house at one time.”
She studies me for a beat, then smiles. “Well. Good thing you’ve got a big empty house.”
Yeah.
But suddenly it doesn’t feel so empty. And I’m not sure which part of that scares me more — the crowd coming, or how much I’m looking forward to her and the boys staying after they leave.
8
Maria
“Okay, now that I won, let me think about what I want.” I tap my chin like I’m seriously weighing my options, even though the only thing I can think about is the way his sweater stretched across his shoulders every time he leaned over the table.
Grinning, he walks toward me, and plucks the cue from my hand. His fingers brush mine—barely—but it’s enough. He sets the cue back on the rack with meticulous care.
“It better not be anything crazy,” he says, turning back to me. “Like me stripping and running up and down the street.”
I mock shiver, backing away, hands forward, as if warding off the horror of it. But my mind betrays me instantly. The image flashes—Tuck completely bare, all that muscle and heat and strength I’ve already memorized in the dark. My body warms despite myself, a slow liquid heat pooling low in my belly as I imagine tracing every hard line with my hands. Taking my time. Learning him all over again.
“Tuck, I would never subject the neighbourhood to something so… so…”
“Ugly,” he supplies dryly.
I laugh, because it’s easier than admitting the truth. “Your words, not mine.”
He steps closer.
