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“Sorry,” I mutter, earning a snort of amusement from Millie.

“No, you’re not,” she whispers, and I shrug. I’m really not.

“I’ll be home in a little bit, Mom,” Millie tells Shannon, who directs Noah to find his flash cards.

And then she says to Millie, “Take your time, honey. We’ll be here learning about photosynthesis.”

Millie hangs up with a quick goodbye before flicking her gaze to me. “You really want me at another one of your games? Every time I come, the Thunder lose. You’ve got the Millie Sheehan curse.”

“Even if that were true, which it’s not, there is more to life than winning. Did you not hear my pep talk to your son?”

“It was pretty excellent.”

“Careful, Mills. You might make me arrogant in addition to being an asshole. And I mean that as a compliment.” Taking out a boxed mix from the cabinet, I ask her, “You good with blueberry pancakes for dinner?”

“You want blueberry pancakes for dinner?”

“Yeah. It is Wednesday. It’s breakfast for dinner night, isn’t it?”

She blinks at me like an owl. “You remember that?”

“Of course.”

Her cheeks flush pink as her eyes go all soft and appreciative, and I shouldn’t feel so elated that she’s impressed. Remembering something as simple as her dinner schedule is easy, and I hate that she’s never had someone looking after her enough to remember Wednesday is breakfast. I find a bowl and a whisk. “You staying for dinner?”

“Oh. Yeah, all right. But I’m the one who should be cooking.”

I nudge her out of my way when she tries to take over. “Mills, you’re a terrible cook. And that is not a joke.”

Her jaw drops, though her surprise quickly transforms into a laugh. “You said you liked my spaghetti.”

“I lied.”

She pops her hand on her hip, brow raised in a challenge even as her dimple winks at me. “Uh-huh. Add it to how you lied about liking the way I decorated this place.”

I momentarily pause dumping the pancake mix into a measuring cup and tell her the truth. “I like it because you like it.”

She tamps down her smile and settles into the stool across from me, her chin in her hand. “Careful, boss. You might make me fall in love with an arrogant asshole.”

My heart stutters to a stop before breaking into a gallop, and I have to shake my head, blinking a few times to bring myself back into consciousness.

Because even as my brain knows that would be an awful idea, that dumb fucking organ doesn’t think it would be so bad at all.

To make Millie fall in love with me.

CHAPTER 16

AUSTIN

After thirteen straight days of games, I’m exhausted, but I’ve been planning this for the past two weeks. I knew I wanted to do something special. Get Millie out for the day. Because when the Sheehan family showed up to my game, which we won, Shannon slipped me her cell phone number. “Just in case,” she said with a wink, and we’ve pretty much been texting almost every day.

I check in with her to see how she’s feeling, and she fills me in on little tidbits about Millie. Like how her daughter can put together a great salad, but get her near a stove and it’s over. Or that Millie was thrown out of preschool for kicking the teacher in the shin. Reminders of what she loves—animals, quiet time, and long hugs. Tips on what she hates—asking for help, the sound of people chewing gum, and toothpaste left in the sink.

Shannon’s latest message to me was confirmation that she was still good to be with Noah today so I could take Millie out for a few hours, and when she shows up this morning with her hair in pigtails, a smile, and my coffee, I already have my shoes on. “Come on. We’re going on an errand.”

“What?”

Millie looks past me to Harold, who greets her with, “Hello, beautiful.”