AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I peered at the living room window. Two faces peered out. I gave Avery a casual wave, but she only ducked down.
Landon appeared, and his face brightened. Reading lips had never been so easy. “Coach B!”
His reaction helped ease my anxiety. He was excited to see me. The door opened. Emery was in purple scrubs, the standard color for the clinic according to what Stetson’s ex had told us once, and they were baggy around her legs, but snug at the hips and breasts. As if I needed my nights disrupted by more images of Emery being sexy just being herself.
“Holden, hi.” Surprise registered in her expression, and she looked behind me as if she assumed I’d come with Stetson.
Landon danced behind her, trying to see me.
“I wanted to see how Landon was doing and let him know what Coach Barron worked on today.”
Was I imagining the disappointment in her eyes? She hadn’t given me the impression she cared if I ever talked to her again.
But I wanted to.
She pushed the door open wider and told Landon, “You can talk to him on the front step.” Before I could be disappointed I wasn’t invited inside, she gestured behind her. “I just got home. I’ll run and get changed.”
Landon came out, and we sat on the front step.
“How ya doing?” I asked.
He flexed and twisted his arm. “Still hurts, but the doctor said I don’t have to wear the sling anymore. Mom got this cool ice pack that wraps around my whole arm.”
He described the ice pack in great detail. I wouldn’t be surprised if he grew up and entered the medical field like his mom if an ice pack thrilled him this much.
I ran through the drills we’d covered in practice, using pebbles to show him where players would be situated. Basic stuff. The kids were still learning the rules and which direction to run. Landon nodded, his face serious like money was on the line at the next game.
The screen door opened behind us. Emery stepped out in black leggings and a green-and-white UND T-shirt. Her familiar peaches scent wafted over me, slamming me with a memory of the night we were together.
“We were just finishing up,” I said gruffly, making no move to leave even though I knew I should before her scent gave my dick the bright idea of making this moment uncomfortable.
“Thanks for stopping by.” She patted Landon’s shoulder, but he also made no move to leave. “Head inside. Wash your hands and help set the table.”
Landon’s big brown eyes turned on me. “You staying for supper, Coach B?”
I should have been insulted at the flare of Emery’s eyes and the way she shifted her weight on her stockinged feet. “Oh, I’m sure Coach B has plans.”
“I don’t,” I answered too quickly for a guy who didn’t pursue relationships with women who had kids. A guy who’d told himself for years that he was better off without the heartbreak.
Discomfort and indecision played across her face. I’d been inside her, but inviting me into her house was too much.
“Cool!” Landon wasn’t deterred by my half-answer. He ripped inside, yelling, “Coach B’s staying for supper!”
She rolled her lips in and stared at me like she couldn’t believe I wasn’t already running to my pickup to get out of a meal with a single mom and a lot of kids.
I couldn’t believe I wanted to stay either, but what I’d seen at the clinic had been fascinating. She was the eye of a storm that should be raging but was functioning like a well-oiled machine. I hadn’t witnessed the chaos, but I didn’t believe Emery would disappoint. I thought she’d calmly carry herself and her kids through to the other side. And that was something I hadn’t gotten when I was growing up, nor was it something I’d had when I needed it the most. I wanted to witness an involved mother.
But I couldn’t be selfish. If she didn’t want me around, I wouldn’t use her kids to get close to her. “Sorry. If it’s a problem, I can go.”
Annoyance crossed her face. “No, you got his hopes up. He doesn’t need them shattered after the way his dad no-showed last weekend.”
I should’ve shot Landon down when he’d asked, but I didn’t want to be another adult sliding out of his life. “Shit, I’m sorry. I’ll eat and run so I don’t interfere with your family time.”
She rubbed her temples. “No, I’m sorry. It’s not your fault. It’s just…”
“I had a piece-of-shit dad.” I stuffed my hands in my sweats. Why had I said that? I never talked to anyone about my dad. “I take that back. He was only a crap dad to me.”
The fading sun highlighted the green in her eyes as she considered me. “I’m afraid that’s what’s happening here. Henry has become— He’s always been selfish, but I could understand after I met his parents. Anyway, I just didn’t think it’d play out like this.”
