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Jaime came back to the first row of the bleachers and sat beside her. “That went well.”
“She’s excited. You finally let the racehorse out of the barn.”
“She needs to calm down.” He tracked her every movement. “Look at her. She’s wired.”
She wondered if he’d be better off not watching. “What time’s your meeting with Ross’s agent?”
“Twenty minutes, but I’ll take the call from here.”
“From an ice-skating rink?” Around them, a few parents worked on their laptops, a couple of moms chatted, and two little kids played a computer game side by side.
He broke into a grin. “Okay, fine. I’ll step into my office.” When Kinny tried to spin and landed on her butt, he flinched. “Probably for the best.”
She chuckled. “I’m going to bet you never fell. You probably hit the ice-skating like Connor McDavid.”
He turned to her, eyebrows raised. “You really do know your hockey.”
“Please. Sports are huge in my family—but only Boston teams. We’re a loyal bunch.” She checked the time on her phone.
“You’ve got to go?”
“No, I can stay about twenty more minutes, but I want to get back in time to help the boys pack the van. I’m not sure hockey players understand how delicate my éclairs are.”
That got his attention. “What’ve they done?”
There he went again, sliding into warrior mode. “Nothing. They’ve been great.” It was funny because it annoyed her when her brothers were overprotective, but with Jaime it made her feel like he’d go to the ends of the earth to make sure she had what she needed. “But they’re still learning how I like things done.”
“All right, but you let me know if they mess up.”
“If they mess up, I’ll talk to them. But thank you.” As Jaime tracked his daughter’s every move, Grace couldn’t stop grinning. “I actually love when you get all clan warrior on me.”
“Oh, yeah?” He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and drew her up against him. “Cole’s dad’s got some kilts. I could put one on tonight.”
“It’s less about the costume than the attitude, so I think we’re good. But real talk, does he wear underpants under it?”
Jaime laughed. “Sorry. That’s something I’ll take to my grave.”
It was the big joke in the media whether Trevor Montgomery, star of the Clan Wars franchise, went commando under his kilt, so everywhere he went, people jokingly tried to get a look. “So, you do know. At least tell me this. Does he wear a kilt around the house?”
“No. That’s for show.” He kissed her cheek. “I like being with you. We fit.”
Pleasure spread through her, hot and fast, but she kept her attention on the ice so he wouldn’t see how much that simple statement affected her.
He chuckled.
“What?” She pretended to be irritated with him.
“You like me.”
“Oh, is it feeding time again? That ego of yours is voracious.”
His fingers brushed across her cheek. “You know I can read everything on your face, right?”
“I hope so. It’s important to see how much you annoy me.” But she couldn’t conceal her grin. Or the goosebumps his gentle touch elicited.
“Yeah, that’s not what I’m seeing. You like it when I pet you with my words.”
“I don’t like being petted at all. I’m not a farm animal.” Still, she wouldn’t look at him. “But yes, sometimes I need to hear that you’re in this with me.”
