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I had to have that idea ruined for me, so that when Dart came along, the excitement of the possibility of children with him would hit me like a ton of ice. Or maybe I’m crazy as hell, like my momma has said, because I don’t even know if he wants kids.
But surely he does.
Because I do now.
I want his baby dragons.
Freaking nerd.
He looks back at me, and I grin widely at him as he tosses Celeste over his shoulder as Raine chases them through the living room. I hadn’t expected to leave the bed this morning since Dart didn’t have practice until this afternoon to prepare for tomorrow’s game.
But when he couldn’t get ahold of Sabine this morning, he called Kirby’s wife, Jaylin, who is a lawyer, for guidance. She asked him to come over, and since we’re attached at the hip, here I am, hoping like hell she has an answer for him. I know his mind is on his sister, worried, and even though I haven’t met her yet, I am too. I want her to be safe and cared for the way she needs to be.
“They love him,” Jaylin says, pulling my gaze from Dart and the girls to her.
“He is wonderful with them.”
“You should see him with Amelia’s kids. All the kiddos love Dart. He is a big ol’ kid.”
I can’t argue with her on that. Especially when he does a front roll on the floor with Raine, their laughter intoxicating. “Raine! Are you going to be a gymnastics star like Amelia?”
She throws up her hands, bouncing, and Celeste laughs. “Yes! We both are! See, Dart? See?” Celeste bounces for him, her hands up, and I can’t stop smiling.
“They’re beautiful.”
“They are,” Jaylin agrees. “He’s the same with Sabine.”
I meet her gaze. “I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting her yet.”
“You’ll love her. She’s a doll baby.” She leans on her hand, holding my gaze. “It would be a lot to take on a child who isn’t yours, but Dart told me you were fine with it.”
“I am. I want her to be safe. I sure as hell don’t know how to raise a kid, but I know how to love.”
Her eyes shine such a beautiful dark brown. “That’s all you need, in my opinion,” she says with a small smile. “Which is why it’s killing me I can’t find a loophole to get him custody of Sabine.”
I swallow, and I notice Dart sits down, bringing the girls into his lap. “So, I wouldn’t be able to get her?”
Sadly, Jaylin shakes her head. “You have no legal rights to her whatsoever, and your mom doesn’t have to let you have contact with her.”
Dart leans his lips into Celeste’s hair as Raine cuddles into his side. His face is so sullen, it breaks my heart.
“I can send a letter, and maybe she’ll get scared of my letterhead,” Jaylin says. “But as much as I dislike her, I don’t think she’s dumb enough to fall for it.”
I shrug. “It’s worth a shot.”
Dart nods. “Yeah, but Jaylin is right. She’ll see right through it.” My stomach hurts as I watch the sadness move across his gorgeous face. “But I think we should try it, just for shits and giggles, I guess.”
“I already have it drafted. I can email it now, and we can see what happens,” Jaylin says, and when he nods, she turns to her computer. “I’ll have it sent certified mail, too, just to make sure she gets it.”
“Thanks, Jaylin,” he says, and the note of sadness in his voice has my heart aching. “Maybe I could offer to buy her off?” he asks after a moment. “She loves money.”
“That’s highly illegal,” she tells him, and the disappointment on his face kills me.
“But could you make it legal?” I ask, and she holds my gaze.
“Let’s try this and see what happens. Okay?”
I’m not hopeful, and one look at Dart tells me he’s not either. I don’t think Jaylin feels good about our options either, but she sends the letter. After watching a couple of episodes of Paw Patrol with the girls since Dart promised Celeste he would, we head out. The girls protest, but Dart has afternoon skate, and I have meetings with a couple of the players today to go over their assessments.
In the truck, Dart asks me, “When is my assessment?”
I blow out a breath, not sure why doing his makes me so nervous. “I’m done, just a little hesitant to go over it with you.”
He brings in his brows. “Why?”
“I don’t know. I’ve spent hours watching you play, and the only thing I can come up with is something so small, it’s almost not worth it.”
“So, you’re saying I’m perfect,” he says, giving me a cheeky grin.
“Yes, but also, I think you have some weakness in your left wrist that, if you did some extra rehab, would enable you to increase your miles per hour by at least eight.”
