AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Now all three boys are tired and pissy that Daddy lost.
I put my hands to Colby’s and Tanner’s backs, leading them across the family lounge to a grouping of chairs and couches. “Sit here. Your dad won’t be long.”
Once the boys are situated, I unlock my phone and hand it over to Jake. He takes it without hesitation and expertly navigates to the Disney+ app that I keep downloaded with some movies for them to watch. I’m not sure how parents or caretakers of children ever survived without something like this to keep them occupied.
“Do you guys want anything to eat or drink?” I ask. The Titans keep the family lounge stocked with fresh buffet foods and an arrangement of drinks for both before and after the game. This is usually where the players will come to meet spouses and kids or visiting family members. Brienne often comes in before the game, walking around and introducing herself to every single person she doesn’t know.
On days like today, when the boys are here, I expect her to arrive any moment for the handoff. She’ll keep an eye on them until Drake showers and changes, but she’s probably giving a quick postgame interview.
“Cookies,” Colby says with bright, hopeful eyes.
“Carrot sticks,” I reply, and he wrinkles his nose.
“I’ll get you a plate you can share,” I promise.
I know Drake and Brienne are going to take the boys out to dinner, so I put some veggies on a plate along with ranch dip, which will induce them to eat it. I grab water bottles and set them down on the coffee table. They’re all three hovered over my phone, watchingToy Storyand ignoring the food.
My stomach rumbles since I haven’t eaten since lunch and I’m not going out with the gang for dinner. Brienne invited me, but I declined, more so just to give them time together as a family. I’m around them so much by virtue of being the boys’ secondary caretaker that I try to give them as much family bonding time as they can get. It’s only been a few weeks since they all moved in with Brienne and I want them to solidify. The boys need to feel stable and settled, especially given the upheaval their mom has caused over the last few years. It appears she’s gone for good since none of us have heard from her in months.
I also declined the invitation to dinner as I’m looking forward to having the evening to myself. The workweek starts early tomorrow, back to my day job and picking the boys up after school and caring for them until Brienne or Drake are home.
Best of all, because there’s food here, I won’t have to cook.
I head back to the buffet line and see a couple checking out the offerings… a man and a woman who appear to be in their late fifties. I haven’t seen them here before, but they have the look of someone’s parents.
“Hi,” I say brightly as I grab a plate from the end.
They both smile at me and the man nods at the silver chafing dishes over Sterno warmers. “This is a nice touch. They did something similar to this in Arizona.”
“Ahh,” I say with a knowing look. “You must be Bain’s parents.”
The super-hot hockey player that I had a very interesting exchange with a few days ago at the Titans’ Christmas party.
“Yes,” his dad says and holds out a hand, his smile popping. “I’m Dave Hillridge and this is my wife, Sheila.”
I shake their hands. “Kiera McGinn. Drake is my brother.”
Dave grimaces slightly. “He had a rough game.”
That he did, facing a whopping thirty-eight shots on goal while we only managed to get off thirty against our opponent. “It’s part of the business, right? But Drake can be pretty circumspect.”
“Not our Bain,” Sheila says, moving in closer to whisper. “He takes it all very personally.”
Interesting. I got a very laid-back vibe from him when we met. Not that you can be mellow after a loss. The spirit of competition runs hot with these guys, but in just those few minutes of conversation, I could tell that Bain is confident and well balanced. I suppose he could still let the weight of defeat rest on his shoulders. He’s a defenseman and his job is to help protect against the shots.
And then it hits me… I could be seeing him again.
Any moment, really, and a thrum of excitement swims through me. I had imagined we’d cross paths again at some point but didn’t think it would be this soon. I rarely go to the games, usually the one watching the boys in the evenings since Brienne has to be here too.
“Have you met him yet?” Sheila asks, and I blink a moment, realizing I’d zoned out.
I manage a quick smile. “Yes, actually. At the Christmas party but only for a few moments.”
“He’s single, you know,” she says slyly, and her husband rolls his eyes, muttering under his breath.
I see Brienne and Drake walking through the lounge door and I set the plate down on a table. “I’m sorry… but my brother just walked in and I need to hand over his kids. It was really lovely meeting you.”
“We hope to see you again,” Sheila says. “We live in Virginia, so we plan to come to as many games as we can. We’re so happy to have Bain back on the East Coast.”
