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I hated that she’d done this, that she reduced our relationship to this. I hated that her daughters didn’t have her. I hated that she was so selfish.
It was the icing on today’s shit cake.
All I wanted was to go home and curl up with Haley on the couch, and tonight, that’s exactly what I planned to do.
* * *
Pullinginto my driveway made some of the tightness in my chest release. Even more so when I opened the garage and found Haley’s SUV secured inside, safe and sound. There was just something to her being safe, and knowing she was going to be behind that door as soon as I opened it did something to me.
Once I entered the house, I could hear the sound of the television and singing. I dropped my gym bag in the laundry room, hung my truck keys, and slowly padded down the hall. The lights from the lamps in the living room illuminated the floor and the huge blanket spread out on it. All four of my girls sat on it, wearing ribbons in their hair with little foam inserts between their toes.
“Daddy!” Mila jumped up and ran to me and then the other two made their way a little slower. Once they were all in my arms, my eyes landed on Haley’s green ones, and my entire day just seemed to disappear. All the shit, all the pain—
Her eyes narrowed, her brows furrowing into a hard line.
Oh shit. The conversation with Lacey totally made me forget my fucked-up face.
“What happened?” She uncrossed her legs and stood quickly, walking over in a rush. Her tanned thighs led to a pretty purplelilaccolor painted across her toes, and I nearly laughed because she still had the foam piece in between each one as she stalked over.
I was on my knees, hugging the girls, when she made her way through our little throng and cupped my jaw in her hands. Gentle strokes from her thumbs brushed against my cheeks, and her eyes were so full of worry and concern that she must have completely forgotten about the kids.
“Who hit you?” She searched my eyes, still unaware of how she was touching me. I stared up at her feeling completely undone.
I loved her.
It beat like an anthem in my chest, reminding me she had no idea because I hadn’t said the words.
“Cole got in a lucky shot,” I finally answered, because I did notice that Maddy was inspecting the way Haley held my face, her eyes wide, like she was trying to piece together a puzzle.
Haley finally dropped my jaw and stepped back.
Mila’s little nose scrunched, her face twisting as if she tasted something sour. “Why did Uncle Cole hit you, Daddy?”
Oh shit. Right. This would make no sense whatsoever to them.
Haley’s eyes darted down to Mila, widening as she realized what I had just said.
“Daddy and Uncle Cole always hit each other in the gym,” Seraphina said dismissively, turning back to their blanket set up on the floor.
“Ohhhhh, that’s what you mean, with boxing gloves?”
I rubbed her back. “Of course, honey.”
“You didn’t have your hands up? You always tell us to keep our hands up.”
I had to bite back a smile and I saw Haley was too, then keeping my eyes on Haley, I said, “Daddy was distracted.”
Mila shook her head, clomping back to the blanket like her sister had.
“Last time Uncle Cole was distracted, it was because of loooove.” Mila drew out the word like she was trying to make it sound dreamy.
I knew what they were referencing. Back before Cole got with Nora, he’d come in to train, and the girls watched me clock him good. I told them it was because he was distracted. They also had overheard little bits of conversation throughout the year about his growing crush on his boss’s daughter. They assumed his distraction was because of Nora.
Haley’s hair fell forward as her chin dropped to her chest, likely fighting another smile or a laugh. “Can I take my boots off before you start interrogating me?”
I grabbed Mila in my arms and tossed her on the couch. She let out a loud squeal of laughter.
I headed to the front to put my things away, and then I ran upstairs to shower.
