“Ah, and you don’t like things complicated. Because complicated things are already waiting for you at home.”
“Yes,” he replied harshly because that was how it was.
“Give her a hug for me,” Fox called after him. Moreau merely nodded and was out the door.
“You’re late,” was how he was greeted forty-five minutes later.
“Traffic.” He entered the house and took off his jacket.
Hazel snorted and pushed past him. “You made me late for a business dinner.”
“They’ll forgive you.”
“Gareth Clark doesn’t forgive. He’d need a heart for that,” she replied angrily. “And the dinner is about your contract, so you should care more about my punctuality.”
He sighed. The Hawks’ second owner was Hazel’s declared arch-enemy. “Sorry. Was training. Got distracted.”
His agent and now closest friend narrowed her eyes. She was direct, always honest, and had no patience for bullshit, which was the reason he’d switched to her agency five years ago. That, and she knew when not to ask questions. “Fine. But I want a raise for my selfless kindness.”
“You made half a million off me last year,” he remarked dryly.
She grinned. “And this year it’ll be a whole lot better. But never mind, I really have to go. You’ll be here tomorrow, right? You don’t need me?”
“No. But thanks. Is she upstairs?”
“Yes. She’s asleep. She asked for you.”
He nodded, his chest tightening. “I’ll check on her.”
“She’s asleep, Moreau! Give yourself a break,” Hazel said gently, squeezing his arm.
No, she wasn’t sleeping. Lately, she was always up waiting for him. It had started a few weeks ago, and he didn’t know how to deal with it, especially when he had an evening game and came home late. “Go, Hazel. And thank you.”
“No problem. But today can’t become a habit, you know that, right?” She raised her eyebrows. “I love you, but I have a job and your parents…”
“They already take her during our away games, Hazel. It’s too much.”
And Laney wouldn’t like her daughter spending too much time with her grandparents. Shit,hedidn’t like it, himself! They had improved, but still…
Hazel nodded, squeezed his shoulder, and closed the door behind her.
Sighing, he ran the palm of his hand over his face and breathed in and out deeply, but the tight feeling in his chest didn’t go away. It hadn’t for six months. The only time he’d beenable to forget was when Anna moaned in his ear, “I know you don’t like talking, but it’s so damn good!”
He kicked off his shoes, hurried into the kitchen, and filled a cup with water before taking the stairs in the hall.
It was better that he’d ended it, but it was a shame because the thing with Anna had been…relaxing. She had meant it at the bar when she said she was simply looking for a distraction, for an easy way to relieve stress. No obligations, only sex. She hadn’t asked once if he wanted to go out to dinner with her or stay the night. Not that he wanted to or could. The arrangement had been perfect. But on the way to the car that evening, he had encountered a horde of reporters searching for Jack West and Dax Temple…and they hadn’t even looked at him. That would be different if the Anna thing came out. He didn’t need that attention. There were enough people in his life that he had to protect — and Anna wasn’t one of them.
He walked quietly down the hall and pushed open the first door on the right, behind which a nightlight was still burning.
“You’re finally home!”
Yep, Melody was still awake.
“You should be sleeping,” he muttered, shaking his head. He carefully picked up two dozen Lego blocks and a red fire truck covered in colorful feathers from the floor and tossed them into the open toy box next to Melody’s bed. Then he sat on the edge of the mattress.
“I couldn’t,” she said earnestly, her big, dark eyes wide. “I was thirsty!”
He felt a smile play at his lips as he wordlessly handed her the cup of water. She took three tiny sips, and he knew what was coming next…
