The silence that fell between us stretched for a beat, not uncomfortable but definitely charged. Before she could tell me what she thought about it, the skies suddenly opened up. Rain fell hard and fat drops pelted the street, sending the crowd into a scramble for cover.
Someone shrieked with laughter, kids squealed, and umbrellas popped up, but I hadn’t brought one. Maisie’s dress was drenched in seconds and that was what spurred me into motion. I caught her wrist, already starting to move.
“Come on,” I yelled. “My place is a block away.”
She didn’t argue and we took off running, splashing through puddles, dodging slower festivalgoers. By the time we reached my building, both of us were drenched, hair plastered to our faces, clothes sticking.
She was breathless, cheeks flushed, but I’d never seen her look more alive. I fumbled with my keys, laughing as I finally managed to slide the right one into the lock. “I guess you got your answer.”
“To what?” she asked, shivering slightly.
“If I can actually get full,” I teased, shoving the door open. “It seems even the universe decided I’d had enough.”
She rolled her eyes, but she followed me inside, her smile lingering even as rainwater dripped from her hair onto the floor. I tossed my keys on the counter and grabbed a couple of towels from the linen closet.
“Here.” I handed her one and used the other to scrub my own hair. She pressed hers against her face with a muffled sigh of relief.
“Do you always keep spares nearby for drenched strays you drag home?” she asked.
“Only the pretty ones,” I said, grinning before I turned to head to my bedroom. “Let me get you something dry to change into while we get all this into the dryer.”
As I walked, I peeled my soaked T-shirt off and dropped it on the floor with a wet plop, but I didn’t give a shit. I could feel her gaze on my bare back and satisfaction rolled through me. When I got back to her, I handed over a clean shirt and a pair of sweats. “These should work until your clothes are dry. There’s a bathroom’s down the hall, or the guest room if you’d rather.”
She hesitated before she took the clothes from me, her fingers brushing mine. “Thanks, Callum.”
I ducked back into my own room to change, peeling off soaked denim and throwing on joggers and a hoodie. When I came back out, Maisie was still in the bathroom, but she’d left her wet clothes in a pile in front of the door.
Desperately trying not to think of her naked in my apartment, I busied myself loading the dryer, and as the machine hummed to life, she reappeared. My shirt hung loose on her frame, the sweats cinched at the waist. She looked impossibly good in my clothes, like she belonged here with me, wearing nothing else.
I swallowed hard. “Do those fit alright?”
She nodded and moved into my living room, perching on the arm of the couch while toweling her hair. “I owe you one.”
“You already bought me half a funnel cake,” I said, sinking onto the cushions beside her. “We’re even.”
Her laugh was soft, but it faded quickly as she looked around. This was the first time she was in any of my personal spaces and I knew what she was seeing as she took it all in—glass, steel, leather, and absolutely nothing personal.
It almost made me feel ashamed, but she set the towel aside and slid onto the couch with me, drawing her knees up and wrapping her arms around them as she turned to face me. “Actually, there’s something I need to tell you.”
The shift in her tone tightened something in my chest and I turned too, facing her fully. “Okay. Shoot.”
Her gaze dropped to her hands, her fingers knotting in the fabric of my sweats. “It’s about Brody.”
Just hearing his name made the sudden tension between my ribs ease again. Somehow, the kid had wormed his way under my skin. “What about him?”
She hesitated, like she was circling around what she actually wanted to say. “You’ve been really good with him. Better than I thought anyone would be, honestly. He looks up to you.”
The words hit me square in the chest. I leaned forward, getting closer and looking her right in the eyes. “I care about him, Mais. I mean it. He’s a great kid and he deserves the best. If you’re asking if I’d be there for him, if I’d try to be the kind of man he needs, then yeah. I think I have what it takes to be a dad to him. If that’s what you both want.”
Her head snapped up, her eyes glossy like she hadn’t expected me to say it out loud. I went on, the words spilling out of me faster now. “I know I partied too hard in college. I know I made it seem like I thought hockey was the only thing that mattered. Hell, I was a total dickhead back then. I admit it.”
I huffed a humorless laugh. “I’m not that guy anymore, though. I haven’t been for a long time, and when I’m with Brody, I want to be even better. For him, but also for you.”
Maisie pressed her lips together, like she was holding something back. I knew she was worried about letting me into their lives, hesitant to fully commit even to an arranged marriage because she didn’t trust that guy I used to be.
“You’ve changed,” she whispered, eyes locked on mine. “It is for real, right?”
I nodded, my throat tight. “Yeah, and I don’t want to go back.”
