“Believe me, I was ready to hunt down whoever it was by my second week in, but it’s mine until the end of the year now, so I might as well accept it. Remind me, what do I have to worry about for tomorrow?”
He laughs and bites his lip, then looks back at the fridge before meeting my gaze again. “Space Day.”
“Awesome, good thing it’s an easy one.” I shake my head. “What am I supposed to do for that?”
“Get her some of that dried ice cream. I remember always loving that from the museum as a kid.”
“Sure, I’ll just swing by the museum and grab some dried ice cream for her.” I roll my eyes.
Hayes smiles. “The next one’s pretty easy—Brother and Sister Day. And World Laughter Day.”
“Thankfully, some are easier than others.” I look at Monroe sitting at the table, happily sucking down her bubble tea and ignoring her pizza. The resentment I feel toward this whole endeavor melts like ice in the desert. “She looks so happy though.”
Tears spring to my eyes because Monroe is happy, and that’s all I want—for these kids to be happy.
Hayes must follow my gaze because he says softly, “Yeah, she really is.”
We take our plates and join the kids at the table. Hayes sits next to me, and his thigh brushes mine. Shouldn’t I be too bone tired to feel something spark inside me at being so near to him?
Lincoln puts away his papers, and I tell him I’ll check them afterward. As we eat, Lincoln doesn’t stop asking Hayes about the game. Hayes gives him the play-by-play, and god, my crush gets a little deeper when Hayes tells Lincoln how nervous he was stepping into the batter’s box in the ninth inning, worried he wouldn’t get Decker home, and they wouldn’t win the game.
“You won though, right?” Lake asks.
Hayes nods. “We did. It was our day, which made it a good one. But not all days go like that. There’ve been plenty of times the game doesn’t go our way—when I’m the one who strikes out.”
“Go Colts!” Monroe says, raising her bubble tea.
“Yeah, Hayes, be happy. It’s a great day for you.” I place my hand on his arm.
He turns his head toward me. Our eyes lock, and for a heartbeat, I see the college version of him with his hat on backward. The one I couldn’t stop wanting, the one who kissed me in a dark corner and made me forget everything else.
“Thanks.” His voice sounds strained.
“You’re going to have so many more great days because you’re the best player in the league.” I try to give him an unaffected smile.
Lincoln raises his glass, but I think he only does it because Hayes is the only professional player he knows. I know there are other players on the Colts that Lincoln is obsessed with.
We continue talking about everyone’s day, then Lake brings up the sleepover—how it’s themed, and she needs to find some Fancy Nancy stuff to wear, with costume jewelry and a boa. She says she has to get a birthday gift too, and I make a mental note, knowing I’ll need to write it down later, so I don’t forget. My mind has been at max capacity, and I keep forgetting things.
“So, you’re letting her go?” Lincoln asks me.
“Yep, she’s going to go.” Lake and I smile at one another.
“But then who’s going to watch us?” Monroe asks with a frown. “It will be Nail Day! Who’s going to do my nails? Lake was going to do my nails!”
Oh god, Nail Day. Geez. I want to find whoever made up that list and shove it down their throat.
Hayes intently watches our interaction.
“I’ll figure it out. Right now, eat your pizza and enjoy the night. I have four days to work it out.” I give Monroe a wan smile.
Hayes wipes his mouth with a napkin. “Friday? I’ll do it.”
This is exactly why I didn’t want this brought up in front of him.
“You do nails?” Monroe asks, bright-eyed.
“She likes the fancy stuff,” Lincoln says, giving Hayes a look that reads, you should know what you’re getting into. “She likes to get the jewels and stuff like that.”
