“I can drive,” I tell her, and she stops what she’s doing.
“Did the doctor give you clearance to drive?” she asks me, her tone tight. “I didn’t think so.”
She doesn’t wait for me to answer her. “So I’m going to drop you off. I’ll go to work and then when you are done, you either call me or you have Kirby drop you off at my office. Then we’ll go and get the kids.”
“You are going to drive me to get the kids?” I ask her.
She tilts her head to the side, folding her arms over her chest. “How else are you going to get the kids?”
“I was going to drive.”
“You were knocked unconscious two days ago,” her voice goes higher, “and you had a headache yesterday.”
“Baby,” I say softly, “I think I’ll be good to drive today.” The glare on her face makes me want to laugh. “But I’ll ask and see what the doctor says.”
“Thank you.” She storms out of her room and then walks back in wearing a pair of nude high heels. “Now, let’s go before I give you another concussion,” she throws over her shoulder at me.
She drops me off at the arena and I meet with the team doctor. “When was the last time you had a headache?”
“This morning,” I admit to him, “but less than yesterday.”
“I don’t want you doing anything this week,” he tells me. “We’ll assess next week, but the minute you start to have a headache, it starts back at day one.”
“Got it. What about driving?”
“They say twenty-four to forty-eight hours to make sure you aren’t getting dizzy spells.”
“I didn’t have any to begin with.”
“Then you can start driving tomorrow, to be safe,” he informs me. I head in to talk to Coach, who tells me to get the fuck out of here and go rest.
I pick up my phone and call her. “It’s been thirty minutes,” she huffs out, and I can hear her shoes clacking away on the cement.
“I was told to go rest, so I’m going to get someone to drive me home,” I explain to her. “You do what you need to do and then come to my house. I have to get the kids at four.”
“Let me grab my laptop and stuff. I’ll work from your house; it’s not like I have to be in the office and you can sit on the chair under me and then feel me up.” I smile. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“I’ll go and grab something to eat,” I tell her as I walk into the team kitchen.
She gets there thirty minutes later and I’m waiting for her outside. I get into her SUV and head home. She sets herself up at the kitchen table as I lounge on the couch. When it’s time to get the kids, she gets into my SUV with me and drives toward the school. We wait side by side as the school door opens and Nora comes out first.
She rushes over to me. “Daddy!” she screams my name and lunges herself into my arms. I grab her and kiss her neck before she looks over. “Kylie, you came to pick us up?” she asks.
“I did.” She smiles at her.
“Daddy can’t drive until tomorrow, so Kylie is helping me,” I explain and Nora wiggles out of my arms.
“We’re having macaroni and cheese for dinner,” she tells her and Kylie just smiles at her.
“That sounds delicious.” She squats down in front of her. “Does he put bacon in his?” Her eyes go big, and she looks over at me.
“No,” she says, as if I was holding out on her. “Can we do that?”
“Sure.” I look back at the door as Westley comes out with Vincent next to him, both of them walking side by side with their backpacks slung over one shoulder.
“Hey.” I give them both hugs and fill them in about Kylie driving me.
We get home and it’s crazy how easily everyone gets along. I work on the sauce as Kylie cuts up the bacon and fries it up. We sit at the island as we eat, and the kids tell us about their day. After dinner, I take Nora up to take a bath as Kylie cleans up, and when the kids are all down for the night, I cuddle with her on the couch. She lies down in front of me, her leg cocked over my hip.
