Drew appeared in the lobby a few minutes later, his hair slightly messed up and his Peak Fitness polo clinging to his chest so tightly it showed off how toned he was underneath.My brain immediately went to the gutter, thinking of all the things I was going to do to him tonight when he got home and after we put Rory to bed.
“Hey,” he said, bending down to kiss me before reaching for Rory. “How are my girls?”
“Great,” I said, meaning it completely. “How was your day?”
“Good. Busy.” He settled Rory against his chest, and she immediately relaxed into him, one tiny hand curling around the fabric of his shirt. “Mrs. Patterson finally managed a full set of squats without me having to remind her about her form, and Jake here didn’t pass out during his session earlier, so I’m calling it a win.”
“I only saw stars for like thirty seconds,” Jake protested.
“Progress.” Drew grinned. He focused back on me, his hand automatically settling at the base of my back. He was always finding small ways to touch me if we were near each other. “I have one more personal training client, but then I’ll be done.”
“Okay, we’ll see you at home.”
Home. The word slipped out so easily now, like this routine had been ours for far longer than just over a month.
Jake gathered his gym bag. “I’ll let you guys get going. See you around, Harper. And bye, little boss,” he said, waving at Rory, who gave him a drooly smile in return.
Drew squeezed my hand. “I’ve got a few minutes. I’ll walk you guys out.”
I smiled up at him. He always did this and I loved it. I loved everything about the way he loved me.
Out in the parking lot, he helped strap Rory into her car seat—he’d bought a second one so each of our cars had one—and then gave her kisses on her cheeksuntil she was giggling. God, I loved her little laugh. Then he closed her door and pulled me against him.
“Drive safe, okay. You’ve got precious cargo.”
“You say that even when I don’t drive with Rory.”
“I know.” He kissed my forehead. “You’re also precious.”
If it was possible for a body to melt from overwhelming love, I would’ve seeped to the ground right then and there.
“I love you,” I whispered against his mouth before placing a quick kiss there.
“I love you too. I’ll see you guys at home.”
The drive home gave me space to reflect on the day—how well rehearsal had gone, and how much I couldn’t wait to share it all with him later.
When I got back to the hockey house, I settled Rory in her bouncy seat in the kitchen and started pulling ingredients for dinner from the fridge. Drew had mentioned celebrating, but I figured I could at least get things started.
“What do you think, Rory? Pasta sound good?” I asked, and she kicked her legs enthusiastically, which I took as approval.
I was chopping tomatoes when she started getting fussy, making those little whining sounds that meant she was either hungry or bored. I washed my hands and picked her up, swaying gently while I hummed one of the pieces we’d worked on today.
“You know what? I think your daddy’s going to be so proud when he hears all the details about today,” I told her, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “Rehearsal went even better than I texted him about.”
Rory babbled like she understood me.
“That’s right. Your Harper’s pretty good at this music thing.” I spun us around the kitchen, making her giggle. “And your daddy’s pretty good at taking care of us, isn’t he?”
The sound of Drew’s truck in the driveway made us both look toward the front door. Rory immediately perked up, like she could sense he was home.
“There he is,” I said, bouncing her gently. “Let’s go greet Daddy.”
Drew walked through the front door looking tired but happy, his gym bag slung over his shoulder and a small bouquet of wildflowers in his hand.
“Those for me?” I asked, grinning.
“Actually, they’re for Rory,” he said with a straight face, then broke into a smile and I swatted his arm. “Of course they’re for you. Congratulations on the solo.”
