“As good as that sounds, I already have dinner plans,” Nate said, raising his free arm to look at his watch. “At least I think I still do. So, if I pick you up, you have to come see me next home game.”
Bennie squirmed when he tickled her side.
“Stella said we’re going to go to all the home games we can. As long as I don’t have homework and they aren’t too late at night.”
“Good,” he said, giving her cheek a peck before setting her back down. “I’m sure your dad doesn’t want me hogging any more of your and Stella’s time. See you on Saturday, Doc.”
“See you on Saturday,” I said, chuckling when I found Stella’s gaze. Her hair fell in loose waves down her back, and the urge to touch it and her shouldn’t have been so potent with my kid around.
I let Bennie babble to me as she grabbed my hand and led me to where Stella’s car was parked. Stella stayed two steps ahead, I guessed giving Bennie and me a moment to be alone. I tried to keep all my focus on my daughter and not on how good Stella’s ass looked in those jeans.
It had been a week and a half since I’d jerked off to veryunfriendly thoughts of Stella while I was in the shower. I wouldn’t let myself do it on the road, but that awareness ofher had skidded up my spine the minute I spotted her from the bus.
An awareness I’d have to hide while we were living in the same house.
“When is the next game, Daddy?” Bennie asked while I strapped her into her seat in the back of Stella’s car. She was still small enough to need a booster seat or enough that I wanted to keep her in one until she grew a little more. After my long stretches away from her, she always seemed a little different and more grown up at each return, highlighting all I’d been missing.
Staying home and spending every day with her was the one perk I was looking forward to at the end of the season. I’d missed so much, both from being on the road and trapped in my head, these past five years.
I was lucky to have a special little girl who’d thrived despite her father’s shortcomings, and I wanted to make it up to her before she grew older and didn’t want to hang out with her uncool father all the time.
“Not until Tuesday, so you have me for the whole weekend.” I gave her long braid a gentle tug. She had small braids on the sides of her head entwining into one braid, and I already knew I had no hope of trying to figure that out.
“Yes!” I laughed at her fist pump.
“I’m looking forward to the fancy macaroni and cheese.”
“We made a salad too. Stella said it’s good to have green during dinner.”
My head whipped to Stella after I fastened my seat belt.
“You have her eating salad?”
“Kind of,” Stella said, tilting her hand back and forth. “It’s doused in ranch and she mostly eats the croutons, but she gets a couple of pieces of lettuce too. Baby steps.”
She patted my knee and pulled away from the curb.
“What?” she said, glancing at me as she drove toward the house.
“Nothing,” I said, shaking my head. “You’re just a show-off.”
“Well, if that means you think I did an okay job, I’ll take it.”
“You did a lot more than okay, and you know it.”
She flicked her eyes to me, a blush staining her cheeks.
“Well, thank you. And I’d mentioned having Nate come pick Bennie up, but you may not have thought I was serious. Sorry if I overstepped. When he came over to say hi, I just thought Tuesday was good timing.”
“Good timing?”
“I volunteer at school Thursday and Friday. I figured, let those two get an eyeful before I have to watch them at lunchtime.” She lifted a shoulder at me at a red light.
“I never knew you were this petty.”
“No one messed with my kid before. I mean—” Her eyes widened as she lowered her voice. “I know she’s notmykid, but for all intents?—”
“I get it. And I appreciate the petty. Nice to know my girl is being taken care of. Even if you leave a little carnage at school.”
