Page 51 of Meant for Mayhem

“Nah. Can’t have you getting a big head.”

I grinned. “That good?”

“More than most men, which means literally nothing.”

“You have a thing against men?”

“Not all men.” Shannon started stacking blocks on top of each other, waiting until Leena followed suit, then leaned back on her hands to watch. “Guilty until proven innocent.”

“I don’t think that’s how the saying goes.”

She turned her dark gaze on me, that one brow lifted again. That one look made me want to prove her wrong. To show her that some men were worth it, just not the ones she grew up with.

I grabbed the whiteboard off the counter and followed the girls into the living room, setting it on the coffee table.

Leena, I jotted down next to my name, then started working on her daily schedule. “We’ve developed a pretty set schedule this summer. Sleep is my number one priority for her.”

“Makes sense,” Shannon said, not bothering to look up at me. “Nobody likes a tired girl, right Leena?”

My daughter smiled, then placed one of Shannon’s princess dolls on top of the tower she was building.

“What time does she wake up in the morning?” Shannon asked.

I tapped the marker against the whiteboard. “Normally around 10 a.m.”

That made Shannon look up. “That late?”

“I’ve been trying to move her schedule around so she’s awake more when I’m home.”

Shannon opened and closed her mouth, then shook her head and returned her focus to my daughter. “Walk me through a typical day then.”

“I’ll be out of here early, usually around 6:30 for practice. Home by 11, 12:00 at the latest, to eat my lunch with Leena.”

“Okay.” Shannon nodded. “So, I get her up in the mornings and feed her breakfast. With her getting up that late, I can probably squeeze a few hours of work in before she’s awake. Then what about after lunch?”

“Then nothing,” I said. “When I’m home, I’m her parent, and you’re off duty.”

She frowned, putting down the blocks in her hand. “Nothing?”

“I don’t want someone else raising my kid. That isn’t what this is.”

“Then what is this? Spell out for me exactly what it is you’re expecting me to do to earn my keep.”

“Nothing. Only taking care of Leena, and then only when I’m not here.”

Shannon pinched the bridge of her nose. “So, I watch her for one, maybe two hours in the morning, and that’s it?”

“Most mornings, yes.” She frowned, so I went on. “I want to be her dad, Shannon. That’s never been the issue.”

“I’m seeing that.”

Maybe those words shouldn’t have filled me with pride, but that this woman who wanted to believe the worst in men didn’t think I was as trash as the rest of my gender… I liked that.

“When I’m at practice, I need to know she’s okay. When we have home games, I need you to bring her to the rink. And when we’re on the road...”

I turned the whiteboard over and uncapped the marker again.

“...That’s when I need you most.”