Page 47 of Game On

Oh, my heart.

Honestly, it was not the first time she’d said that. There had been a couple times when I came home for my pre-game nap and she said it to me while I was giving both kids cuddles. Mari tried to correct her, but little miss didn’t care.

Lily frowned and walked over to me, taking Rosie out of my arms. “No, baby, that’s Logan. Daddy’s not here.”

“Want Da-da!” the little girl cried. But she was reaching out to me, wanting me to hold her again.

Lily stroked her daughter’s back while she tried to rock her back to sleep. “I know, baby. You go to Daddy’s tomorrow. Let’s go home. Someone needs to get to bed. Say bye-bye to Logan?”

Rosie waved at me, and I waved back. She was so cute, and it was clear Lily was such a good mom. I felt for her with all the bullshit her ex put her through. If I ever met the guy, I might want to drop the gloves with him. He straight-up sucked. But I knew violence was never the answer, no matter if that douche nugget deserved it.

“Let me walk you and Mari out,” I said.

She waved me off. “We’re fine. Thanks, Logan. Dinner was great. I’ll see you later.”

And then she was gone, leaving me scratching my head as if tonight meant nothing. But I guess it did. She was the one who offered no strings. So why did that bother me so damn much?

Chapter Sixteen

LILY

I tapped my foot to the beat of the music as I crunched numbers for the tattoo shop. I loved working at Golden Rose, especially since Veronica’s brother Alex put in a good word for me at another shop. I was crossing my fingers I turned them into a new client. Hal didn’t need me as much as the tattoo shop did, so I needed to build up a client list.

“You’re in a good mood,” Veronica’s voice pulled me out of the zone.

I held up a finger to her and finished actualizing the row of cells I was working on. “Hey! How are you?”

Veronica pushed her colorful hair out of her face. The tips were fading, and her natural mousy brown roots were coming in. She wasn’t dying her hair until she was in the second trimester. I told her I thought it was fine to dye her hair, but like when I was pregnant with Rosie, she was fretting over every little thing.

She took a seat in the chair across from the desk and put a hand on her still small stomach. “I’m feeling…okay, not great, but better than before.”

“That’s good.”

“So, how did your date go?” she asked, and a cocky smile upturned on her lips.

“It wasn’t a date,” I insisted.

It was so not a date that he booked a hotel room for the night, and we only used it for two hours tops. That was so reckless. I was glad we remembered to use protection. I didn’t need another oops baby.

“Are you sure?” she asked, and her grin got bigger.

I felt heat climb up my neck, so I stared at the lines on my spreadsheet, hoping she thought I was drowning in work. “We’re just friends.”

“Mmmhmm. Well, you seem in a great mood.”

“We had a nice time,” I admitted.

“Oh, my God, will you admit you got laid already?”

I stared back at her. “Excuse me?”

She cackled out a big belly laugh. “It’s all over your face! Good for you — Logan’s a cutie. If you like a ginge.”

“Redheads are hot,” I blurted out without thinking.

She pointed an accusatory finger at me. “I knew it! Good for you.”

“Don’t get excited. We both don’t have time for that.”