Accidentally Checked By My Brother’s Best Friend (Accidentally In Sports #3)

28. Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Four

Ava

The last few hours baking with Scarlett and Duncan have been the most fun I’ve had in…I don’t remember how long. I’m walking on sunshine.

The best part of it all was having Duncan as a teacher. He was patient and kind while guiding me through every step. Sliding the tray with the dog treats I made in the oven was one of the most satisfying experiences. And in two minutes, we’ll see the final results.

The worst part of today was being so close to Duncan without touching him. It’s the greatest form of torture I have ever known. An innocent graze or a touch of the hand to help me with the right pressure for rolling out the dough left every part of my body pinging with energy.

I can’t help but wonder if he could hear my heart every time it jumped around my body like a jackhammer.

I lean on the island and watch Duncan clear the space to make room for the cooling racks. When he places the last rack on the island, he glances at me and gives me a crooked smile, causing my heart to leap into my throat.

Blowing out a slow breath, I ask the question that’s been on my mind this entire time. “What do you want to do after you’re finished playing hockey?”

“Finished with hockey?” Duncan asks, surprised.

“Yeah.” Giving myself permission, I let my gaze linger on his strong jaw. When I shift my gaze to his, the heat I find staring back at me makes my stomach swoop. I swallow hard before finishing. “Do you ever think of what you’ll do after you’re done playing?”

“He’s going to open a bakery where he bakes dog treats,” Scarlett answers and points at his apron. “‘Time To Make The Donuts’. Right, Uncle Dunky?”

My eyebrows shoot up, and I look back at Duncan. He pulls at his collar and works hard to make himself look busy.

“Is that right?” Unable to hide the surprise in my voice, I smile at him. “That’s kind of cool, actually. Of course, I’ll decide whether or not I think it’s a smart idea after I see if the dogs enjoy them on Saturday.”

Duncan’s gaze snaps to mine, and a shy expression lights his eyes. It still amazes me that the man in front of me, the one that everyone and anyone would think twice about messing with, is such a mush. A warmth of emotion fills me, and my heart expands.

“The dogs go crazy for them.” Scarlett claps her hands. “They get all excited and jump when we go into the kennel area. Wait until you meet Ryder; he gets so excited and does a ‘wooo wooo wooo wooo wooo.’”

“Ryder was adopted, Scarlett,” Duncan says gently. “I’m not sure he’ll be there Saturday.”

Scarlett’s face falls before she gives us a forced smile. “I’m glad that he found a home; I just wish I could’ve said goodbye.”

Slipping my arm around Scarlett, I pull her close and kiss her on the top of her head. A beeping noise intrudes, and my niece jumps up and claps her hands again.

Duncan puts on a pair of oven mitts resting on the counter and pulls down the oven door to reach in and grab the trays of treats. Moving closer to Duncan, I try to squeeze around him to see the finished product.

“Here,” Duncan says, placing the treats on the island; he lifts his arm so I can fill the space between him and the counter. Warmth from him surrounds me, but this time I focus on the biscuits we made.

The dog bones, fire hydrants, and paw prints look amazing. My cheeks lift, and I feel a smile stretch across my face, a sense of pride filling me. “These came out so great!”

“We still have to put on the icing,” Scarlett says, heading over to the refrigerator and pulling out a bowl with white icing.

My eyes widen, and somehow, my smile expands.

“We take our baking very seriously.” Duncan pins me with his gaze, his lip lifted at the corner. “Right, Scarlett?”

“Yup!” She sticks her finger in the icing and brings it to her mouth. “Yum!”

“Scarlett! You know you shouldn’t stick your finger in food you make for others.” The laughter that falls out minimizes my chastisement.

“It’s okay if I don’t double dip,” she says, turning innocent eyes toward Duncan, and I see him nod.

I throw my head back and laugh.

“But more importantly, the dogs don’t care,” he says just as he sticks his finger in the icing, too. Picking up the bowl, he holds it in front of me, A grin lining his face. “Here…try.”

Looking at him, Scarlett, and then back to the bowl, I shrug and dip my finger in. “When in Rome.”

I can feel both of their eyes watching me. The icing melts in my mouth, and the sweetness surprises me. Without thinking, I go to stick my finger in again, only to have the bowl pulled away from me.

“No double dipping,” Duncan says, his eyes dancing.

Heat climbs up my face, and both Scarlett and Duncan laugh. “It was really good,” I shrug sheepishly.

“Red, can you grab that last tray on the counter so I can put it in the oven?” Scarlett picks up the tray and hands it to Duncan, when he’s sliding the tray in the oven, she sticks her finger in the icing bowl.

My mouth falls open, and my eyes widen. She shrugs and mouths. “The dogs don’t care.”

I bite my bottom lip to keep the laughter bubbling up from escaping. When Duncan turns back to the island, he acts like nothing happened, but when his gaze meets mine, I see that he knows exactly what Scarlett did.

He winks, leaving me feeling all warm and gooey inside. And just like that, I’m nearly certain Duncan is the one I’ve been looking for my entire life.

When we pull up to Mile High Mutts Rescue, it feels like one of the town fairs my parents would take Fiona and me to when we were children. There are bouncy houses for the kids, courses of some kind that dogs and people are running around in, and people walking dogs while shopping at the vendors’ booths.

“Are the people walking the dogs adopting them?” I ask, moving my hand in the direction of the crowd.

“One can hope,” Duncan says as he opens the tailgate and slides out of the driver’s seat. “Though some of them may be people who are coming to support the rescue with the dogs they’ve already adopted from Mile High Mutts.”

Getting out of the car and moving toward him, I take one more look at the smiling faces and dogs pulling people around. The excitement is palpable. A grin crawls across my face. When I get to the back of the Acadia, I find him pulling out all the treat-filled Tupperware containers.

Knowing that I helped bake them fills me with the same sense of pride I had yesterday. “Do you need any help?” I ask, putting out a hand to take some of the containers.

“Not with these,” he says, looking down at his full hands. “But can you close the tailgate?”

“Sure,” I say, and walk around him to stand in front of the opened truck bed. When I get there I don’t see any handle to pull down, and I hear Duncan snicker. Narrowing my eyes at him, he smirks. “Are you going to tell me how to close it, or are you going to stand there and laugh at me?”

“I think I may just laugh at you.” His eyes twinkle with humor. When I scowl at him, he laughs out loud. Managing to pull himself together, he tells me what to do. “Press the button over to your left.”

“I think I hate you,” I growl at him, only for him to give me a teasing grin that makes my knees weak.

“You’ll figure out all these new high-tech car ‘thingamajigs’ before you know it,” he says playfully. “Until then, I am going to have fun laughing at you.”

“Oh, you!” I press my lips together and pull my brows down but fail to keep the laughter from breaking free as the tailgate starts to lower.

“Duncan!” A male voice calls out. I turn and see a tall, attractive man with broad shoulders holding the hand of a pretty brunette. She’s holding the leash attached to a striking black and white dog. “Finn said you would be here. I’m Adam Daniels and this is my wife, Susie. I’m the right guard for the Mavericks.”

“I would shake your hand, but mine are a bit full at the moment,” Duncan says, nodding at the containers he’s holding. Tilting his head toward me, he says, “This is my girlfriend, Ava.”

Duncan using the word ‘girlfriend’ has me nearly melting into a puddle at his feet.

“You’re the family that Ryder adopted?”

The dog lets out an enthusiastic yodel as if he’s answering Duncan’s question himself. A wide smile crosses my face, and we all laugh.

Susie hunches down, and Ryder turns to her, giving her kisses. The wide grin spread across his muzzle lets me know just how happy he is. It’s one of the most adorable things I’ve ever seen.

With a grin spread across her face, Susie looks up at Duncan. “We are the family that he adopted, and we couldn’t be more grateful he did.”

Ryder turns to Duncan, sits in front of him, and looks directly into his eyes. His head tilted in expectation. Duncan’s lip lifts at the corner, and my heart nearly melts at the softness of his gaze. “I know what you want, little man. Ava, can you grab one of the treats.”

“Of course I can.” I lift the lid and slip one of the bone-shaped treats out. When Duncan turns that same look on me, my knees nearly buckle. Pulling myself together, I shift my gaze to Ryder, who is now staring at me with his mouth open and tongue hanging out. “Here you go, cutie.”

Ryder gently snatches the treat from my hand and swallows it whole. After he’s done, he sits tall in front of Duncan as if asking for seconds.

“One per dog,” Duncan says, as if Ryder can speak English. When Ryder all but rolls his eyes and snorts, I can’t help but wonder if he does.

“Ava?” Susie asks as she leans in closer and whispers, “Ava Norris?”

As soon as the corner of my lip lifts, she reaches out and grabs my hands. “I am such a HUGE fan of yours! Adam, it’s Ava Norris!” She screeches.

Adam looks down at his wife with adoring eyes, and I can’t help but chuckle at her reaction. “I’m so glad you broke up with Nathan. He’s a complete nincompoop.”

Duncan steps closer to me and gives me a gentle nudge. “I’m glad she broke up with him, too.” I glance up, and the emotions in his eyes catch my breath.

Slipping my arm through his, I smile and lean in, finding comfort in his closeness. “I don’t think either of you is as happy as I am. Though I’m looking forward to the day when there isn’t some celebrity gossip about it.”

“Have you not looked lately?” Susie asks, her brows pulled together. When I shake my head, she goes on. “Nathan has been getting a ton of pushback. Just the other day, he went after a reporter at one of his pressers for his new movie. Pretty sure he’s in the process of ruining his career.”

As I take in what she says, I find that I don’t feel any satisfaction at the news. I’m glad that the press is focusing on other things and that he’s showing his true colors, but all I feel is sadness.

Looking up at Duncan, I find him searching my face, and a slow grin creeps along my lips. What we have is supposed to be pretend, but the more time I spend with him, the more things feel real.

The real relationship I was in with Nathan is what was fake, but not what I have with Duncan.

A chuckle escapes me, and I shift my gaze to Susie. “Thank you for telling me that. I’ve been trying to stay out of the drama of it all. I feel a tiny bit bad for him, if I’m honest. I didn’t realize he was so unhappy with his life.”

Duncan’s arm tenses under my hand and I look up to find his expression wary. I narrow my eyes and try to figure out what it was I said that caused his reaction.

“It was great to meet the two of you, but I need to get these dog treats to the front office so the rescue can start selling them,” Duncan says to Susie and Adam. “You have a great dog there. Make sure to stop in and buy him some treats.”

Ryder jumps up and gives a high-pitched bark, causing Susie and Adam to look down at him affectionately. “We’ll definitely grab some before we leave!”

“My niece Scarlett would love to say hello if you’ll be here for a bit. She should be here any minute.” Duncan looks around and juts his chin forward. “There they are now.”

Looking in the direction that Duncan indicated I see David and Scarlett waving at us. Scarlett says something to David before dropping his hand and running over, calling out Ryder’s name.

Ryder lets out the ‘wooo wooo wooo wooo’ Scarlett demonstrated and starts to pull Susie over to my niece as she gets closer. Scarlett pulls a ball out of her pocket, and he immediately starts jumping up.

“Can I play fetch with him?” She asks Susie. “I know how much he loves it.”

Susie looks at Duncan, who nods. “Sure. Why don’t we head over to that open field over there.” She points to a fenced area where the dogs can run off-leash.

Susie and Scarlett walk away with Scarlett talking non-stop and asking all types of questions. David, who wasn’t quite near us yet, shrugs at his daughter and changes direction to follow them.

The smile covering Adam’s face is full of tenderness as he watches Susie with Ryder and Scarlett.

“Do you have anything else you need to carry over?” Adam asks, pointing to the containers in Duncan’s hands. “I’d be happy to help.”

“This is it,” Duncan says, lifting the containers. “But thanks.”

“Sure. Well, it was great seeing the both of you.” Adam gives both Duncan and me a smile as he turns to follow the group that went to play fetch.

“I’m going to bring these to the office. Do you want to join David and Scarlett in the park?” He asks, without looking at me.

I let go of his arm and step before him. I wait for him to turn toward me. When his gaze finally meets mine, my heart drops to my stomach with a thud at the guarded expression I see there.

What the heck just happened?