Chapter 25 #2
He beams, looking over towards me as he grabs his glass of iced tea and takes a sip.
“Lucas is a lover. He’s the sweetest, silliest, most well-behaved kid I’ve ever met.
And that’s not even me being biased because he’s my grandson.
He’s just a damn good kid, and I’m proud of my son for the way he’s raised him, stepped up as a single parent, and never once complained or put anything—including hockey—above Lucas. ”
“I couldn’t agree with you more, sir. Lucas is incredible, and you can tell that’s a testament to Cooper. But sir, that’s also a testament to you and your wife. You raised a kind son who’s just passing along the values you raised him with, so be proud of yourself too.”
He looks at me for a moment, his eyes narrowing before he smiles.
“You’re one of the good ones, Ally. I see why those boys adore you so much.”
Just then, Lucas comes running over to us, shouting that it’s time to go get ready for dessert, his favorite time of the day.
With a smile on my face after talking to Charlie, I head in, following the guys towards the table, knowing that if Lucas got to pick the dessert, we will all be enjoying s’mores.
“Okay you crazy kids,” Charlie says as he stands up from the table we’ve all been hanging around for the last few hours. “It’s time for the Mrs. and I to head out. Gotta get back to the hotel and get packed and ready to head home tomorrow.”
“Is it really that time already?” Trish says, shocked as she looks down at her watch. “I didn’t realize it was already this late in the afternoon. We were supposed to be back and getting ready a while ago.”
“Well, if you don’t make your dinner reservations you can always order room service,” Cooper says.
“I love room service!” Lucas says, clapping excitedly.
“We know,” Charlie deadpans, and everyone—including Lucas—laughs.
Everyone stands up, and Lucas runs to give both of his grandparents hugs before running back over to the swing set again. Charlie comes over and gives me a hug before heading inside with Cooper, leaving me and his mom watching Lucas running around the yard.
“I know I’ve already mentioned this, Ally, but it was such a pleasure to meet you,” Trish says as she comes to my side of the table, her hands reaching out to take mine. “Those boys just love you, you know that, right?”
She says the statement so nonchalantly that she catches me off guard and throws me off track a bit. What are we even talking about? As far as she knows, I’m just the nanny, the niece of her son’s NHL coach, not anything more than that.
So, what does she mean?
“It was a pleasure to meet you too, Mrs. Johnson,” I say with a smile, squeezing her hands in mine.
“Your son, and your grandson, are some of the kindest people I know. It’s been a pleasure getting to know them while I’ve been working here,” I add honestly, knowing I need to acknowledge it with hopes that maybe she could let it go.
But I take it that stubbornness also runs in this family because she’s like a dog catching a scent, tracking down the information she’s looking for—not willing to accept my half ass answers. Ugh, it’s okay when I’m being the stubborn one, not when I’m the one having to deal with a stubborn one.
“Now, Miss Ally,” she says, letting my name roll off the tongue just like Lucas does. There’s a tiny twang to the way he says Miss that makes it that much sweeter to hear—but this makes me nervous. “You don’t actually think you can convince me that you and my son are purely coworkers, do you?”
“No, I guess that’s true. Your son is one of my friends, and Lucas is someone I adore,” I tell her, this part is all true.
“Ally, I wasn’t born yesterday. I’ve seen some things, and when I look at the way my boys light up when you’re in the room, it tells me that there’s a whole helluva lot more going on than just friends.”
I start to interrupt, but she stops me, a soft smile and a raised hand doing the trick, letting me know she’s not done.
“I’m not asking you to spill any secrets or divulge anything—trust me.
I’m a mother, and if I want answers, I can get them from my son,” she says with a wink that tells me she has no doubt in her mind he’d fold, telling her all the tea, and honestly, good for them for having that bond.
I’m a bit jealous. My parents barely care to call me or Quinn anymore; it’s like as soon as they moved out of state and we were out of sight, they no longer thought about us.
Or at least that’s how it feels nowadays. Hell, pretty sure last year was the year they called me the week after my birthday and then my mom even argued with me about what date my birthday actually was.
Who. Does. That?
My parents. That’s who.
How sad when you have to send a picture of your driver’s license just to prove your birthday to your mom. Mind you, being twenty-eight years old, you’d think she’d have that one memorized by heart, but maybe that’s just me thinking my own mother would actually care about her daughters.
“All I’m saying is that sometimes Cooper isn’t the smartest when it comes to communication…but please just know that, as his mother, I can tell you that the way he’s looking at you communicates all I need to know to gauge exactly how that man feels about you.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that you remind me a lot of me.
I was a runner. It was in my blood to run away from anything before it got too serious.
So let’s just say, I know it when I see it.
But Cooper? He’s a lot like his daddy. They’re people pleasers, and if you’re one of their people, you’re in for life.
Just know that if you decide how you feel, and you do want to be with my boy, you can run the rest of your life and he’ll be there, chasing you down with a grin on his face. ”
I look up at her and smile, my cheeks heating as I imagine the other night, knowing damn well that’s not what she’s talking about, but I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t the first thought I had.
At the end of the day, I’m literally just a girl, so can you really blame me?
Being chased through the yard and the woods by a hot hockey player in a suit and then ravished while my ex was forced to listen? Yeah, that was super fucking hot.
“I’m not quite sure what to say,” I tell her honestly, feeling vulnerable at this moment because, at the core of it, she pegged me within the first day of knowing me and that’s…
well, that’s a weird feeling. I’ve always thought I kept myself guarded, protected, only showing the world the mask I wanted them to see.
So why does it seem like everyone in this family sees right through it, as if it’s not even there.
“Like I said sweetie, you don’t have to say anything.
Just be yourself and trust that you know what you want because, at the end of the day, if you spend your life second guessing yourself and all of the decisions you make, it’ll steal your joy,” Trish says with a smile, letting my hands go after one last squeeze.
“Come on, Lucas, walk your grandma out to the car.”
Lucas jumps off the swing, running over to grab her hand, both of them smiling as they turn and start walking inside to join Cooper and Charlie.
I stay behind for a moment, watching them as I think over what she was saying.
She has a point. I am a runner. That’s why that statement bothered me as much as it did.
I don’t want to be this way; I just freak out when people get too close.
Anytime I’ve really let someone into my life, I’ve been the one to get hurt.
But this?
This feels different. This feels like something I shouldn’t run from, and that just makes me more ready to bolt.
I need to talk to Quinn. Maybe she can help me understand because, right now, I’m starting to think I need to have a serious conversation with Cooper. I know I said no labels, but fuck it.
Some rules are made to be broken.