Chapter 25
Layla
LAYLA
did you tell my mom she could watch Emmy tonight with Allie?
KIERAN
of course I did
Emmy loves her
LAYLA
well get ready
Momma Bear Carson is coming in hot
My mom doesn’t even wait for me to get out of the car. She’s got her arms loaded with bags full of clothes and toys and all but bursts through the front door like a hurricane.
“Did she even knock?” I mutter to myself.
My Mom, bless her heart, is very evidently excited. She’ll never say it because she’s happy I’m well and healthy, but I know it must be hard for her, to have gone from taking care of me every day to suddenly not. It’s not only been an adjustment for me but for my parents as well.
We’re all trying to find our new normal.
I hurry after her and her loud boisterous voice I can already hear as she coos and awes over Emmy.
I find Kieran standing at the edge of his living room with his hands on his hips, his duffel bag beside him, and that black hat facing backwards on his head. His shoulders shake with silent laughter.
“They’re spoiling her rotten,” I say with a small chuckle, spotting Emmy surrounded by a circle of toys, Allie and my mom kneeling beside her as they go through each toy they got her.
“Yep. Spoiled is the right word.”
His voice is thick with emotion, his eyes holding such joy it makes me smile, too. “She deserves it.”
“That she does.” His eyes cut my way. “What are the chances they’ll even notice us leave?”
“Slim to none.”
Snorting out a laugh, Kieran waves as he picks up his duffel bag. “I’ll see you guys later tonight. Are you sure you’re okay staying here till late?”
Allie doesn’t even lift her head as she sends him off. “Yes honey, off you go. Slap that puck!”
Shaking his head, amused, he ambles over and bends to place a kiss on the top of Emmy’s head. “Have fun, sweet girl. I’ll blow you kisses on TV.” Turning to my mom, he gives her a one-armed hug. “Thanks for helping out, Charlotte.”
“It’s not help when I begged to come and see this little angel.”
“It’ll turn into her begging for you to come over if you keep spoiling her.”
The smile my mom sends Kieran’s way is the widest I’ve seen since I told her about my acceptance into the Berlin trial. “No such thing as too much love.” She rises, shooing Kieran out of his own home. “Now off you go and good luck tonight. Take care of my sweetheart afterward, please.”
“Mom,” I hiss under my breath.
“What? You’re an attractive young girl and there will be drunks at the bar. He needs to keep an eye out for you.”
“Don’t worry, Momma Bear Carson. Both my eyes are firmly on your daughter.”
Whacking Kieran’s chest, now I’m the one ushering him out. “Don’t encourage her!”
I place both my hands on his back and push. I know that if he truly put up a fuss I wouldn’t be able to move this giant man an inch but he grins at me over his shoulder, obliging me.
“Have fun, you two!” my mom says sweetly as she slams the door in our faces.
Kieran spins, invading my space as he wriggles his brows. “Whatever shall we do to have fun, Miss Carson?”
“No.”
Walking past him, I hear him huff behind me, his feet slapping the driveway to catch up. “What do you mean no? I’m plenty fun.”
“Oh trust me, I know.”
He’s beside me as we cross the street to Bella and Grayson’s house, Kieran dialing in the front gate code. “I know you’re dying for round two.”
I cough out a spluttering laugh. “Excuse me?”
He shrugs. “It’s okay to admit it. I haven’t stopped thinking about it either.”
“You haven’t?”
He looks down at me, his tongue darting out to lick his lips. “Not for a second.” Lowering his head, he teases, “And I have a plan for tonight that will have you screaming my name.”
My eyes widen, my cheeks flushing as I scramble to follow. Bella opens the door before Kieran can strut inside.
She takes one look at me and then Kieran’s smug grin before narrowing her eyes. “What the hell is going on?”
Kieran winks. “Your best friend’s falling for me, Stratford.”
That snaps me out of it. “I am not!”
He walks inside like he owns the place, dumping his duffel bag as he no doubt goes in search of cereal. “If you aren’t already, you will be by tonight.”
I can hear Grayson cursing him for finding a cereal box, but I can’t move from where I stand in their front doorway, gaping.
“Do I want to know what that was about?” Bella asks.
“Hell, even I don’t know what that was about.”
But a part of me is dying to find out what Kieran has planned to supposedly make me scream.
BOOKISH BITCHES
CINDY
OH MY FUCKING GOD
they just got to the inn
THERE’S ONLY ONE BED!!!!
LAYLA
I told you that you’d love fantasy ;)
BELLA
wait what bed???
girls I feel left out
CINDY
you’re definitely missing out B
they hate each other but they’re forced to sleep in the same bed
THEIR FINGERS JUST brUSHED AND HE SHIVERED
you need to start reading Bella
Ihaven’t been able to take my eyes off Kieran on the ice. It’s why when the opposition scores and everyone’s focused on the other end of the arena, I catch Kieran shaking his head and pointing at an opposing player.
The player spits at Kieran’s skates.
The sight makes me gasp. That’s disgusting!
“What is it?” Bella asks beside me.
“That player just spat at Kieran’s feet.”
“Ew!” Cindy exclaims.
The player seems to be shouting something at him, his head lifting my way, but that can’t be. Why would the opponent be looking at me? Kieran cocks his head slowly, menacingly, as the player continues to run his mouth.
“Oh my god, what the hell is he saying?”
Kieran skates forward so fast I barely have a moment to realize what’s happened. In the blink of an eye, the player is on the ground, Kieran pinning him to the ice as he swings his fists, raining down on him.
The arena bursts into an encouraging chant, the energy in the arena suddenly electric.
“Fight! Fight! Fight!”
Jumping to my feet, my hand cups my mouth, my other flying out to hold onto Bella for support as I grow light-headed. It isn’t until I feel like I’m swaying that I realize I’m holding my breath.
The rival player manages to get a good hit in and Kieran’s head snaps back, his helmet flying along with his blood. As the red sprays across the ice, I let out a startled scream before I can stop it.
Bella clings to my arm, keeping me steady as I grow light headed.
“Oh my god!”
“Jesus Christ, these stupid men and their fights,” Cindy mutters, utterly unfazed as she remains seated, eating popcorn.
“Cindy!” I scold.
But my words are swallowed whole by the roar of the crowd. The other teammates flock to the fight, O’Connor beating Grayson and pulling Kieran off first. Both referees skate over, giving a penalty to Kieran and sending him to the sin bin.
With my heart in my throat, I don’t take my eyes off his back as he skates to the box. He stumbles into it, taking a seat, and that’s when I see it.
He’s grinning like a fool, blood filling his mouth and staining his teeth. The cameras zero in on him as he lifts his eyes directly to me, winks, and mouths, That was for you, sunshine.
Cindy leans back in the red booth we snagged at O’Malley’s, her glass of wine making its way to her lips. “You have the puck bunnies’ panties in a twist, Layla.”
Bella and I, clearly not caring if we’re obvious or not, peer over our shoulders at the group of scantily clad women who are all bickering, their gazes cutting to us every other second with a glare that could kill.
I frown. “Why, though? He just winked at me. He winks at everyone.”
“Well, he hasn’t in a while,” Bella says. “That, and he got in a fight for you.”
“Twice,” Cindy coughs into her fist.
I give the girls a look. “He did not.”
But despite my denial I know he absolutely did and I’m still in shock over it.
Before she can call me out on my bullshit, I quickly go on. “Cindy says they do it all the time.”
She purses her lips. “I did say that.” Suddenly, her eyes light up. “Fight aside, I heard some bunnies talking in the bathroom tonight at the arena.” This girl loves gossip as much as she loves her wine. “Apparently Kieran hasn’t been with anyone in a long time.”
My cheeks heat because I already knew that. The secret Kieran whispered to me, how he hasn’t been with anyone for well over a year. I hurt him that night when I didn’t believe him.
The look that overcame him still haunts me sometimes. The last thing I ever want to do is wound someone else, and yet I seem to be doing that a lot with my assumptions.
Cindy leans forward conspiratorially. “I’m wondering if it’s since a special charity event he suddenly started turning women away.”
Keeping my gaze firmly on the sticky round table, picking up my Coke, I take a long sip. “How interesting,” I say slowly.
Cindy snorts. “I can’t wait for them to finally go at it. They won’t be able to lie about it then. Like fireworks finally exploding.”
“My money is on the fireworks when they first kiss.” Bella turns to me. “You still haven’t kissed, right?”
Cindy’s mouth drops open. “You haven’t kissed yet?”
My cheeks flush as I finally look up. “No.”
Her lip twitches. “Oh, Bella’s absolutely right, then.”
“No one is catching feelings. This is just”—I glance around, making sure no bunnies are lingering nearby—“friends with benefits. Kieran doesn’t do relationships and he sure as hell isn’t going to start when he has a three-year-old.”
“Single dads date,” Cindy points out as if it’s obvious.
“Of course they do, but not ones that just randomly have a kid dropped in their lap overnight.”
Bella’s smile is coy. “So you’re saying if his life wasn’t just flipped upside down you would have dated him?”
My eyes shutter closed. “No.” Pinching the bridge of my nose frustration swells to the point I want to scream.