Chapter 8
Magnus
The warm, soft feel of breath on my cheek makes my eyes fly open in surprise.
“I knew you were awake! Come on.”
Coop tugs on my hand, Dong uncurling from his perch on my chest and jumping to the ground.
Of course. I’m at Blair’s house. It’s been years since I woke up in bed with another person, so I knew it wasn’t a woman.
“Hey, Coop, good morning.” I scrub a hand down my face. “Give me just a sec.”
I slept in my undershirt and tux pants, curled up on my side because I’m too tall to lie flat on the couch. When I get to a sitting position, the scents of vanilla and cinnamon remind me that Blair’s making breakfast.
“Let’s go play cars.” Coop tugs on my hand, trying to lead me over to the stairs.
“Hang on.”
I walk into the kitchen, feeling like someone punched me in the gut when Blair looks at me over her shoulder and smiles.
She has a soft, morning-after glow, her face fresh and clean without makeup and her hair up in a messy bun. Her baggy sweats are the same ones she had on last night, but her shirt is a black tank top that shows her white bra straps.
I’ve regressed into a teenage boy, getting excited over fucking bra straps. I can’t make myself look away from her. It feels intimate seeing her this way. Like we spent the night together. Which we sort of did, I guess, but not in the way I wanted.
Don’t even think about it. You can’t go there with a single mom when you might not even be here in a few months.
“What time is it?” I ask, forcing myself to look at a plant on the kitchen counter.
“Seven twenty. There’s coffee if you want some. Breakfast will be ready in like twenty minutes, so you guys can play until then and you can go after you eat. Will that give you enough time to get to practice?”
“Yeah, that’s perfect. Thank you.”
She pops a small piece of bacon into her mouth, her lips quirking with a smile. “Wait ’til you taste it to thank me. Did you sleep okay?”
“Yeah, I slept great.”
It’s not really true. Dong batted me in the face in the middle of the night more than once and I’m not used to sleeping on my side or with my knees bent.
But it was well worth it to see her like this, comfortable in her fuzzy slippers, drinking her coffee from a mug that says, “Tears of the people I beat at board games”.
“You like board games?” I ask as I walk over to the pink coffee maker.
“I love board games.”
I pick up the empty mug she left by the coffee maker, which says, “Damn, it’s seven a.m.”
“Does this one mean you don’t like early mornings?” I ask.
Her smile widens. “That one means I like Taylor Swift. I don’t mind early mornings, as long as I get enough sleep.”
“Magnus.” Coop is getting impatient waiting for me.
“Let me get in two sips of coffee,” I say, making sure the first sip is long.
“What board games do you like?” I ask Blair.
“Codenames, Catan, Root ... I’d play any board game, really.”
“She’s good at Monopoly,” Coop says.
“You’re getting better and better at it,” she says.
“And let me guess—you’re competitive, aren’t you?” I ask.
She grins. “I might be.”
“Do you want to play Monopoly?” Coop asks hopefully.
“I wish I could, but, but I have to go to practice soon.”
“That was two sips! Come on, let’s play cars.”
That’s fair. I said two sips. Though I want to stay and talk to Blair, I follow Coop to his room, where we resume playing cars. It’s not really so much playing as him telling me all about his cars and racetracks.
“Santa gave me this one in my stocking,” he says. “I’m asking him for a real Feeyari when I get my license. A red one with my name on it.”
“Can he fit a full-size car on his sleigh?”
“His sleigh is magical. I saw it on TV.”
“Okay. Nice.”
“This track glows in the dark and you can make it go up the wall if you want.”
Being in here with him reminds me of my own childhood.
I’m three years older than Elin, and I was always the one coming up with the games we played.
In the summer, we were always outside when our family was at our modest summer cottage.
We swam in the lake, played games with the other kids in nearby cottages, and picked and ate berries until our faces and hands were stained beyond scrubbing clean.
Winters were the opposite. It was dark by three p.m., so Elin and I had to entertain ourselves indoors. I’d make up stories and read to her. Our cousins came over often, and we were all the best of friends.
“I like to be the car in Monopoly,” Coop says. “What do you like to be?”
I furrow my brow. “I don’t remember all the pieces ... is there a hat?”
“Yeah, you can be the hat. Eli picks a different piece every time and Mom is always the iron.”
He shows me how to race cars around his track and we get several going at the same time, testing out how long it takes them to crash into each other. When Blair calls up the stairs that breakfast is ready, Coop’s shoulders slump with disappointment.
I feel bad I can’t stay longer.
“Hey, I’ll come over again soon if it’s okay with your mom,” I say. “We’ll have a Monopoly night.”
“You promise?”
“I promise. As long as your mom’s okay with it.”
He smiles and says, “Okay.”
Before we get to the stairs to go down for breakfast, he takes my hand. I wasn’t expecting it, and it tugs at my heart. He’s a sweet kid. I wish I could blow off practice today, but that would be stupid when I’m trying to get them to offer me a contract.
Eli is at the kitchen table when we get there. Blair is pouring glasses of orange juice.
“Want some?” she asks me.
“No, thanks. Coffee’s good.”
She made cinnamon roll French toast, scrambled eggs, and bacon. I sit down to home-cooked dinners at teammates’ homes sometimes, but it’s been a long time since I had a homemade breakfast.
“Everything’s great,” I say after a few bites.
“Mom, can Magnus come over for Monopoly night?” Coop asks.
She flicks her gaze to mine. “I don’t know if he has time for that, sweetie.”
“I do. Any night I don’t have a game.”
“Okay. We’ll compare schedules and plan it.”
“Yes!”
Coop can hardly keep himself still in his chair. He’s so busy chattering that he doesn’t get in much eating.
“Will you quiz me on spelling words, Mom?” Eli asks.
“How about as soon as I’m done with breakfast cleanup? We can snuggle in my bed and I’ll quiz you.”
Eli drops his brows. “I’m too old for snuggling.”
I’d happily take his place. Seeing her nurturing her boys is sexy as hell. We had chemistry last night, but I couldn’t make a move. I still can’t, and it’s frustrating as hell.
I haven’t dated in years, and when I did, there was never anyone like Blair. Just hearing her laugh makes me smile. And those bra straps are making me crazy.
If I could, I’d slide my hand around her waist and graze my fingertips beneath her shirt, very slowly moving higher. I imagine kissing her pretty pink lips, which now have a slight glaze of syrup.
I’ve pretty much done nothing but stare at her and finish my food when I glance at the clock and realize I have to go. I take my dishes over to the sink.
“I’d help with the dishes, but I can’t be late for practice,” I say. “I know Eli and Coop are responsible enough that they help with the dishes without even being asked.”
Blair laughs, covering it by clearing her throat. Coop is already halfway to the sink, carrying the half-empty platter of bacon.
“I’m not done yet!” Eli grumbles.
“Leave it for now,” Blair tells Coop gently. “But thank you for the effort.”
Coop throws his arms around my waist. “See you at practice, Coach. Or Monopoly night.”
I wrap my hand around the back of his head, the tug in my chest back. It makes sense that he thinks of me as a coach, since I help with the skills practice. Hearing it outside the rink makes me feel good in a way I can’t wrap my head around.
“Thanks for saving me from the hotel last night,” I say, looking at Blair. “And thanks for the delicious breakfast.”
“Why were you going to a hotel?” Eli asks.
“I live at a hotel.”
“No way!” Coop cries. “Mom, can he live here?”
Blair bursts out laughing right as I’m checking my phone. There’s a voicemail. I flip my phone open to see who I missed a call from.
Art. My agent.
“I have to hit it, guys. I’ll see you. And Coop, you can’t ask people to move in.”
“You can have Aunt Jules’s room. She’s never here.”
Blair just sighs. I’m sure she’ll have a talk with Coop when I’m gone.
“Bye, guys,” I say as I head out the door between the kitchen and the garage.
Blair meets me there, opening the garage door. Her eyes lock on mine and I try to read what hers are saying.
“Thank you,” I say softly. “For last night and this morning.”
“This is what happens when you share your dessert,” she says lightly.
“I’ll remember that.”
I want to kiss her. Even though I can’t have a relationship because of my contract situation, if her kids weren’t here, I’d kiss her until she had to pull away for air.
“Bye, Magnus.”
“Bye.”
I enjoy a couple more seconds of looking at her before she closes the door. I can’t stop smiling on the walk to the car, which is wild since we didn’t even kiss.
As soon as I start my car, I call Art back, putting the call on speakerphone.
“Morning,” he says, sounding chipper. “I’ve got good news.”
McClain is making me an offer. Fucking finally.
“Hit me,” I say.
“Seattle wants you.”
I’m jolted into a very unexpected reality. “Seattle?”
“Yep. Their GM called me last night. They’re serious. They want you this summer.”
“Did you get numbers?”
“No, but they’ll be good. They want you for their first line.”
This is it. The goal I’ve been working my ass off toward for well over a year. All the recovery and rehab were for this, but it doesn’t feel like I thought it would.
“What about Cleveland?” I ask.
“You want me to leverage this offer and see where they land?”
I’m a straightforward guy. I don’t like games, and the thought of my agent telling Cleveland another team wants me and they’d better offer quickly doesn’t sit right.
If they want me, they’ll make an offer.
“No. Let’s sit with this for a few days and see what happens. Things could change for Seattle.”
“It’s possible. But I think they’re serious.”
“Let’s talk next week.”
“You got it, boss. Good luck on your road trip.”