Chapter 19
DANIEL
“Instead of a set amount of ‘dates,’ what if we go with a period of time that’s required to be seen together?” Summer rolls her head against the back of the chair to face me.
Rubbing a hand over my face, I mumble, “I’m in the weirdest timeline.” I tip the beer bottle back and take a long swig.
“You’re telling me.” Turning away to watch Roman floating on a raft tied by a rope to the closest tree, she adds, “Do you know what a puck bunny is?”
Beer spews from my mouth. “What the fuck?” Why do I suddenly feel like I don’t know this woman?
Without looking back, Roman says, “You owe the swear jar five bucks.”
“At this rate, that jar is going to have your college paid off before you turn ten.”
“Then you can buy me a Lamborghini.” What the hell with this kid? I don’t recognize either of them right now.
Summer’s busy laughing. It’s good to hear it again.
“We’re a Ferrari family, Roman. We can dabble with Maseratis, but never a Lamborghini.”
He turns so fast on the float that it rocks beneath him. Car talk is what gets his attention? I’m learning all kinds of stuff about him on this trip. “That’s not fair!”
“It is when Ferrari is one of my sponsors. I got the car and a big paycheck last year. I’m loyal as fuck to that brand.”
He lies back down. “That’s another five bucks.”
“Fuck me,” I mutter.
“Fifteen,” he shouts, tucking his hands behind his head like he’s got it made in the shade, which he does.
I turn to Summer, thumbing over at my son. “Do you believe this kid?” I grin, not able to pretend I’m not enjoying every second of this with him.
“You only have yourself to blame. He takes after you.”
“That’s for sure.” I take another drink. “You didn’t know anything about hockey before, and now you’re asking about puck bunnies?”
“Yeah. I heard about them and . . .” Dragging the butterfly on her necklace back and forth, she returns her eyes to mine when she says, “Will I be accused of being your bunny?”
“No.” Simple answer that I hope ends this line of questioning. It pisses me off that it would even cross her mind. “Whatever idea you got for comparison, there is none. You’re nothing like them. End of story.”
“Is it the end or is this the beginning?” She reaches over to run her fingers over my forearm. “What makes me different from them? Please tell me so I can be prepared.”
“You don’t need to prepare. You arrive with me and smile if you want to. We don’t have to listen to the photographers’ demands. I rarely do. Showing up is enough.” Her gaze drifts out to sea as she appears to mull it over. “Just be you, Summer. That’s all you need to be.”
But then she turns to me and asks, “So $250,000 for a few dates in public? Is that all we’re saying? No other strings, no timelines, no payback. Just my time for the money?”
“Maybe we can rephrase it. You’re not a call girl.”
“Okay, you’re gifting me a quarter of a million dollars to expand my family’s property and to protect it from greedy venture capitalists. In return, I show you the way to play nice when in public. Is that better?”
“Definitely. I sound like a fucking hero who’s saving a small town from demolition.”
“Twenty,” Roman shouts.
“I’m going to go broke with him around.”
“It’s okay,” she says. I hate that her touch disappears.
“I think we summarized it pretty well. We don’t need to overcomplicate it.
” She sits back, and I already miss her touch.
“I’m getting what I want. You’re getting what you want.
It’s settled. It’s a win-win.” Although she doesn’t sound like there’s an issue from listening to her tone, she doesn’t sound happy either.
“Yeah, it’s a win-win,” I repeat, closing my eyes. Bothered that she sounds more resolved than relieved, I can’t keep them closed. I gave up on trying to read women’s minds years ago. I sit up and angle toward her. “Why does this not sound settled?”
“Because it’s not. I’m trading a relationship for my dream. It sucks.”
“I don’t understand. What relationship are you trading?” I reach over and cover her hand with mine and give a gentle squeeze. “That’s not what we’re doing here.”
“Explain to me how it’s not?”
“It’s just not.” I glance up at a cloud that’s moved in overhead while my words stumble over my feelings.
She sits forward, bringing her closer to me. “If I’m dating you in exchange for you giving me money to buy the property, that’s not real. That’s a negotiation and a deal.”
I look back at her, knowing she deserves more than a thoughtless answer to appease her.
She deserves to know how I feel when I’m with her.
“I’m not a wordy guy. I play hockey because I sucked at writing papers.
And because I was damn good at it. But if I give this a try, I’d tell you that I like what’s happening between us.
It’s not something I’ve experienced or thought I’d have.
With you, I do.” I take a breath and just go with the words that want to flow.
“You’re not dating me for money, Summer.
I hope you’re dating me because you’re on the same page as I am. ”
“I am.” Leaning forward, she rests her arms over mine, holding me as close as these large Adirondack chairs will allow. “I was overthinking it.”
“I can see how you got there, but I’m giving you the money.
You’re not dating for it. But I appreciate you helping me out.
” I kiss her tenderly on the lips, wanting to deepen it so badly.
Not the time. Not the place. Not the right circumstances.
“And please never bring up puck bunnies again. You’re in a whole different league, baby. ”
She laughs. “I think I’m honored.” Getting up, she comes to sit on my lap. With her arms wrapped around me, she says, “Thank you for the gift. It’s life-changing.”
I cup her cheek and slip my fingers into her hair to guide her back to my lips.
This time, her mouth parts for me, and our tongues meet, slipping into a breathless caress.
I end it before it goes deeper. Although his attention is somewhere else, Roman is near.
She licks the corner of her mouth, and whispers, “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“The money, the kiss, the way we communicate, for booking this cottage so we could meet.” Her smile is soft, but it’s no less potent.
She’s going to devastate me one day. Whether it’s me leaving or her going, I can already feel it. Though she’d probably argue I’m doing the same to her. Getting so close, so fast comes with a large dose of consequences and a detriment to my weakening heart.
“I don’t have to think about anything from my bills to my meals. Even Mia takes care of Roman most of the time. I just get to be the fun dad. Doesn’t mean I don’t want to be more. More in life other than a hockey player.”
“MVP seven times over,” she says, smirking at me.
“More than that to someone, to matter more than my stats.” I move in closer again, realizing I just can’t stay away from her or those lips. “When it comes to you, Sunshine, I want to be involved, not a bystander.”
I see the breath she takes, the gentle close of her eyes as she soaks in my words. When she looks at me, she says, “I want that, too, but how do you see yourself doing that?”
The conversation with Roman about what love is has come back to me tenfold. This is love. I fell for this woman the moment I met her. “By starting now. I want a relationship with you.”
Her arms tighten around me. “We have one.”
“Officially. Will you be my girlfriend?” Why do I feel like I’m fifteen, asking a popular cheerleader out on a date again? She said yes. Will Summer?
“You want me to be your girlfriend, Daniel?” It’s not teasing, but her tone tells me she’s definitely having fun with this. Good. This should be fun, or why do it?
I chuckle. “I want you to be my girlfriend, Summer.”
“Sure.”
Feigning the deep wound she caused, I sit back, cocking an eyebrow at her. “I lay my heart out in front of you only to have it driven over like roadkill?”
Laughing, she glances at my son—always keeping a watchful eye with me.
When she collects herself, which takes long enough for me to check the time, and then on Roman to see he’s still content, I start wondering what time is too early to take this beauty to bed without it looking like we’re sneaking off to have sex.
I’m thinking that once Roman is in bed and the cookies have been delivered, it should be late enough.
“The job comes with perks,” I add to entice her a bit more to say yes.
She kisses my forehead and then catches my eye. “I’d love to be your girlfriend. No perks required.”
I shrug. “Perks come with it anyway.”
“So . . .” She kisses my lips this time like it’s the first time we’ve kissed—burning heat that will turn into so much more when we unleash it. Plucking her mouth from mine, she wipes just underneath her bottom lip. “What happens now?”
“I don’t know.” I grin, looking ahead, wondering that same thing. “I’m new to this relationship stuff.”
“I thought you’d dated a lot.”
“Define dated.”
My shoulder is whacked under a roll of her laughter. “You’re the worst. I don’t even want to know how you’d define that term.”
“It would be best if you didn’t.” I chuckle and get to my feet while setting her down on her sneakers. Holding her hand, I bring it to my mouth and kiss it twice. “So I’ve been thinking . . .”
The hope in her wide eyes as she leans against me has me hoping she will always see me in this light. “What have you been thinking?”
“I was thinking we should have steaks tonight.”
She escapes and starts marching toward the cottage. “You really are the worst, Daniel Sutton.”
“I may be the worst, but I still got the girl.”
“Fair,” she calls over her shoulder.
Feeling mighty fucking good right now, I walk the rope and start pulling it in. “Come, Roman, we need to get back and clean up before dinner.”
“Do we have to?”
The raft is grounded on land when I walk over and give him a hand up. “You sure did take to the cove life quickly.”
He lands on his feet in front of me. Pointing at the water, he says, “Look out there.”
I bend beside him so I’m eye level, and we take in the ocean. “What do you see?”
“Nothing.” His eyes pivot to mine, and he asks, “Do you hear that?”
Glancing up at the treetops, I ask, “The birds?”
“Yeah, and when they’re quiet, you can hear the wind through the trees.”
I think he had an existential moment out on that raft. “What do you think about that?”
“One day, I’m going to live somewhere I can look out and see for miles and listen to the birds sing.” That’s not New York City . . .
“It’s pretty great, huh?” He nods and throws his arms around me. “I love you, Daddy.”
Wrapping him in a big hug, I kiss the side of his head. “I love you, buddy.”
When he releases me, we start toward the cottage to gather our things. He looks up at me again. “Mom has a boyfriend.”
“I know. David’s nice, huh?”
“Yeah.” He smiles. “But you have Summer.”
I laugh, feeling every bit of the pride and joy that comes with getting the girl of your dreams. “I sure do.”
A message pings on my phone. I stop, pulling it from the pocket of my trunks. I only see the preview of a headline to know I need to check this. Is it Time for Daniel Sutton to Retire? “Go get your stuff together. I’ll be there in a minute.”
I watch my son run inside, then look back at my phone again. Expanding my agent’s message, I scan the article, picking up on words like retirement, best is behind him, what age is too old, and other shit.
This is a hit piece. I can smell it. The ultimatum is back in play, and they’re making sure I follow the rules this time. Fuck that. The only rules I’ll be following are—
“Everything okay?” Summer asks, standing in the doorway.
They can float these retirement ideas out there all they want, feed them to the press by anonymous tips, but no way in hell am I going down without a fight. Fuck them!
If they want to play, let’s do this.
I wave to her. “All good.” It is with her by my side.