Chapter 28
Juliet
I’ve just put Tinsley to bed when a knock sounds at the front door.
When I pull it open, the serious look on Blake’s face causes my stomach to drop.
“What happened?” I ask, moving aside to let him enter.
I wasn’t expecting him tonight, and he hasn’t made any attempt to pull me into his arms the way he usually does when I see him. Instead, he moves straight for the couch and drops onto it, resting his elbows on his knees and dropping his head into his hands.
“Blake?” I press, hovering near the door.
He looks up at me, his blue eyes filled with regret. “I want to start by saying we didn’t mean to overstep any boundaries.”
The room spins.
I walk to the couch on shaky legs and sink onto it next to him.
“What’s going on?”
He blows out a heavy exhale. “Edward approached us after the game. Me and Everett.”
My gaze flicks to his hands, terrified of finding them bruised and bloody. Relief washes over me when I find them unblemished, but I don’t miss the resignation in his expression.
“I meant it when I said I’d never do anything to hurt you or Tinsley,” he rasps. “Violence won’t solve anything with him.”
I swallow around my unease. “We’re calling the lawyers on Monday. Why would you engage with him?”
He runs a hand through his hair. “I wasn’t going to say anything, I promise. Then Everett mentioned my name, and Edward put two and two together. He threatened you.”
“Blake—”
“He’s not pursuing custody,” he blurts out. “We convinced him to back off. He even agreed to sign Tinsley’s passport application.”
I blink at him. “What?”
“You can send the application to his lawyers, and he’ll sign it.”
My ears are ringing, and I shake my head to clear my confusion. “I don’t understand. How?”
“It doesn’t matter.” Blake pulls my hands into his. “Please don’t be mad at me for stepping in. I didn’t plan it, and I don’t want you thinking I’m trying to be your saviour. The opportunity to speak to him arose, and I took it.”
“I’m not mad,” I murmur, still shaking my head. “I’m confused.”
His tongue swipes over his lips. “You don’t need to worry about the details, only that Everett and I kept our heads and there was no violence involved.”
I sag against him. “It’s really over?”
He pulls me into his warm body and presses his lips to my temple. “It’s really over. You and Tinsley don’t need to worry about Edward trying to control you anymore.”
When I tilt my head to meet his gaze, he brushes his lips over mine in a soft caress. My heart beats erratically as I curl my fingers into his nape and deepen the kiss.
“I’ll do anything to keep you and Tinsley safe, pixie,” he murmurs against my lips. “I love you.”
“I love you, striker.”
He hooks his hands under my thighs, and I wrap my legs around his waist as he carries me to my bedroom.
My bed is empty when I wake up in the morning.
Music and laughter drifts down the hall, and a smile tugs on my lips as I make my way to the kitchen.
I peer around the corner, my smile widening as I take in the scene in front of me.
Tinsley is dressed in her yellow Belle gown, and she’s twirling around the room with a wooden spoon, singing Be Our Guest from the soundtrack, which is playing from Blake’s phone in the middle of the bench.
His laughter is warm as he keeps an eye on her while he flips a thin crêpe on the skillet over the stove. There’s a stack of the thin pancakes on a plate next to him. I’m seriously impressed.
My mouth waters and my stomach rumbles as I take in the spread on the dining table. There are bowls of fresh berries, a plate of hashbrowns, and a platter of croissants with a variety of different fillings—ham, shredded chicken, tomato, sautéed mushrooms, avocado, and three different cheeses.
The soundtrack transitions into Something There, and my heart stutters when Blake spots me, and his grin widens.
“Morning, pixie.”
“Good morning,” I say, stepping into the chaos. My chaos. “What’s all this?”
“We’re making breakfast, Mama,” Tinsley says, bouncing around me. “France breakfast.”
“French,” Blake corrects with a laugh as he plates up the last crêpe and turns off the stove.
“I can see that,” I say, arching a brow at him.
He shrugs as he moves towards the dining table.
“We were up early, so we thought we’d surprise you. These and the hashbrowns are dairy-free and gluten-free for Sprout,” he says, placing the crêpes on the table next to the fruit, “and everything else is for us.”
“It’s wonderful. Merci,” I say, taking a seat opposite Tinsley.
“You’re welcome.” Blake presses a kiss to the top of my head as he passes on his way to turn the music down.
After he takes a seat next to me, he smiles at Tinsley. “What should we do today?”
“Can we take my new soccer ball to the park? I want to learn to be a Matilda.”
He glances at me, and I nod.
“Sounds like a great idea. Why don’t I call Everett and a couple of the boys to come meet us?”
“The one who catches the ball in the nets? I want to be like him.”
Blake laughs. “You don’t want to kick the goals like me and Everett?”
She shakes her head. “I want to be the only one allowed to catch the ball.”
“Fair enough, Sprout. I’ll give Zac and Noah a call after breakfast and see if they’re free.”
She grins at him before piling berries onto her crêpe and stuffing it into her mouth.
My heart warms at the bond they’ve formed. It’s hard to believe that yesterday I was bracing myself for another battle for her against my ex-husband, but less than twenty-four hours later, he’s not even an afterthought.
Thanks to Blake, the man I’ve fallen head over heels for, I can finally breathe.