Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 87289 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87289 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
What can’t be denied is that my little girl radiates happiness.
Pure, unfiltered joy.
There’s a pretty woman crouched beside them, sliding a juice pouch toward my daughter with a warm smile. Her long blonde ponytail swings behind her as she laughs at something one of the kids says.
Nora beams at her like a little ray of sunshine.
The reason hits me all at once. It’s a piercing ache behind my ribs because she doesn’t get the chance to laugh and play with other kids on a regular basis. I’ve been so busy juggling work and bills and stress that moments like this have been few and far between.
But standing here and watching her laugh like that?
It cracks something wide open in me.
It’s proof I’m not failing.
I’m still caught in that moment as River slips an arm around my waist.
He leans in. “You made it out of the bathroom. I’m proud of you.”
I roll my eyes as a reluctant smile tugs at my lips. “I would’ve climbed out the window if this wasn’t the penthouse.”
He chuckles, and the sound of it ghosts over my skin before he presses a kiss to my cheek. “Come meet Willow and her family.”
The blonde straightens, wiping her hands on her jeans, before crossing the room with easy confidence. She’s beautiful in a natural, effortless way. Sunshine hair and clear blue eyes. It’s the same quiet steadiness I’ve come to recognize in River.
“Hi, I’m Willow,” she says, stepping forward without hesitation and wrapping me up in a genuine hug. “I’ve heard so much about you.”
I blink, caught off guard by her warmth. “Oh. Hopefully it wasn’t all bad.”
The easy sound of her laugh settles something in me. “Only the parts about you being stubborn.”
“Guilty,” I say with a small smile, feeling the slow loosening in my shoulders, as if a weight I hadn’t realized I was carrying has finally been set down.
And then I see him.
Maverick McKinnon.
The Maverick McKinnon.
Right here.
In the flesh.
Dressed casually in joggers and a hoodie, all relaxed charm and megawatt smile as he crouches beside my daughter on the kitchen floor like he doesn’t have the entire hockey world at his feet.
And that smile?
It’s just for her.
“All right,” he says, holding up two markers. “Which color should we use for the unicorn’s hair? Pink or purple?”
“Both!” Nora yells, clapping her hands in delight.
My jaw actually drops open.
Willow catches the look on my face and grins. “He’s amazing with kids.”
I nod slowly, still stunned. “That’s… not what I expected.”
“Most people think he’s all about hockey, but Mav’s a total softie with the little ones. He’d never admit it, of course. But he’s the first one on the floor and the last to leave.” She leans in, tone turning conspiratorial. “Don’t tell him I said that. He’d deny it to his grave.”
“Lies,” Maverick says with a smirk and a loving glance at his wife. “All lies.”
We share a laugh, and the sound feels easy, almost like I belong here with these people in this kitchen. Something about that realization slides quietly into place, threading warmth through me.
I drift toward one of the island stools, my movements almost cautious, as if I’m afraid to jinx the moment. River beelines for the fancy coffee machine before tapping a few buttons with practiced ease. A minute later, he sets a mug in front of me and rests his hand lightly on the back of my neck.
The touch is grounding in a way that makes me feel like it belongs there.
Like we belong.
I wrap my hands around the mug and glance at him. His attention is focused on Nora, and his mouth is curved in that crooked smile I realize only appears when he’s watching her. There’s something in that look that leaves me reeling.
This man brushes my daughter’s hair without hesitation. He lets her stir pancake batter, even when it ends up everywhere. He remembers her favorite fruit snacks and how she says pish instead of fish. He bought her toys, not to win her over, but because he knew they’d make her light up.
Somewhere between the coffee, the quiet laughter, and the feel of his hand resting against my skin, it hits me that I’m falling for him.
Not in the reckless way I’ve fallen before.
There isn’t fear, desperation, or the need to cling to something I know will slip through my fingers.
This feels different.
Steady.
Real.
And I don’t just hope it will last.
I believe it will.
32
River
Midway through the day, Willow pulls me aside and says, “You should take Callie out to dinner tonight. We’ll stay here with Nora, grab pizza for the kids, maybe some ice cream, then head back to the hotel.”
And just like that, my entire night gets a hell of a lot better.
I glance at Callie with a raised brow. The last thing I want to do is assume or push. I’d never pressure her to leave Nora behind if she’s not ready. I know how hard it is for her to loosen the reins, especially when it comes to the little girl her entire world revolves around.