She couldn’t bear to think of how terrified they were. She’d lived through plenty of scary times herself. Packing her bag every few months, climbing into her mom’s car, and driving to anexciting new city where you’ll make so many friends!and running out of food and wondering when she’d be able to fill her belly.
But on every step of her journey, she’d at least had her mom. The one consistent person. These girls had lost both of their parents, their home, and their sense of safety in the world.
I don’t know how to make things right for them, but I’m not going to leave them until I do.
Gently placing the bear back into the bag, she got up. “Hello?” The place was so big, she couldn’t decide which direction to take. She was ready to text the social worker again when she heard a scrape that sounded like a chair on a tile floor. She headed in that direction.
As she made her way across the sprawling, airy living room and through the dining room, the kitchen appeared like something she’d seen on one of her cooking shows. Shiny, expansive, and not a glass or mug out of place. Despite its size, though, the low wooden beams and glass-fronted cabinets filled with colorful plates gave the room a surprisingly cozy appeal.
At a large rustic table sat two little girls, their legs swinging, and a huge, broad-shouldered, dark-haired man.Oh.Was that—
“Cole?”
He didn’t move—not the tiniest flinch of a muscle—and yet his eyes sharpened. Sitting sideways, long legs out in front of him, ankles crossed, he said, “Hey,” before taking a big bite of a sandwich.
“You’rethe co-guardian?”
“Sure am. Who’d you think it would be?” He hadn’t changed a bit. Still the most physically perfect man she’d ever seen, he had large, rounded biceps, powerful thighs, and big, strong hands. Underneath that casual slouch, though, hovering just below his air of good-time party boy, she caught a watchfulness, an intensity.
No matter how easygoing he liked to present himself, this man was aware of everything going on around him.
“I…had no idea.” Why in the world would they leave their children withCole Montgomery?
He broke into a grin. “It doesn’t compute, right? Me, of all people?”
And that’s why everyone loves him. Because he was gorgeous, rich, a superstar hockey player and yet, he was totally and completely earnest. His humility was so disarming that she immediately relaxed.
He sat up, sliding his bare feet under the chair. “I don’t know what they were thinking, but I guess they needed to make sure the girls were set financially.”
She took a moment to read his features. With a comment like that, anyone would think he was bragging about his obscene wealth, but she could see he actually believed his only value came from his bank account. “Oh, I don’t know about that. Darren thought the world of you.”
It was the only reason she’d agreed to go on that damn date with him. Her friends had convinced her Cole was a great guy.
She turned her attention to the two girls quietly eating their sandwiches.They must be terrified. New house, strange man. She pulled out a chair and joined them, smiling when she saw the peanut butter and jelly smeared around their mouths.
“Hi. I’m Hailey.”
Tense with awareness, they continued munching.
“Now, you must be Paisley.” She leaned closer to the older one. “I know because I’m your godmother. You probably don’t remember me since the last time I saw you was when your sister was born.” She turned to Everly, the three-year-old. “I was at your christening.”
Paisley gazed up at Cole. “May I have milk, please?”
Lovely manners.
Damn, Lindsay. You done good.
“You got it.” Rising out of his chair, he strode to the refrigerator.
The six-year-old watched him in awe.Well, let’s be honest. All three of them did. Cole had an athletic grace and a commanding physicality that made it impossible to look away. Because while the rest of the world went through puberty and a gawky phase—weight gain, acne—Cole had bypassed all of it.
He came back with a glass for each girl and sat back down.
“Do you have a dog?” Paisley’s legs kicked rhythmically under the table, while her sister was entirely focused on eating.
“I don’t.” Cole drank from his water bottle, his Adam’s apple bobbing, the tendons in his neck flexing. “But I always wanted one.”
Paisley tipped her head. “Then why don’t you have one?” She sounded like it was the most obvious thing in the world.