“I can.” Hailey grabbed some of the books. “Let’s go into Cole’s room.”
Evvie gazed up at him. “Cole come wif us?”
“No, sweetheart. Remember I said I have to go to work? But I’ll call you from the airport like I promised.”
Paisley stood back, clutching the books in her arms. Where Evvie took what she wanted, her sister was more watchful and kept things inside. Just as Hailey reached for her, ready to assure her everything would be all right, Cole dropped to a knee.
“Hey, little one. Do you want to watch my game on TV tomorrow night?”
She nodded.
“Cool. At the beginning, right before I skate onto the ice, I’m going to look right into the camera and do this.” He kissed two fingers and held them up. “And then, at the end of the game, I’ll do it again.”
She didn’t answer, just held onto those books.
“Do you know what this means?” He did it again, only this time after he kissed his fingers, he pressed them to her cheek. “It means I love you. And I’m thinking about you when I’m not with you. Always. Okay?”
That worried expression broke, replaced by a grin.
He opened his arms, and both girls stepped in for a hug. “I’ll see you soon, okay?”
“Okay,” Paisley whispered.
Evvie pulled away to ask, “Cole wuv Evvie?”
“I love you very much.” His voice sounded rougher, thicker. He glanced up at Hailey. “I should probably just go.”
She put her hands on the girls’ shoulders and drew them close until they made a tight triangle. “Safe travels. Call us when you get to the airport.” Then, she led them to his bed, and all three crawled in. With a girl tucked on either side of her, she picked up a book and began to read.
What else could she do but keep things as normal for the girls as possible?
She had a choice to make. She could worry about him drifting away or she could trust that what they had was special and beautiful and worth holding onto.
Yeah, that.
That’s the choice she’d make.
* * *
Cole left his book on the nightstand, so he ran upstairs to get it.
When he got to his room, he found all three of his favorite people were cuddled up in his bed. They were so engrossed in Hailey’s storytelling that none of them noticed him.
His heart squeezed at the beautiful sight.
He wasn’t going to lie. It hurt a little that he’d only been gone a minute, and they’d already sealed the gap. What would happen a week from now? A month?Evvie’s only three. By the time he came home in June, would she even remember him?
He’d be sure to call them when he woke up and then reach out during the day. Maybe he’d buy some books in Boston and read to them every night.Yeah, that’s a good idea. It wasn’t like he wanted to go to bars or clubs. He wanted to be with his girls.
The longer he stood there, the more uncomfortable he grew. It wasn’t that they were snuggling together. Seeing them happy made him feel good.
It was what lay ahead.
Now that he knew what a family felt like, how the fuck was he supposed to go back to his old life?
He’d managed the loneliness by surrounding himself with people. But now, he had Hailey. There’d be no disguising it. It would eat him alive.
He stepped into the room. “Hey.”