“Of course.”
“Girls, finish up the snowflakes, and then we’ll do the popsicle stick ornaments next, okay?”
“Yay,” Paisley said.
Evvie dropped her crayon. “I do pock-sticle now.”
“Not yet, sweetie. I have to get it all set up.” Hailey made her way over to him, the set of her jaw and frosty eyes letting him know she was pissed. “Where have you been?” she whispered harshly.
“I went to the rink to see my friends—”
“You hung out with friends all day?” She sounded almost hysterical.
“What? No. I was only with them for an hour. We had a breakfast sandwich. Why are you so pissed? I’d planned on being home in time to meet Paisley, but I ran a little late.” He never wanted her to be that kid who watched her friends get off the bus, swooped into the arms of a parent or nanny, and then feel the emptiness of finding no one at her stop.
“If you were only with them for an hour, what did you do for the otherthree hours? And what in the world made you think it was okay to be gone half the day? Did it occur to you that I might have something to do? Who did you think would watch Evvie?”
“Ah, shit. I’ve got the car seats in my car. I stranded you.”
“Yes, you did, but that’s not the point. We’re supposed to be in this together. I have work to do. I have ajob.”
Remorse twisted in his belly. “You’re right. I wasn’t thinking.”
“Well, you have to think. I know you’re only here one more day, but yesterday was a travel day, and today, you bailed on me, so that means I’ve taken two days off.” She blew out a breath. “I can’t lose my job, Cole. I have bills to pay and no safety net.”
“I’m sorry. I fucked up.”
“And you have to stop swearing.”
“Dammit, I know.” What did she want from him? “I’m around hockey players all day.”
“Well, now you’re around a three and six-year-old.”
“I’ll do better. I promise.” He pointed to her tree. “Where did you find that?”
She gestured toward the giant bay window. “In your yard.”
He’d totally fucked up. He’d taken Evvie’s car seat, so she couldn’t go to a tree lot in town and buy a decent tree. “You carried that in by yourself? How did you get it to stand up?”
“I had to use some two-by-fours I found in your shed.”
“I’m sorry. I hate that you did that by yourself.”
“I live alone, Cole. I do everything by myself.”
That would change starting right now. He’d only ever been a single guy. He wasn’t used to checking in with anybody.
Intent on their art project, the girls sat with their backs to the massive, sparkling tree. “Don’t they like it?”
“I mean, it’s fun to look at. It’s like the tree in Rockefeller Center. You walk by and admire it, but they didn’t have a part in creating it. I can only tell you that the best part of Christmas for me was the time I spent with my mom. Making our own decorations and putting them on the tree together. Every year, we’d make our own hot cocoa and walk along the streets, looking at all the pretty storefront windows. That’s what I look forward to about the holidays.”
He glanced at the table but didn’t see the cocoa. He’d fix that. “I should’ve told you my plans. I promise it won’t happen again. Will it help if I handle dinner and bath time? Can you get your work done tonight?”
“Yes.” Relief loosened the tension around her eyes. “That’d be great.”
“Okay, so let’s take them to their house right now and then, after, we can stop at the store and get whatever supplies you need to make decorations. Also, I do have other cars, so we can go ahead and return your rental. That’s one less expense you’ll have to worry about. Then, tonight, when they’re in bed, we’ll come up with a plan to make sure you can get your work done.”
All that angry energy drained away, leaving her looking nothing but confused. “Thank you.”