Tangled with the Tight End (Evergreen Lake: Under the Mistletoe)

Chapter 9

nine

GAbrIEL

Gino beams as he slips down the slide at Santa’s Closet. The slide comes off the chimney of the miniature house and lands in a pile of foam boxes in the design of brightly colored packages. The playroom has been his favorite activity in the store, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t love the shelves of toys and stuffed animals. He’s the same as every other kid in that regard.

“Daddy, watch,” Gino calls out as he runs to the ladder at the other end of the playhouse and climbs the rungs.

“Good job.” Watching his excitement as he encounters every new thing or the same thing twenty times leaves me with the same feelings–pride, love, and regret. I missed so much when he was a baby.

My head was so stuck on football and being the highest-paid tight end. There wasn’t room for anything else. I woke up to work out. I worked out to work out. And followed the same pattern on the way to bed. My entire world was centered around training, video breakdown, ingesting proper nutrients, and practice. Whether it was mid-season or two weeks after the season ended, it never changed.

If I could do it all over again…. I’d do what? That was three years ago when I was busting my ass to get a contract. A player’s time is limited. We’ve got to make bank while we can, to prepare for the future. But for what? If I hadn’t gotten hurt, I’d still have my head focused on one thing. My next contract.

“Norah.” Gino’s eyes dance as he waves at her and flops into the padded boxes.

“I’m watching.” She grins widely at him and returns his greeting.

What in the hell am I going to do with Gino when I get back on the field? All the other guys with kids have wives or significant others who take on that responsibility. I straighten. It doesn’t matter how hard it is. I don’t need Sloane’s help.

“Gino, I’ve got another place for you to see. Are you ready?” Norah walks over to the storage cubby and grabs his boots and coat.

“I ready.” He runs to her at full speed, dodging another little boy on his way, and launches onto her legs.

“Bud, be careful.” I’m over to her before she tumbles to the ground, griping her upper arms and holding her to my side.

“Are you okay?” Her heat instantly curls around me, reminding me again how long it’s been since I’ve had sex. She smells like spicy vanilla. I take in her scent again and hold it in my lungs.

“I’m fine.” She glances up, and my heart thuds. The yearning to wrap both arms around her and kiss those plump lips until her toes curl drums through my veins. Her eyes drop to my lips as if she’s thinking the same thing. “Thank you.”

The moment is broken when she chuckles and shifts her attention to my son. “You pack a punch, slugger.”

“I sorry.” His bottom lip quivers.

As if she senses he’s upset and afraid he’ll get into trouble, she ruffles his hair. “Who knew you were so strong? Have you been eating spinach?”

“No….” He laughs and flexes his biceps as I drop my arm to my side to keep from making the situation more awkward than it already is. “I work out with Daddy.”

“You do a good job.”

Once he is seated on the red bench, which is designed like a sleigh, she helps him put on his boots.

The ease with which they’ve connected with each other makes my heart feel tight. It could be with anyone. It’s not her. I love seeing my son happy and content. The first few weeks when he came to live with me were tense and a clusterfuck.

When he yawns, I grab him under the armpits. “Come here.” I boost him up and settle him on my hip. “I need to bulk up.”

“No, you don’t.” He giggles but relaxes against me.

When he closes his eyes and lays his head on my shoulder on our way to the door, I fight the instinct to lace my fingers through Norah’s. Maybe it’s not anyone. Maybe it’s Norah.

With every step, I feel her presence–the graceful way she holds herself, the soft curves of her breasts as they lift and fall when she breathes, and the way her hips sway when she walks ahead of us.

“Later, Beth.” She beams at her friend, who we met on the way in.

“Bye, Norah.” The blonde woman smiles and waves. “Gabriel, you’ve got an adorable kid. Not only is he cute, but he’s also well-behaved.”

“Thanks.” That has nothing to do with me. He sighs and snuggles closer. Or maybe it does. For some reason, I don’t think Sloane watched him much while she was with Finn since he doesn’t like kids.

Once we’re outside, we walk in silence for several steps. “Do you want to take him back to the lodge?” She stops in mid-step. “We can go back and visit Read Between the Wines another time. I mean, you can go there with Marco and Eden sometime if you want.”

As Gino’s weight shifts against me, I shake my head. “No, I want to go.”

The desire to spend more time with her overwhelms me. It’s not just anyone–it is her. I’ve been around countless beautiful women in my life, but no one tugs at me like she does. What is it? Why am I attracted to her when there’s no point? She belongs here, and I have a team to get back to. But it doesn’t seem to matter, I can’t push these feelings away. I’ve been trying.

“Good.” Her mouth widens into a smile. “I think you’ll like it. They have books, wine, a seating area, and a section for kids to read books and do activities. I think Gino will like it when he wakes up.”

Ten minutes later, we’re seated on a sofa drinking glasses of sweet red wine as Gino lays along the edge of the cushion, pushing me closer to Norah, who’s seated sideways facing me and waves a golden blonde-haired woman over to us. She’s wearing a light blue sweater with a pink skirt.

“Gabriel, this is Ruby Olsen, the owner. Ruby, this is Gabriel, Marco’s brother.”

“Ah…. It’s nice to meet you.” She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear.

“You have a nice setup here.”

“Thank you.” She beams. “This place is my pride and joy. I always love seeing new customers giving us a shot. And our little slice of heaven can always use some new blood.”

“I’m only here for the holidays.”

“We’ll see.” She winks and takes a step back. “We tend to grow on people.”

Once she’s gone, Norah arches an eyebrow. “So, what do you really think?”

“It’s nice. I’ve seen places like this in the city. Actually….”

She arches an eyebrow. “You didn’t think we were sophisticated enough to pull it off?”

“I didn’t say that, but I’m surprised by the conveniences here. I saw some white truffles at the market yesterday.” I lay my arm along the edge of the cushion and angle my knee toward her.

The pull to get to know her better crashes down on me in a wave. To explain my past. To stay close to her. She’s attractive, but it’s more than that. She’s smart and different from the women I typically run into. She’s not obsessed with her looks. But she’s beautiful with or without make-up. She’s not looking for a hook-up with a player just to tell her friends about it. She’s wholesome. The kind of girl I wanted to settle down with when my football career was over.

But it’s not over. I should get up and leave because leading her on is irresponsible, making me no better than my ex.

Her eyes twinkle. “So, we’re not as backward as you thought?”

“This place is nicer than any other bookstore I’ve been inside. I also haven’t heard any strange banjo music when I’m driving around the corner on my way to the lodge.”

Her laughter curls my gut. “Funny, neither have I.”

“Thank you for giving me a chance. I know I was an ass when we first met, and you were under no obligation to be nice to me afterward.”

She takes a sip of wine. “What about my best friend being married to your brother?”

“Fine. You have an obligation.” That realization does nothing to make me feel better. I don’t want her to only hang out with me because of them. Or to be nice to me for them. I want her to feel the same magnetic pull to be with me, that’s getting stronger for me every time I see her.

“I’m teasing.” She sits down her drink on the coffee table and swats my arm. “Once you get past the asshole layer, you’re not half bad.”

“Thanks.” I grab her hand and squeeze it, letting it go before it feels awkward or forward.

But the quick inhalation of her breath causes my body to tighten. Keep the conversation going. Keep it light. She gnaws on her bottom lip.

I’m not sure how long I can keep that promise to myself. But this is where she lives, and I don’t want her to feel uncomfortable.

I take a drink of my wine and study the contents. “When I met Sloane, I was drunk. We’d just won our division championship game, and several of us went to a familiar nightclub in Miami. It’s one the guys went to a lot.” I set the drink down. “I rarely drank at the time and now even less. Sloane set her sights on one of the guys, me, or whoever else she could get.” I lick my lips and pause. Talking about how stupid I was, isn’t high on my list of fun activities but I need her to know.

“You don’t have to tell me.” She reaches over and pats the hand I have resting on my leg. This time, I lace my fingers through hers, and she doesn’t move.

“Yes.” I hold her gaze. “Yes, I do.”

“Okay.” Her eyes grow darker, and I fear I’m on the edge of doing something reckless. But this time, I’ve only drank half of a glass of wine.

“I have no doubt that she intended to get someone drunk and get pregnant. That night, I was the lucky one.” I laugh divisively. “And I did the right thing and married her. We barely knew each other, and that never changed. I was already obsessed with football, and she was enchanted with having and spending money. When I was traded to Kansas City, she said she didn’t want to move and uproot Gino. At least until the house sold. And I went without a fight. I was glad to be away from her. But I left Gino behind without a backward glance.”

“Don’t beat yourself up. You were placed in a bad situation, did the right thing, and you’re great with Gino now.”

“Thank you.” The earnestness in her eyes, paired with her praise, sends me spiraling further down the rabbit hole.

“I mean it.” She smiles and tilts her head, taking us both in. “He adores you.”

Fuck. I’m going to race down the rabbit hole. I stroke my thumb over her hand, causing her breath to quicken. A jolt of electricity goes straight to my dick. “My divorce hearing is in six weeks.” I lean forward almost on instinct, cutting the distance between us. Her eyes bore into mine.

“Daddy.” Gino scrambles to a seated position with wide eyes as he takes in his surroundings. “Where are we?”

Norah jerks her arm back, dislodging my hand, and clears her throat. “Gino, come with me. I want to show you the children’s book’s section.”

Thank you, Gino, for stopping me before I did something stupid. Again.