Page 107 of Never In My Wildest Dreams

“You’re welcome.” He lifted the pan. “Hot chocolate?”

“I’ll pass, but we can save it for tonight. She’ll want it when we have a bonfire.” She reached for a storage container, poured the cocoa into it, and then sealed it. On her way to the fridge, she said, “You can ask me, you know. It’s a fair question given our situation. You’ll want to know who’s around your daughter.”

He didn’t have to ask what she meant. “Fine.” He knew. “Are you seeing someone?”

“No. I have enough on my plate. Dating Lorelei Calloway is a whole thing, and I don’t want to deal with it when I’m raising a two-year-old, you know? If I meet someone organically, maybe. But I’m not doing dating apps or getting set up. Not right now. What about you? Still the eternal bachelor?”

“Yep.” He was about to say,I like it that way, but somehow, looking into her bright blue eyes and at the mouth he’d both tasted and fucked, the words died on his tongue.

He brought the pan to the sink and filled it with water. When she came to rinse her hands, he said, “I hope you know if I’d known about her, I would’ve helped however you needed.”

“I do know that.”

“And we need to sit down and figure out my share of costs. Including back pay.”

She shot him a challenging look.

He held up a hand. “I know you don’t need the money, but Iamresponsible for half of everything—and will be sharing it going forward.”

She seemed irritated. “Look, thank you for bringing it up—I get that we have to lay it on the table, but I think you know it’s not necessary. I don’t want or need your money. That will never be an issue here, okay? So, let’s put that conversation to rest.” And there it was again, that crease between her eyebrows. “What we need to figure out is so much bigger and more important.”

Her gaze went to Stevie who was trying to chew a whole marshmallow. Her cheeks had puffed out, and she had one end of the big white powdery ball sticking out of her mouth.

They both laughed. “You don’t mind that she’s eating that crap for breakfast?”

“Not at all. I’m not weird about what she eats. For the most part, she’s got a healthy diet, but I’m not going to deny her the fun stuff. Especially when we’re celebrating.”

“All right, let’s do this.” A chair screeched as Noa and Ginty got up from the table. “Thank you for an amazing breakfast.” She turned to Hellcat. “We’re heading into town to try on tuxes and have a private cake tasting, so text me if you need us to pick anything up. And don’t forget my appointment with Knox tonight. She’s closing the boutique for me. You’re coming, right?”

“Wouldn’t miss it,” Hellcat said.

“We’ve got our list.” Her dad waved his sheet of paper and got up. “So, we’ll head out, too.”

Margot and Hellcat exchanged a look he couldn’t decipher, but the singer nodded, and Margot cupped the little girl’s head. “Would you like to go swimming at the lake with Colt?”

Stevie clapped her hands together and grinned with pure glee. “I get my simmy.” She raced out of the room, her little butt waggling.

He thought it was about the cutest thing he’d ever seen. “Simmy?” he asked.

“Swimsuit.” Hellcat watched her parents hurry after the little girl. Once everyone had gone, she said, “Now you and I get to do the fun stuff.”

“Why do I think you and I have different definitions of fun?”

“Getting twelve cabins ready for guests isn’t your idea of fun? Come on. My parents left all the supplies outside each door. Today, we’ll be making beds and setting up bathrooms.”

“Yeah, definitely different ideas,” he grumbled.

She reached into a big drawer and pulled out the same Velcro caps and balls they’d played with in his cabin. She tugged hers on and tossed him his. They ran outside tossing balls at each other’s heads.

And for the former hockey player, it was on.

ChapterTwenty-One

Lorelei’s mind kept wandering.She was in this gorgeous boutique, surrounded by the most stunning wedding gowns she’d ever seen, breathing in a scent so unique, so feminine, she wanted to buy it by the gallon...

And yet, she was still in that cabin.

Watching Slick race away from her.

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