Page 10 of Delayed Penalty

“Sorry, Miss Quinn,” Flora offers quietly.

I grin. “That’s okay. I happen to agree with you. Mrs. Bess is the best, isn’t she?”

The little girl nods vigorously, the corners of her lips tipping up in a half-smile.

“Tell you what, I’ll make sure she gives youextracookies the next time you’re in.” I pat her head. “Now, you’d better get going, or that vein on your uncle’s forehead will pop.”

Said uncle’s brows dip closer together, but he doesn’t have a response to my comment. “Come on, Flora. We have to get going.”

She gives me one last look before returning to her uncle’s side, slipping her hand into his outstretched one. This time, I watch them leave, and I can’t help but smile at him tugging her along and her tripping after him.

Just before they turn the corner back toward George, he looks over his shoulder, his silver eyes clashing with mine.

I smile.

He frowns.

That’s when I hear it.

“I like her,” Flora tells him.

He looks down, and Iswearhis scowl deepens.

I like you too, Flora, I want to say.

But I don’t. Instead, I pop another piece of candy into my mouth, return to the cookies…and prepare for another evening of disappointing my parents.

CHAPTER 3

HAYES

“So, this whole kid thing…it’s the real deal, huh?”

I laugh, glancing over at Fox, our starting goalie, who is on the stationary bike next to mine, pedaling fast. “Considering she’s sitting in the room next door, yeah, I’d say it’s real.”

I was so keyed up after the incident at George’s that I needed an outlet. What’s a better way to blow off steam than hockey? So I texted the group chat and said I’d be at the rink for some quick puck and a training session, hoping like hell someone would take me up on it so I wouldn’t be here alone on a Saturday night like a loser. When I pulled into the parking lot with Flora in tow, I was relieved to find Fox waiting for me.

It’s not ideal to bring kids to the practice facility, but the staff have been making an exception given the circumstances. I’ve not exactly been a model player offthe ice over the years, so to see everyone be so accommodating has been surprising. Especially Coach Smith, who has allowed me to bring Flora to a few meetings. I think it’s because I was a Carolina Comet once upon a time, just like him, and that’s the sort of thing that bonds you for life.

Hockey is weird like that. The organization might seem big to those outside of it, but really, it’s small. Sure, we may battle on the ice on the regular, but otherwise? We’re one big family. I’m thankful for that as Flora sits in the adjacent lounge with a chapter book, snacks, and a tablet, which she never touches. I thought kids were addicted to the things, but leave it to my niece to be different about that, too.

I pedal harder just thinking of her and the heart attack she about gave me earlier by disappearing like that. It was like every fear I had about fucking things up with her was coming true right before my eyes. Then I rounded the corner and relief flooded through me until I realized the stranger she was talking to was trying to coax Flora to go with her.

Quinn.Bess’s mess of a daughter.

I’ve met her once before, and it was brief, but damn did she leave an impression—and not a good one. She not only managed to screw up my order but spilled it all over my shoes when handing me my replacement, and I swear she did it on purpose.

I won’t even get started on all the horror stories I’ve heard from her mother, like how she lost her roommate and hasn’t told her parents but she’s making up so many extravagant lies that Bess knows she moved out. Or how Bess is certain there’s something going on with her and her boss, and she’s worried Quinn will lose her job over it. There’s a whole gambit of things the girl is up to, and none of them are good. She seems like kind of a screwup.

A gorgeous screwup with a great ass, sure, but still a screwup. And while I don’t have much room to judge on that front because I was a wreck myself before Flora came along, that’s not me anymore. It can’t be. I have too much on the line now.

“I just…I can’t believe it. I never thoughtyou’dbe someone’s guardian,” Fox says, dragging me back to the present.

“Fuck, man, me either, but it’s happening. The lawyers filed for emergency guardianship with the season starting up, and we finalized it last week. My life is over.”

Or at least the carefree life I was living. I used to go out all the time, used to stay up way too late, used to care about three things—hockey, women, and seeing how fast I could drive without getting a ticket. Now I care about shit like school schedules, waking up at a decent hour, and making sure I’m on the straight andnarrow so I don’t leave Flora without a parent again. She deserves better than that.

“Come on now. Don’t be like that,” Fox says with a stern look, the Southern accent he typically hides well a little more noticeable today. “Having a kid doesn’t mean your life is over.”

---