Page 21 of Saving You

She smiles like he’s given her the world’s best compliment, and I melt a little. Somehow, meeting this man has brought all these people who have embraced both Charlie and me and make her smile into our lives.

“Aunty Liv got matching nails too.”

Caleb arches a brow. “Did she? Now, isn’t that special?”

She nods vigorously. “Caleb, can you take me on the ice again? Please? It was so much fun last time.”

“If it’s okay with your mom, yeah, we can go on the ice again.”

Charlie looks at me and does her little pouty face she only pulls out when she really wants something. Caleb stands up and makes his way to my side.

“Yeah, you can go on the ice.” I look to Caleb. “Thanks, Officer Sutton.”

Caleb leans in close, his warm breath skates over my ear and goose bumps erupt across my skin. “If you don’t stop calling me Officer Sutton, I might have to take you over my knee to teach you a lesson,” he whispers.

A shiver runs through me and I know the moment he notices it because I feel and hear his sharp intake of breath.

“Do you like that idea, Bailey? Do you like the idea of me bending you over and spanking you?”

I make an almost imperceptible nod. He groans, and I squeeze my thighs together, trying to quench the growing ache between my legs.

“Woman, you’re testing my limits,” he says before taking two steps back, creating distance between us and calling to Charlie, “Let’s go, Little Bear.”

He’s been using this nickname with her and I’m not sure where he’s got it from, but every time it draws me into him more. He shows my daughter an affection I wish her own father would.

The two of them walk towards the rinks hand-in-hand, Charlie rambling on to him as he nods.

“He’s a good one,” a voice says beside me.

I turn and am met with deep blue eyes, the same shade as the Pacific. I know he’s one of Caleb’s friends, but I’m not entirely sure who he is.

He seems to recognize this and says, “I’m Grayson. I’ve been friends with Caleb for years, since before he did his first deployment.”

My eyes widen.

“He didn’t tell you he served, did he?”

I shake my head.

“I don’t know everything he went through over there. I’ve never really asked, and he doesn’t like to talk about it.” He sighs at the ground before looking at me again. “He’s been different since he’s been back, but I’ve never seen him smile as much as he has with your daughter. I just wanted you to know, he’s a good one. You can trust him.”

I nod and watch Grayson walk towards the rink with Josh and Liv’s brother as I stand here and try to process everything he just dropped on me. That along with the dirty whispering Caleb did before he walked away has my mind all over the place.

Olivia links her arm with mine, and we make our way to the bleachers. The girls talk as we wait for the start of the game, but I tune them out for the most part as everything tumbles in my mind.

When Charlie comes back from hanging out with Caleb, she practically ignores me, opting to hang out with the girls. I sit back, watching Charlie with them and the game. Every time Caleb is on the ice, Charlie is up and cheering for him. The girls all watch her with smiles, and she even gets smiles from some of the guys on the bench. The game moves quickly, and Caleb scores the game-winning goal. I watch as he skates and bends over picking up the puck and bringing it back to the bench to hand it to Charlie.

Excitement radiates off her before she even makes her way to me. She talks a mile a minute as she replays watching Caleb score and how she’s so happy he gave her the puck. The guys all come off the ice, and Josh is immediately at Olivia’s side, kissing her as she smiles at him.

“Burgers and fries upstairs?” she asks, and he nods. She looks around him at the other guys. “You guys joining us for dinner?” They all agree, and she says, “Text me your orders and I’ll take care of it.”

Charlie tugs on the sleeve of my jacket, and I look down at her. “Mommy, can we have dinner with Aunty Liv?”

Olivia joins in. “Yeah, Mommy, can you have dinner with Aunty Liv?”

Liv’s brother throws his head back and laughs. “Are you going to indulge your child’s every whim the way you seem to do with Charlotte here?”

A grin spreads across her face and a mischievous glint fills her eyes. “Nope, but it’s my right as an aunty to spoil and indulge. Just wait until you have kids. I will be the favourite aunt.”

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