Page 67 of Saving You

I hold her tighter. “I love you too, Little Bear.”

I continue to hold her for a minute before we pull apart and she gets settled with a few toys. When I see Liv, she smiles at me. Something on my face must give away how difficult the last few minutes have been for me because her smile drops and she waits at the edge of the hallway for me to join her.

“What’s wrong?” she asks ina hushed tone as I approach.

“She asked some hard questions about her dad,” I say, running a hand through my hair.

A look of sympathy crosses her face. “What’d she ask?”

“Why her dad doesn’t love them.”

Her hand goes to her chest, and heartbreak spreads across her face. “That poor girl.”

I nod. “Yeah, I told her I’m sure he loves her and that some people just don’t know how to show love, but I don’t know what else to say. I don’t want to overstep my boundaries. I’m just her mom’s boyfriend.”

Olivia reaches out and grips my forearm, squeezing it. “Don’t downplay your position in Charlie’s life, or Bailey’s. You may be Bailey’s boyfriend, but you have also become a safe space for those girls. They have not had it easy. You have provided them a place of safety. I know they aren’t just sitting around waiting for the ball to drop when it comes to you. That’s a huge thing when it comes to people in these situations. You’re doing great with them.”

I smile at her, appreciating her words.

Grayson calls my name and motions towards the dressing room, and I nod and him.

“Thanks, Liv, and thank you for hanging with Charlie during the game.”

“Of course, any reason to spend time with Charlie is a good one.”

Walking into the dressing room, I make my way towards my gear. I get dressed in silence, letting my thoughts run wild as I replay what Charlie and Liv said.

I wish you were my dad.

You have become a safe space for those girls.

Thankfully, the guys let me sit in my thoughts before we head to the ice. My head isn’t in the game. I miss passes and I don’t make the hits I usually would. At the start of the third, I notice Bailey sitting with Liv and Charlie. She smiles and waves,and I wave back. I feel a little more grounded being able to see her, but my thoughts are still in the clouds. We lose the game, 3-1, and I know that’s partly because of me, but I can’t muster the energy to care about it right now.

When we make it into the dressing room, the guys have decided to stop letting me brood.

“Okay, what gives?” Grayson says, dropping down beside me.

I sigh, and Josh and Matt join us. I lean against the wall and tilt my head back. “Charlie asked me why her dad doesn’t love them and then proceeded to say she wishes I was her dad.”

Silence. That’s all I get. I drop my chin and see the guys watching me.

“I thought you said she was your girl,” Mac says as he drops to the bench across from me.

I watch the guys as they tamper down their grins.

“She’s technically my girlfriend’s daughter,” I say.

He nods and leans down to undo his skates. He stops partway through and looks at me. "As someone who comes from a fucked up family, and if I'm right in assuming her dad has done some fucked up things, it's going to take her a lot to be able to trust new people who come into her life. If she trusts you, if she feels safe with you, you earned that. Don't take it for granted. Our parents can do some real damage to us."

I think that’s the most Mac has opened up to anyone on the team about his personal life, and I take his words to heart. He obviously knows what he’s talking about.

“When Liv tells me about her time with Charlie, she says Charlie only has great things to say about you. I think you just keep doing what you’re doing and see where things go. You obviously love and care for her. There is nothing anyone can do about the past,” Josh says.

“I do care for her,” I say, myvoice serious. “I would do anything for that little girl. I want to give her the world.”

“Not all families look the same,” Matt says. “Just love her and everything will fall into place.” He claps me on the shoulder and moves to his bag and strips out of his gear and Josh does the same.

“They’re lucky to have you,” Grayson says.

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