Page 9 of Taming You

We say goodbye, and I quickly change into a pair of jeans, a T-shirt, a hoodie, and knee-high boots, not sure how long I’ll be in the cold. I grab a peppermint mocha on my way, needing something to help wake me up. Caffeine has never really done the trick for me, but sugar does.

When I pull into the parking lot of the hockey rink Matt and Josh’s rec team plays at, it’s full. I manage to find a spot on the far side of the lot and make my way inside. I check my phone quickly and see he’s told me which of the rinks inside he’s at. I make my way through the building, taking in all the kids in their hockey gear and their very tired-looking parents bundled up and sitting either on the bleachers or standing at the boards. Every time I’ve been here, it’s been with Liv to watch one of the guys’ games. This is a whole different environment.

Rounding the corner, I see Matt dressed in his skates, pants, and a hoodie with Jayden strapped to his chest.

He smiles when he spots me. “Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes,” he says.

“You going to tell me why you dragged my ass out of bed at the ass crack of dawn?” I ask, a little grumpy about the situation.

He grips the back of his neck like he does when he’s nervous, one of those ticks you tend to pick up from people when you spend enough time with them. “So… I… Ummm… I coach this kids’ hockey team, and I need someone to watch Jayden. No one knows I coach, and you’re the only one that’s spent a ton of time with Jayden, and I really didn’t want to bother Liv when she has Cate, and I really, really didn’t want to drive all the way out to my parents’.” The look he gives me is pleading, and as much as I try and hold my resolve and say no because I’m not some on-call babysitter, I deflate and give in.

I reach my hands out, and he passes me Jayden before taking the baby carrier off and leaving it for me.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you. You really are a life saver,” he says, kissing my cheek before moving towards the ice.

“We’ll be talking about this afterwards, Matthew,” I call.

He gives me a solemn look and nods.

I watch as Matt calls the team to meet at centre ice. The kids look to be seven or eight, and I’m surprised by how well many of them move in skates. He runs them through some drills, and I take in how good he is with these kids. He takes the time to work one-on-one with some of the ones that are struggling.

I get the baby carrier secured on me and Jayden settled, pulling up a book on my phone. As I’m halfway through the first page, a man sits next to me.

“So, which one’s yours?” he asks, and I look over at him. He’s handsome, probably in his late thirties with dark-brown hair with a little salt and pepper around his temples. The smile he gives me is soft and inviting. The start of a dimple appears in his left cheek, obscured by a light dusting of stubble.

I smile. “None of them. I’m friends with the coach, I’m just babysitting for now.”

He nods. “I didn’t know Coach Carter had any kids,” he says.

I’m not sure what to say; it’s really not my place to go around spilling his secrets. Avoiding the whole story of what’s happened, I settle for, “Yup, this is his son.”

He runs his hands up his thighs, rubbing them on his jeans. My eyes can’t help but snag on the veins in his hands and arms as they move. Something about them has me wanting to feel them under my hands.

“So, you and Coach Carter...” he starts.

“Are friends,” I finish for him. “His sister is my best friend. I’m just helping him out this morning.”

He nods a few times, like he’s formulating a plan of some kind. We sit in silence until Matt dismisses the kids and one of the boys comes up to this mystery man. He taps him on the head, and the kid makes his way to the dressing room with the rest of the kids. Matt eyes me and the new guy before joining the kids.

We enjoy some small talk until his son is done.

As he gets up to leave, he turns to me. “I’d love to take you to dinner sometime,” he says, and I smile. It’s been a while since I’ve met a nice guy organically like this. All of my recent dates have been horrible online dating experiences.

“I’d love that.”

His grin widens. “Great.” He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a business card. “Here’s my card, my cell’s on there. Just shoot me a text, and we can make plans.”

I take the card from him, and our fingers graze. I immediately notice there’s no instant spark that has me wanting him to pull me into him, but maybe that’s something we can build over time. “Sounds like a date,” I say, and he leads his son out of the rink.

Watching them leave, I see Matt leaning against the wall outside the dressing room. His jaw looks tight as he stares at me. He pushes off the wall and walks towards me. “Going on a date with Dean Baxter?” His tone is on the edge of accusation and something else I can’t quite decipher.

“Yes. Do you have a problem with that?” I ask, really not liking the way he’s acting. He has no right to say who I can and can’t date, so what is the point in asking?

“Nope, just curious,” he grinds out.

“Good. Now can we circle back to you calling me to come babysit for you?”

He sits beside me and looks down at his son, who’s peacefully asleep in the carrier. I can’t help but to look down and take in the adorable little boy snuggled against my chest right now.

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