Page 60 of Whiskey Wednesdays

Elodie met me at the door and pulled me into her bathroom. Connor could now do intricate braids and twists, so tonight I showed him how to do a rose braid bun. When he finished, Elodie’s hair was done up in a cute half-do, and there was a blooming rose styled from a braid at the base of her crown.

“My work here is done, young Padawan. You’re officially better than I am.” I stood back and admired it.

Elodie turned and looked at the back of her hair in the angled mirror, and gasped softly. “That’s so pretty.”

“Thanks, sweetheart.”

“It really is,” I agreed.

“Daddy, give her one, too.”

Connor gestured for me to stand in front of him. Then he styled my hair while Elodie chattered away, giving him encouragement and directions. It felt so good to have his hands in my hair, and the soft, almost erotic tug lulled me. When he finished, he angled the mirror so I could see what he’d created.

“Wow, it’s beautiful. You’re good.” I turned my head and admired the rose he’d fashioned in my hair from the loose braid.

He stared at me. “You are beautiful.”

My heart rolled over in my chest, and the butterflies came back.

We piled onto Elodie’s bed, and Connor grabbed a few books off her nightstand. I recognized some I used to read as a kid.

“We usually read two,” Connor told me. “I choose one and Elodie chooses the other. You can pick for me tonight.”

I read a book that had been one of my favorites about a dramatic little piglet named Olivia. Elodie giggled the whole way through.

She started drifting off during the second book, and Connor took out her braid, kissed her forehead, and tucked her in.

His large, scarred hands were gentle as he pulled the blanket up around her. We tiptoed out of the room.

In the hallway, he turned to me. “Do you want anything to drink? A glass of wine maybe?”

“No, I’m good.”

“Then let’s finish our talk so we can get to the good part.”

He took my hand and pulled me down the hall to the entertainment room. There was a large, deep couch that made a U shape around a massive TV mounted to the wall. A popcorn machine stood in the back corner with a strange clown head on top, and a pool table and pop-a-shot sat behind the couch. The room was bigger than my entire apartment.

Connor walked me to the couch and pulled me onto his lap. “Your dad mentioned you’re twenty-three. When’s your birthday?”

My heart sped up, and I had to concentrate on his question. “In March. Why?”

He watched me carefully. “I’m thirty-four.”

I patted his knee. “Good to know, old man.”

He grabbed my hand and bit my palm. “I’m also a possessive asshole when it comes to you. I don’t want other men looking at you.”

Rubbing my forehead against his shoulder, I sighed. “I don’t know what to do with that since I’m working with the hockey team, and one-half the population is male. Your past is way more crowded than mine.”

“When Elodie was born my life changed drastically. And so did that.” He palmed my thigh.

“Okay, if we’re being honest with each other, I hate that you’ve been with so many women. Have you had a girlfriend, or ever been monogamous before?”

“I’ve had two serious relationships. What else do you want to know?”

I folded my arms and asked the one question that had been haunting me. “Do you like me because Elodie does?”

“Yes.”

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