Page 19 of Balance

I plug in my phone and notice a missed message from Morgan.

Morgan:You watched? Next time I’ll make sure to play better.

Me:You’re funny. I thought you were amazing! The girls watched for about half an hour before I sent them off to bed. All has been quiet, except for my heart. That was an intense game.

Morgan:You ain’t seen nothing yet. Just wait until we’re all a few weeks in… maybe you can come to a game one night. Sit right on the ice. I’ll make sure to smack someone in the glass for you to gawk at.

Me:Sounds fun. But I don’t know when that will happen any time soon… I don’t want the girls to worry about not having either of us here.

Morgan:There you go, being perfect…

I frown at the message and tilt my head. Perfect? I don’t think there’s a hidden meaning there, but it still makes my heart speed up, making my stomach feel warm.

Me:Ha. You’re a comedian. I’m going to get some sleep. See you in the morning.

I set my phone on my nightstand after making sure it’s plugged in. I end up falling asleep before he gets home and don’t wake up until Nessa is crawling into bed with me at the crack of dawn.

“Morning, honey. What’s wrong?”

She curls around me and sighs. “Nothing. I just couldn’t sleep. I wanted to cuddle.” Within moments she’s softly snoring and I feel tears welling up in my eyes. How are these girls just so damn precious? I’ve never felt this kind of bond with children before.

Sure, I loved all of the kids I taught at Peachland, but this is just magical. Nothing short of magical.

I stay awake, basking in the comfort of having someone in my arms again. This sweet girl trusts me enough to crawl into bed with me just because she wanted to cuddle.

Someone softly knocks on the door and I continue to stare down at Nessa who is passed out. Eventually the door opens up and Morgan sticks his head in, his shoulders drop and he breathes out a relieved sigh.

He tiptoes closer with a soft smile on his face. He’s wearing a long-sleeved green shirt, gray sweatpants, and his hair is a mess, as if he just woke up. He still looks like he just walked off of a damn magazine shoot. It’s rude.

“I was checking her room because she was the only one not up… I…” He shakes his head. “Did she have a nightmare last night?”

I smile and shake my head. “She woke up about an hour ago and said she wanted a cuddle.”

He nods and steps away, not wanting to wake her up. “Well… Breakfast is ready.” He has a weird look on his face, then he turns, leaving us in here. I frown and try to roll away, wanting to see what’s going on with him. Should I have told Nessa to crawl into bed with her dad? Is he uncomfortable with this?

Nessa sits up and blinks her sleepy hazel eyes around the room. “I’m hungry.” She jumps out of my bed and speeds out of my room and down the hall like a shot. I chuckle and follow after her, following the sweet smell of pancakes.

I sit down at the island beside Avery and kiss her head when she leans in closer to me. “Ness used to come into my room early in the morning… I never told her not to come to me, sorry if she woke you up.” Oh this sweet girl. So damn much has been on her shoulders for someone so young. I’m too afraid to ask her how much she actually did for her sisters. She needs to heal and be a kid.

I smile at her and nudge her shoulder with my elbow. “No worries. You’re all allowed in my bed at any time.”

She nods and I glance over at Tilly to clean up her messy face. “My goodness, you sure seem excited about pancakes this morning.”

Morgan chuckles and passes me over a plate. My brows shoot up when I see all of the blueberries and strawberries on top. I also smell peanut butter. “I made yours a little different… I had some almond flour and didn’t use any sugar in yours.” He winks at me and pulls his own plate out of the oven.

I continue blinking at him, that was incredibly thoughtful. “Thank you.”

He nods and he settles down on the other side of Avery. “I have to be at the rink in about an hour for some weight training. What are your plans today?”

I shrug. “Not sure. I did promise the girls we could do something fun this weekend before you start traveling next week though.”

He grunts and glances around at his daughters. “Well? What should we do after I get home this afternoon?”

Avery wiggles in her seat and flutters her lashes at him. “What about that pizza place that has an arcade? Please? They even have a playplace for Tilly!”

He glances over at me with a cocked brow, so I send one right back. These are his kids, he knows what’s safe or not around here. He blows out a breath and shrugs. “Fine. I should be home around three, we’ll head out of here around four.” He stands up and collects the dirty plates. “Go wash up, girls. Lillian looks like she wants to watch a movie.”

I laugh and shake my head. “Nonsense. Go shower, you have to get ready to leave. I can take care of the dishes.”

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