Page 44 of Dirty Puck

In lieu of words, I smiled and pecked his cheek, then asked, “Didn’t you offer me pizza?”

He pulled his phone from his pocket, pressing a number that he apparently kept on speed dial. Since he seemed to have this down, I offered my arm to Char.

“I think we should get to know each other better.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” she replied, leading me to the den, where she dropped into what was clearly her chair. I took the sofa. “So you work together?”

“I clean the locker rooms at the arena. That’s where we met.”

“You seem to have a good head on your shoulders. I like that. The last woman he dated—and I’m not saying this because I’m a gossip, but because he’s my son and I love him. I want nothing more than for him to be happy.”

“Last woman?” I asked, confused. I’d never known Reece to date anyone regularly. This had to be before I’d gone to work at the arena.

“She ripped his heart out. Cheated on him with a teammate?—”

“Are you kidding me? I know all of his teammates. I’m friends with many of them. Now I’m disgusted.”

She shook her head vigorously. “No. He’s no longer on the team. Baker doesn’t talk about it much, but I tried so hard to like her before that happened. I really did, but she never once came to stay. They lived together. I was essentially her mother-in-law andifshe showed to visit with him, she insisted they stay at a swanky hotel in Arlington. My house wasn’t good enough. My food wasn’t good enough. Still, my son loved her, so I tried to be kind.”

“My mom died when I was seventeen. Senior year of high school. My dad lived across the country with his new family and wanted nothing to do with me. Your home reminds me of the house I grew up in. I couldn’t afford to stay there, so I unloaded everything I could and moved to Charleston. I’d never lived on my own before and was so scared. I lived in one of those cheap pay-by-the-week motels until I found the custodial job. Then I got my apartment. Claudia helped me in so many ways. She became my first friend in a strange city.”

“Oh, Bree.” She covered her mouth with her hand as tears welled in her eyes. “I’m sorry.”

“It is what it is. I didn’t tell you that for you to feel sorry for me. I told you because I want you to understand that home and family are everything to me. I thought I’d found that in Benny’s dad. He was great until we found out about Benny. He couldn’t handle being a dad, then when I found out about Benny’s issues, he turned completely rancid. But Claudia, she stayed by my side. She helped me in every way she could. Claudia and Benny are my family. It took me a long time to consider letting someone else in. I’m not a partier. I don’t own expensive things. I love cooking for people I care about. I enjoy game nights and seeing newplaces, even if the new place is across town from where we live.”

“Baker needs that in his life. All the partying and a different woman every weekend. I love him no matter what, but it needed to stop.”

I snickered because he’d said as much when he first made his proposition. “It took some persuasion to get me to agree to go out with him. Dating a woman with a son is very different than I think he was used to. I didn’t want him meeting Benny at first.”

“Because you didn’t need your sweet boy getting attached if my son weren’t sticking around,” she offered. Yes. And I felt like a horrible mother because her son wouldn’t be sticking around. I’d deal with that when it happened. For now, my son got the therapies he needed.

“He convinced me”—with money for my son— “to give this a chance. Baker’s a good man. I care a lot about him.” That wasn’t a lie. Thinking back on last few days, and all the things we’d done: running errands together, eating together, sleeping together, and we fucked like our fucking kept the world spinning on its axis. Caring for the man sort of came along for the ride.

“But you’re still scared to love him fully.”

She didn’t know the half of it. “We’re still pretty new. But I can promise you I’ll never cheat on him. If that’s worth something to you…” I shrugged. She smiled. “Where is he, by the way? How long does it take to order pizzas?”

Speak of the devil. Reece strolled into the den, looking way too good for his (or my) own good. Slightly disheveled, like he’d run his fingers through his hair, but always with an air of confidence and a soft swagger. I hated how my body reacted to his mere presence. I felt like it was written all over my face. But I guess that wasn’t so bad. It helped to sell this whole girlfriend thing to his mom.

“That boy of yours loves his books,” he said, voice warm, eyes soft.

And just like that,boom—putty. He turned me into putty ready for his very capable hands.

He didn’t have to do story time with Benny. He wasn’t performing. And yet, there he went, doing it anyway like it was the most natural thing in the world.

I smiled and patted the cushion beside me. “Come here.”

He dropped down, all broad shoulders and easy comfort, and I kissed him. Because I needed to. Because Ihadto.

As I curled into his side, his hand slid down to my thigh, fingers brushing absently over the fabric of my jumpsuit like he couldn’t not touch me.

“We ordering pizza or are you planning to seduce me on an empty stomach?” I whispered, teasing.

He chuckled, pulled out his phone, and tapped a receipt. “Already ordered,” he said louder. “Large pepperoni and mushroom for you and Benny, a veggie supreme for Miss Claudia and Ma, and a meat lover for me.”

My stomach rumbled on cue. “Keep up that saucy talk and see what you get.”

He grinned. “I’m winning hearts with carbs. It’s a strategy.”

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