Page 61 of Offside and Off-Limits
Benny grabs for it, his eyes wide. “This is the latest comic book! Mommy, did you see this?”
“I see it, Benny, and it’s so nice of Cade to let you read his,” I reply.
“This one’s for him. I’ll get another copy from Falling for Books tomorrow after the Drench for Defense,” he replies.
“Oh, no,” I say in protest. “Benny can just read it here. At the table, Benny, and be super careful with it. Okay?”
“Okay, Mommy,” he says absentmindedly, his nose already deep in the comic book pages as he slips onto one of Cade’s dining room chairs.
“Benny’s so lucky,” Hannah says with a sigh. She’s clearlyfishing, and I’m about to tell her off for doing so when Cade cuts in.
“Don’t worry, Hannah. I got something for everyone, plus I’ve got a lasagna in the oven for after.”
“Cade,” I warn, but it’s too late as he produces a sparkly blue figure skating dress for Hannah, whose eyes bulge at the sight of it.
“For me?” she asks eagerly.
“Well, I originally got it for me, but it was a size too small,” Cade says with a grin, and I can’t help but laugh, despite the fact he’s continuing to spoil my kids.
“Thank you! Can I go try it on, Mommy? Please?” she asks, tilting her excited little face my way.
“Of course you can,” I reply, but she’s already taking off through the living room.
“The bathroom is the second door on your right,” Cade calls after her, and next thing we hear is thethunkof a door closing.
“Cade, you shouldn’t have,” I say, but all he does is shrug.
“I wanted to. I got something for you, too.”
“Cade—”
“Let me do this, Triple, okay? Gift giving is my love language.”
Love language?At the mention of the “L” word, I clamp my mouth shut, my heart doing weird things in my chest.
Of course I don’t love Cade. I’ve only known him for a matter of weeks, and besides, he and I are so very different. He’s all flirty and charming and carefree, a guy at the top of his chosen career. Life might not be perfect for him, but he’s living it to its fullest, and making it look easy.
Me? I'm a single mom doing my best to raise two kids with only sporadic help from their father. I'm working hard to establish myself in a new job while navigating the complexity of an online relationship with someone I’m no longer sure I have feelings for. At the same time, I'm developing some serious feelingsfor someone much closer to home—the man whose kitchen I'm standing in right now.
I know I’m falling for him, but I also know he has the power to break my heart in two.
Then there’s the fact that he doesn’t have a non-fraternization clause in his contract, and if he did, he's probably not the kind of guy to give it a second thought. But I do, and that clause is enough reason for me to at leasttrykeep this thing between us platonic, even if he's worming his way into my affections more and more every day.
Before I got to see the real Cade, it was so much easier than this. Before, all I had to contend with was my physical attraction for the guy, which I could put down to the fact that he’s classically handsome and has this boyish charm and confident swagger that’s really quite disarming. That’s just surface level, aspects of a person that might attract you at the start but mean so much less as you get to know the real person. Who they are and what makes them tick. Their values. Their priorities. Their soul.
Now? Way harder. He’s still got all the good looks and boyish charm, but he’s so much more than just that. He’s got heart. Depth.
And he’s made his intentions toward me crystal clear.
“Here.” He pushes a pale pink box twice the size of a shoebox toward me.
I glance at him as I pull at the ribbon, my heart going all kinds of crazy. As I lift the lid, I see a pair of thick, cozy socks, a tube of expensive organic hand cream, a packet of organic chamomile tea, some lip balm, and a bottle of lavender oil.
“It's a care package because you mentioned that sometimes you find it hard to unwind after your busy days, and I know how important it is for people with chronic conditions to look after themselves, as Dr. Bernice reminded us all at this week’s support group.”
If I thought my heart was going all kinds of crazy before,that's nothing compared with what it's doing now. Handsome, athletic, charming, and capable of giving thoughtful gifts?
You are not playing fair, Universe.
