Page 62 of Offside and Off-Limits
And this isn’t just some generic bunch of flowers like Dwayne used to give me in the early days of our relationship. This is thoughtful, a gift he put time into. One that means so much to me.
“Cade, I…I don't know what to say.”
“Reserve your judgment until you look at what’s underneath,” he instructs, and I do as he says, lifting the items to reveal a soft, folded blanket in a pretty lemon color.
I run my hand over it, feeling its plushness, Cade’s thoughtfulness hitting me hard in the solar plexus.
“It's a weighted blanket. I got one for my mom a while back, and she said it really helps her feel calm and secure at night, which means she sleeps better. I thought you might like one.”
Sudden warmth spreads through my chest like sunlight breaking through clouds, and to my mortification, my eyes pool with tears, and I can barely catch my breath.
“Hey. What’s wrong?” Cade asks softly, stepping closer to me and placing his hand over mine.
I try to swallow the lump in my throat, sniffing back the unexpected—and definitely uninvited—tears. “It’s…it’s just—” I begin, the rawness in my voice catching me unaware. “You’re so thoughtful.” I look up into his eyes and see compassion and understanding.
“Sometimes we all need to be looked after, Triple.”
“I have people who look after me. Keira and Dan are amazing, and they help me with the kids and everything, and the Chronic Warriors? They give me so much support and practical help. So, I’m lucky. I’m really, really lucky. I don’t know why I’m feeling so emotional right now.” I’m babbling as I wipe away an errant tear that has slid down my cheek.
Cade places his big hands on either side of my arms, now so close to me I can breathe in his masculine scent. “You’re anamazing mom, you’re holding down a new full-time job that you’re killing at, and you’ve got to work with arrogant jocks like me.”
“You’re not an arrogant jock,” I reply, my voice only just above a whisper.
“You thought I was when we first met. No, wait. You thought I was a pedophile.”
I snort laugh and quickly cover my mouth with my hand.
“You’re doing great. Let somebody take care of you.” He lifts his lips in a small smile that makes his eyes twinkle. “And by ‘somebody’ you know I mean me, right?”
I let out a watery laugh, moving my hand to my chest where my heart is beating fast. “I figured.” I suck in a ragged breath. “You’re so not who I thought you were, Cade Lennox.”
He smiles down, and I feel every one of the extra inches he has on me. “I think you’ve already told me that.”
“You keep showing me, and I’m so grateful. Thank you for this. It means a lot.”
“Look, Clara, I—” he begins, only for Hannah to choose that very moment to come dancing into the room in her new sparkly dress, looking every inch the figure skating princess.
“Mommy! Mommy! Look at me!” she calls as she twirls and pirouettes across the living room floor.
“Very pretty, sweetheart,” I say, pulling back from Cade and clasping my hands together as I watch her.
I blink back my tears, but something has shifted inside me. Those tears were real, honest, brought on by Cade’s genuine thoughtfulness. This moment between us feels like something I'll carry with me, something I’ll turn over in my mind again and again.
I watch him grin at Hannah as she prances around the room, and the truth hits me like a physical blow. This isn't just about the gifts—though seeing him choose something perfect for both of my kids and for me does something dangerous to my heart. It’s watching him see us in a way Dwayne never bothered to.
There's the non-fraternization policy, sure. But that's not what has begun to terrify me. What terrifies me is remembering how Dwayne loved me and then walked away without a backward glance, leaving not just me but Hannah and Benny, too.
How he made both me and our kids feel disposable.
I can't do that to them again. I can't let them get attached to someone who might leave. And a rich, successful hockey player, a man adored by fans across the country, a man who has his pick of women, could so easily change his mind about us. Anyone with half a brain could tell me that.
But then I watch Cade crouch down to Hannah’s level, asking her to show him her best spin, and something inside me cracks open.
I'd convinced myself I was falling for Warrior, safe and distant, a man who could never really hurt us because he’d never really be here.
Only I was lying to myself.
Because standing here, watching Cade with my kids, feeling the echo of his hand on mine, I can't deny it anymore. The warmth spreading through my chest, the way my breath catches when he looks at me, the way everything in me reaches toward him despite every rational thought screaming at me to stop?
