Page 164 of Cold As Ice

My mouth twitched. At least it was a damn sight better than Mr. Austins.

“Is Mommy okay?”

“I’m sure she’ll be fine. She’s just sleeping it off. Why don’t we make you breakfast and then we can make Mommy breakfast in bed?”

The guys would fall over laughing if they could see me now. Lakeshore U Lakers goalie Austin Hart playing domesticated families with his girl and her daughter.

My girl.

The thought streaked through me, heating my blood.

We hadn’t put a label on anything yet. But I wanted to. I wanted to make Madison mine and declare it for all the world to hear.

Jesus, I was in deep.

So fucking deep, I started opening cabinets and pulling out all the things I needed to make Imogen the best damn breakfast she’d ever had.

“What is all this stuffs?” she asked, her blonde brows bunching together.

“Breakfast things. We’ve got eggs and oatmeal,” I rummaged through the items. “Or I think there’s stuff to make pancakes.”

“I just has Cap’ns Crunch, silly.” Imogen rounded the breakfast counter and opened a low-level cabinet pulling out a box of cereal and a rather worn-looking princess fairy bowl. “Get the milks. Mommy doesn’t let me do the milk cos I spills it sometimes.”

Locating the carton of milk in the refrigerator, I helped Imogen up onto the stool and together, we covered her Cap’n Crunch in milk.

“Thanks, Austins.” She gave me a megawatt smile before diving in.

I made myself a coffee while she chatted about everything and nothing. The cereal became part of her story, her actions becoming more and more animated until she laughed so hard at her own joke cereal and milk sprayed across the counter.

“Oopsie.” She giggled some more, and I broke, laughing right along with her.

She was… Well, she was like no one I’d ever met. Which wasn’t saying much when my experience with kids was non-existent. But there was something special about her.

“What’s going on in here?”

We both looked over to find Madison leaning against the doorjamb.

“Mommy!” Imogen abandoned her cereal and leaped down off the stool, almost causing me a heart attack, and practically tackled her mom. “Is you feelings better?”

“I’m okay, baby.” She scooped Imogen up and carried her over to me. “What is all this?”

“Austins was going to makes me breakfast but wike I tolds him, I always has Cap’n Crunch.”

“Thank you,” she mouthed over Imogen’s head.

I gave her a small nod, unable to hide my smile.

“You sit and finish your cereal while I get myself a drink.”

“What do you want?” I asked. “Coffee?”

“No.” She ran a hand over her stomach. “I still feel a little bit delicate. Water and some crackers for now.”

“Sit, I’ve got it.” I had no problem finding a bottle of water and a packet of graham crackers. “Here,” I said.

“Thank you.”

“We were going to surprise you with breakfast in bed.”

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