Only One Regret (Only One 5)

"I can’t believe that the vacation is almost over," Karrie voices from next to me. "I already miss them."

I smile at her. "They miss you, too. You need to come down and visit more."

"Can I come stay with you?" Vivi sits up on one of the beds. "And you can introduce me to Mr. Wilson?" She winks at me, and I shake my head.

"Your brother will not be happy with that," I say to her, knowing he would never be happy with her dating, especially someone like Wilson. He’s known as the bad boy on and off the ice. He’s been suspended five times already for fighting and illegal hits. "But you are welcome to come any time you want."

"Really?" Franny sits up from the bed. "We were never invited." She chuckles out.

My eyebrows pinch together. "What are you talking about? My door is always open. You don’t even have to call," I invite, looking at both her and Vivi and then turning to Karrie and his aunts. "You were all always invited," I confirm, my heart pounding in my chest.

"Oh, I know your door is always open," Franny replies, getting up and coming over to us, sitting down on the sand beside my chair. "But Cooper’s door was sealed shut."

"Frances," Karrie scolds. "The girls."

"Oh, they don’t even know what I’m talking about," Franny says. "It’s not like I’m saying her name."

"Okay, well, just in case," I say. "It’s in the past, and he has a beautiful house with lots of extra rooms."

"The question is, who is he dating?" Zara says, and my back goes straight. Karrie’s head flips to look at Zara. "Candace said that he showed up at practice with a mark very close to his man parts." I swallow, and my mouth is suddenly dry.

"Reminds me of someone I know.” Karrie looks over at Allison.

"Can we please remember that people are here that don’t want to hear any of that?” Alex whines, getting up and looking at Allison. "I’m going to go inside."

"You put a mark next to Uncle Max’s junk?" Vivi asks, coming over and sitting down next to Franny.

"Your father threw your mother's vibrators in the middle of the street," Allison blurts out, and my mouth opens wide.

"Of course he did," Franny says, shaking her head. "He’s a caveman."

"I remember that," Vivienne says, laughing. "And then he cuffed you to the bed."

"He did not," Franny denies, and I can’t help but slap my leg and laugh.

"He did when she was going to go on vacation without him," Vivienne shares. "Four days as his sex slave."

"That’s illegal," Zoe gasps.

"And fucking gross," Franny says. "He showed up in LA and was like what are you guys doing here." She mimics Matthew, and we are all laughing.

"I didn’t know you guys would be here at this hotel." Vivi shakes her head.

"You guys weren’t saying that when he handed you his credit card," Karrie says to Franny and Vivi, who just shrug.

"Auntie Erika," Emma says, coming over. "Can you make us mermaid tails?"

"Of course I can." I get up and walk away from the girls and go to the side.

"Can I help?" Karrie asks, and I just smile at her.

"Of course you can," I reply as we work side by side to cover the girls’ legs.

"Those have to be the cutest little mermaids I’ve ever seen," Karrie coos, standing up. "We should take a picture." She runs over to her chair and grabs a picture of the girls, and then they break free from it.

"Do you want to go for a walk?" Karrie asks me, and I look at her, the knots in my stomach forming. The only thing going through my mind is that she knows I was the one who left a mark next to her son’s dick. "We are going for a walk," Karrie says. "Who wants to come with?”

“I’m going to take the girls into the house,” Franny informs us, picking up Mia. “And paint their nails.”

“Nothing crazy. Your brother did not like the black last time.” I remind them of when they came down the last time.

We turn and walk down the beach. “You are really good with them,” Karrie observes, and I look over at her, and I swear tears sting my eyes.

“They are good kids,” I respond honestly. “And I love them.” And their father, my head screams, but I don’t say it out loud.

“I wanted to talk with you,” Karrie says, and I look over at her when her voice cracks. She looks down at the sand as we walk, and I see her wipe away a tear. “I wanted to thank you,” she declares and finally looks over at me.

“For what?” I ask, not sure what to say at this point.

“For taking care of him,” she says, her smile filling her face, and tears running down her cheeks. I reach out and hold her hand.