Only One Regret (Only One 5)

I look over at her and smile. "Really?" One eyebrow goes up. "All of them?" Not reminding her of two nights ago when Dylan thought our house was his and he tried to break in and then was yelling Mom and Dad, scaring the shit out of us. It didn’t help that we were both naked, and I had to run downstairs and drag him inside to keep him from yelling.

"Yes." She folds her arms over her chest. "Even those two." She shakes her head. "I thought Max was going to kill him when he called him in the middle of the night. After he fell asleep on the couch." She shakes her head. We told Max it would be okay if he stayed, but he came over and threw water on him. I think he enjoyed it more than he should have. "I swear, if they are anything like that during the season …"

I laugh. "You know they won’t be. Max and Justin will have their asses served to you on a platter."

"I should have gotten that in writing," she says, and I reach out my hand for hers. She smiles and holds out her hand for me. Even though I’m happy to be going home, I’m going to miss being with her all the time. "Your sisters want to come and visit," she shares, and I shrug, not caring. "Franny wants an introduction to Wilson." I shake my head.

"Not a chance in hell," I snort, laughing. "He showed up at my divorce party with two girls."

"Maybe he brought one as a gift," she jokes, laughing, and all I can do is stare at her and take in her beauty.

"Why the hell would she want to meet him?" I ask, and she smirks.

"The whole bad-boy persona," she replies, and I just look at her.

"Introducing them is like me throwing her to the wolves. Can you even imagine what my father would do to me?" I shake my head, thinking about it. "He would kill me." She laughs, thinking I’m joking, but I know he would not be okay with that union. "When do you go back to work?" I ask.

She closes her eyes and lets out a deep sigh. "Three days," she says when the flight attendant comes over and places water down for us and then a basket of snacks for the girls. "When do you start training?"

"Tomorrow morning, I should start some cardio," I note, grabbing the basket before Mia pulls it down on her. She grabs the bag of chips, and then I hold it out for Emma, who grabs the cookies. "But in three days, I start ice training with AJ," I say of my off-season trainer. I started using him when I got to town, and as soon as July comes, I start training with him to get ready for the season. He is always challenging me, which is what I look forward to.

"Daddy," Emma says, and I look over at her. "Are we going to Mommy’s house?"

"Yes," I answer softly. "And I’m going to miss you so much."

"It’s okay, Daddy," Mia says. "Auntie Erika can stay with you."

I laugh. "Maybe she can." Erika shakes her head.

We land, and when we get up, I kiss her on the lips. We both look to see if the girls are watching us, and luckily, they aren’t. She wipes the lip gloss off my lips, and I walk out after her with Mia in my arms.

I load the bags while Erika puts the kids in their seats, and when she closes the door, I shut the trunk. "You are dropping me off first," she says, getting on her tippy-toes and kissing my chin and I glare at her, and she laughs. "You go home, unpack, get the girls settled, and then call me."

"Call you," I say when she walks away from me. "Call you." I shake my head.

"It’s this thing where you pick up a phone, and you call the person. When they answer, you say hi," she jokes, getting into the SUV, and I get into the SUV with her.

When we pull up to her street, I already have this weird feeling in my chest, and I don’t really know what to do about it or what to say. I pull into her driveway, and she turns and looks at the girls. "I’m home," she tells them, getting out and then opening the back door to kiss Mia and then walking around the other side to kiss Emma. I grab her bag out of the trunk, and she stands in front of me. My heart beats irregularly when she hugs my waist. "Call me after you drop off the girls." I hug her tighter than I have the past two weeks. I kiss her lips softly, pushing her hair back from her face. "See you later, kid," she says, winking at me and then grabbing her bag and rolling it away from me.