Puck Daddy

“Why don’t we go to the pool? You’ve eaten over an hour ago now, and it’s better than being stuck in here watching boring old TV.”

I’m hoping for excited expressions, but Darcy just laughs. “It’s too cold outside. We want to watch TV.”

I sigh. “It’s not that bad. It’s warm here compared to Boston.”

She laughs again. “Anywhere is warmer than Boston. But, no, it’s too cold. We can’t go outside in the pool.”

I smile. “But they have an indoor pool. We can go there and have some fun. But if you guys want to stay in here, then that’s cool, too, I suppose.”

It takes ten minutes of deliberation for them to give me their final answer, but I could tell immediately that Ferguson wanted to go, and he has his shorts in his hand now, ready to go. It’s Darcy that over-contemplates it, trying to be the adult in this equation.

“Okay then, fine. Seeing as Ferguson’s so excited, let’s do it.” She sighs as if she can’t win. At least she’s reasonable and isn’t throwing a tantrum about not getting her way.

After a few more minutes, we’re ready and just about to head toward the elevators when I open the door and see Tristan standing on the other side.

He smiles. “Hi. Everything okay?”

I seem to be speechless whenever he’s around, so I just nod my head.

Darcy grins excitedly. “Daddy, we’re going to the pool.”

See, I knew she actually wanted to go.

Tristan side-steps out of the way. “That’s great. I was worried I abandoned you and that you’d be bored or something.”

Ferguson shakes his head. “Daddy, I’m going to swim like a fish!”

Tristan nods at him, but leans toward me, whispering, “He can’t swim.”

I give him a wry grin. “Darcy already warned me about that. I’ll make sure he’s safe.”

We lock eyes as I’m shutting the door. I can feel the heat between us again.

He’s so close to me. Too close.

Darcy bring us back to reality. “Dad, can you come with us?”

Tristan blinks, as though thinking about it, then shakes his head. “I would love to, but we have a meeting. I thought that before dinner, maybe we could meet up, then. And Faith can show me her moves.” He’s looking at me. “On the ice, I mean.”

Damn him and his cocky innuendo.

I nod my head, relieved he’s taking our deal seriously. In another way, though, I’m apprehensive. It’s been a long time since I donned a pair of skates. A long time.

“Sure, sounds good to me.” I say it a bit too enthusiastically. I’m fully aware that spending more time with him might be more than I bargained for, and that notion knots in my stomach tightly as well.

I grab both Ferguson and Darcy’s hands, and we head toward the elevators that’ll take us down to the pool. I’m sure that Tristan’s watching us walk away, and as I cast a glance over my shoulder and spot him, he’s smiling mischievously. I shouldn’t be so eager to get up close and personal with him later. But, so far, everything’s going as planned, and skating for the first time in a long time is something I find myself anticipating. Especially with him.

Chapter Eleven

Tristan

I don’t know what’s going on. The coach is talking, and the only thing I’m paying attention to is the fucking time. Counting down every minute until I get Faith on the ice.

This is insane. I don’t know the woman. I vowed never to be with another, and yet, she’s always on my mind.

I smile as I think about her in the pool in a sexy bikini. I doubt that’s what she’s wearing, being as modest as she is, but my mind has other plans. Shit, I wish I wasn’t in the conference room watching the last game Arizona played against Colorado. The footage is great, but I can’t concentrate on it.