Grinder (Seattle Sharks 1)

“What?” Helen asked, taking the kitten out of the box. “I figured she should have something warm and soft to remember me by.”

I turned to where Bailey had her securely in her arms. “Can I get a second alone with Helen, babe?”

She nodded and took Lettie far enough away that we had a semblance of privacy.

“First off, you’re anything but warm and soft.” I stepped in front of Lettie when Helen held the orange cat out to her retreating figure. “Second, if you knew a god damned thing about my daughter, you’d know that she’s deathly allergic to cats. She swells up like a balloon until she can’t breathe.”

Helen blinked. “Oh.”

“Yeah, oh. Maybe you would have known that if you’d been around, or if you bothered to know her. Get that fucking thing out of here.”

Helen put the cat in the box. “You don’t have to be such an asshole, Gage. How was I supposed to know that she’s allergic to cats? It was an honest mistake. Maybe I could give her a puppy?”

I scoffed. “Yeah, because we’re home enough for that. Jesus, Helen. Lettie travels with me when she can, because unlike you, I can’t stand to be away from her. She’s phenomenal, and you missed it. In that way, I feel sorry for you.”

“Gage, she’s the only child I’ll ever have. I signed your papers, but if you’ll just give me a chance…”

Well, we had that one thing in common—Lettie would be the only child I ever had, too. I’d never put another child through this kind of torture. “Then you should have stayed, or called, or tried to keep any form of contact with her. But you didn’t. You’re too selfish for parenthood, Helen.”

“Well you sure know how to ruin things, don’t you Gage. Did you ever stop to think that I’ve been thinking about this moment since I knew Seattle was on the schedule?” She arched an eyebrow at me.

“It takes a hockey schedule for you to think about her? I’m actually kind of speechless.”

“Well, that’s a first. Why do you think I left you? The constant griping. ‘I’ll never get my shoulder back,’ or ‘can you please change the baby, I only have one arm.’ Your incessant whining was what drove us apart. You were so lost in yourself that you completely ignored our relationship.”

I blinked. “Wow. Well, thanks for enlightening me. I figured you left me because my contract wasn’t a given and Adkins’ was. My bad.”

Her jaw dropped. “You’re an asshole!” she shouted.

“Well aware,” I replied.

Lettie’s tiny hand took mine. Shit. What had she heard?

“I’ve decided that I don’t like you,” Lettie said to Helen, her voice curious, but even. “You’re mean, and Bailey says I have to be nice to mean people because they need it the most, but I don’t like you. You’re not my friend. You’re not my daddy’s friend or my Bailey’s friend, so you shouldn’t be at my party. You make people sad.”

Helen stared at our daughter, paling. “But...don’t you want to get to know me?”

Lettie looked at her long and hard. “You left...and your face doesn’t move when you talk. That’s enough. But thank you for coming to my party.” She annunciated every word as clearly as possible, with a great deal of thought.

And she remembered her manners. Hot damn.

Her little hand squeezed mine tightly, and when I offered my arms, she took them. I lifted her against my chest.

“You’re just like your daddy,” Helen said, sadness radiating from her eyes.

“He’s a badass,” Lettie said with a nod.

I didn’t bother correcting her.

Helen’s face became tight and she forced a smile. “Well, it was nice to see you again, Scarlett. Happy birthday.”

“Thank you,” she tucked her head into my neck and I leaned my head against hers.

Helen pursed her lips, but turned on her heel and left.

Just like that, and I could breathe, could finally take in my first lungful of untainted air since she’d told me she was pregnant. I wasn’t tied to her, and Lettie was free...and mine. Only mine.

“My Bailey!” Lettie said and raced over to see where Bailey was face painting.

Maybe she was Bailey’s too, but that was okay. I liked sharing with Bailey.

My feeling of euphoria lasted through the party, despite the mess of my back yard. I had my daughter free and clear, I had Bailey in my life and my bed, and my starting spot back. Even my hand wasn’t as bad as I’d originally thought yesterday.

“Gage?” Mom called out. “We ran out of ketchup for the burgers. Would you mind grabbing some out of the fridge?”

“Not at all,” I said, kissing her cheek.

“What was that for?” She asked.

“For taking care of me when I needed it most,” I answered. I made my way up the stairs, and into the house, where I saw the manilla folder on the dining room table sitting next to a magic marker.

There it was, my freedom.

I picked it up, but the envelope was lighter than it should have been. Panic bloomed in my chest as I turned the envelope over to see two words in dark black magic marker.

“Fuck you.”

The envelope was empty.

She’d taken the papers with her.

Damn it.

Chapter 12

Bailey

The stadium was packed, and despite it being a home game, there was way more red and white jerseys than I liked.

Lettie sat on my lap, twirling a lock of my hair around her tiny finger as her eyes stayed anxiously glued to her daddy on the ice. She didn’t realize how this was the game of the season we’d all been dreading but from the quiet that had settled over her, I knew she could feel the tension.

My muscles were in knots—they had been since Helen had walked in on Lettie’s birthday party with that asshole Adkins. God, I thought Gage would’ve annihilated him if he’d ever set foot on his property, but he’d shocked the hell out of me by showing incredible restraint.

He had done a lot of that lately, shocking me. First, by the number of orgasms he could hand out like candy. Second, the mere fact that he’d crossed that line between us anyway, and lastly, the way he’d reacted to the situation afterward.