Rush: The Season (Austin Arrows Book 1)(65)

“When’s your next home game?” Bianca asks Kingston, clearly not wanting details regarding the bathroom renovation.

“Thursday night,” he tells her. “Why, you wanna come watch me play?”

Bianca loves watching Kingston and Spencer play hockey almost as much as I do. I guess it runs in the family. Clearly Kingston’s family are hockey fanatics, too, since all three of the Rush brothers have gone pro.

“Can we, Mom?”

“We’ll see. Depends on how much of your science project you get completed.” I’m not sure how I feel about taking Bianca to another game just yet. The last one was without incident, but that doesn’t mean it’ll always be that way. Considering the publicity my pretend relationship with Kingston is getting, I don’t want my daughter to get caught in the crossfire.

“Her mom’s helping us. We’re doing one of the experiments today and the other one on Saturday.”

I’m tempted to ask Bianca if she could stay home this weekend and the two of us could go see a movie, but I know that is a cop-out. Bianca always looks forward to going to Gabby’s, and well, I’m simply going to have to suck it up and deal with the big goalie in the room. Maybe I really should start working on that bathroom.

Whatever I decide to do, it will need to keep my mind off Mount Rushmore and his magical fingers.

Don’t assume the score until the final buzzer sounds.

His words echo in my mind, reminding me once again of what happened between us last night.

I guess, technically, nothing happened between us; it was a little more one-sided than that. Okay, totally one-sided, as in what he did to me, thanks to my repeated begging, but still. Hell, he didn’t even kiss me, and I remember desperately wishing that he would.

“Earth to mom,” Bianca calls.

I blink the room into focus, realizing I’m staring at Kingston’s luscious mouth as he stands across from me on the opposite side of the breakfast bar.

“Sorry.”

“Gabby’s mom is here. I’m gonna go, ’kay?”

“All right.” I get to my feet. “Hug.”

Bianca wraps her arms around me and squeezes me tight. God, I love this kid.

“Love you, Mommy.”

“Love you, too, kiddo. If you need anything while you’re at Gabby’s, call my cell phone.”

“I will. Y’all behave yourselves.”

My face heats even though I know the words were innocent on Bianca’s part.

Unfortunately, at the moment, there is nothing innocent about my thoughts. Not when it comes to the goalie god gracing my kitchen.





Bianca

As soon as I climb in the backseat of Gabby’s mom’s minivan, my phone buzzes. I know it’s Gabby. She likes to text me on the way to school. Unlike my mom, her mom doesn’t seem to mind. When we do that with my mom around, she always takes our phones and insists we speak instead. She’s funny like that.

“Good morning, Bianca,” Mrs. Emmanuelle greets kindly.

“Good morning,” I reply, smiling at her reflection in the rearview mirror before turning my attention to my phone.

Gabby: Did anything exciting happen since I talked to you last?

Bianca: I went to sleep. Does that count?

Gabby: No.

Bianca: Okay… Hmm… Well, Kingston was there this morning when I woke up. I saw him sleeping on the couch, but he didn’t see me. He made me breakfast.

Gabby: OMG. Is he really dating your mom?

Bianca: That’s what they say, but I don’t think so.

I don’t know why I think that. At first, I thought they were dating. My mom even said they were. It’s kind of strange because I’ve heard it mentioned a few times, and someone said they heard it on the news, but I don’t think it’s real. Not completely real, anyway. I think they definitely like each other … a lot. But I’m not sure it’s what it looks like. If it was, would he really be sleeping on the couch?

Gabby: What if he is? What happens if your dad finds you? Won’t he be mad that your mom has a boyfriend?

The questions still confuse me. I’ve been trying to understand what Gabby means. I mean, yes, it sounds like it could happen. My dad won’t want to be around my mom if she has a boyfriend. But that’s only if he likes her. What if he only likes me? What if my dad doesn’t like my mom?

I frown. I hadn’t thought about that before.

While Gabby’s mom pulls into the parking lot of the school, I tuck my phone into my pocket and consider all this new information. I really don’t know what to do. It doesn’t look like my dad’s going to contact my mom. If he doesn’t, does that mean my mom will marry Kingston? I mean, I like Kingston. He’s fun to be around. He always does stuff with me, but … I can’t see him as my dad.

Or can I?





Kingston

The instant I hear the front door shut, I move around the bar to stand behind Ellie. She hasn’t sat down again, but I want her to eat her breakfast before she comes up with an excuse to send me on my way. I can practically see the wheels turning in her head, trying to come up with a polite way to make me leave.

I’m not leaving.

Not yet.

“How’s your head?” I ask, putting my hands on her shoulders and guiding her back to the barstool.