Page 42 of One Steamy Pucking Meet Cute

But I find I have to stick very close to my big man and my little man. If I even separate by a little bit, I catch women or groups of women drifting toward him. I’ve already had to pull the move where I casually come up and slide my hand around Jake’s narrow waist like four times.

I notice a pretty blonde girl twirling her hair as she drifts closer to them and roll my eyes.

Jesus, Jake.

I move up behind him, wrap my arms around him, and kiss Walker’s chubby little hand. With satisfaction, I see the blonde pivot and act like she just randomly decided to head in another direction.

“Do you realize you’re a woman magnet?” I ask, tucking a hand in the back pocket of his jeans. I’ve never been a big PDA person, but I can’t help myself. His ass is a work of art, and it might not be humanly possible to look at it without touching it. So far, we’re touching each other almost like we’re an official couple. As much fun as it is, I wish I knew if it was part of the act or because we took a real step toward something last night.

“It’s the baby,” he says. “You know how guys use dogs to pick up women in parks or whatever? I never realized small babies had the same effect. Kind of backwards, though, if you think about it. Why would a newborn baby signal that a guy is available?”

“Good question. Maybe it’s just how hot you look being sweet with him. You’re really good at this, you know.”

Jake tenses a little. I wonder if I’m touching too close to that which must not be discussed.

“Sorry,” I say, not entirely sure what I’m apologizing for, but I know it’s something. “Um, did you know this place is 14 acres? Crazy, right? I read it on the brochure out front.”

Jake’s cheeks puff out as he lets a breath loose, eyes falling to his feet. “You don’t have to be sorry. It’s alright. I’m not mad, really. I honestly just haven’t wrapped my head around it all yet. It’s easier for me if we just keep doing what we were doing while I let it sink in. That’s all.”

I slip my arm around him and hug him from the side. “Take as much time as you need. We’re not going anywhere.” I cringe a little. I meant for that to come off as reassuring and supportive. Instead, it kind of sounded like a threat. “I mean, like, we’re… Ugh. I’m sorry.”

He chuckles. “Stop apologizing, Caroline. This is weird for all of us.” He lifts Walker up and points him toward me. Walker’s head lulls to the side, and drool dribbles from his lips. “Even me!” he says, raising the pitch of his voice and raising Walker’s hand as if the two-month-old baby just talked.

I burst out laughing. “You did not just do that.”

“Totally did.”

Some of the tension between us feels like it’s released after the brief conversation. I’m able to enjoy the aquarium more after that. We have to stop before lunch time so I can feed Walker, then Jake takes him into one of the family restrooms to change his diaper. It’s nice having a giant man to carry the heavy diaper bag and help alternate holding Walker. I’m used to toting it all around alone, and I can’t complain about a little help.

“Was Jesse annoyed?” I ask when we sit down with our lunch in the food court area of the aquarium. We’ve found a quiet corner to ourselves. “Andi said you’d already talked to him about our plans today and not to worry about it.”

“He didn’t mind. He said he would take Andi and Jude somewhere fun for the day. We’ve got team activities starting up in a few days, so it’s not like he’s got anywhere else to be.”

“I just feel a little bad. They literally flew to New York to babysit our kid for like… four hours. It’s kind of insane.”

“It is, but that’s the thing about teammates. The guys on the ice become like brothers. You know they’ll have your back, no matter what.”

“That’s what Jesse is always saying.”

He shrugs, pulling open the packaging on his sandwich. “He knows I’d do the same for him. We all would.” He sounds a little sad, and it breaks my heart. I can tell he’s thinking again about the guys all retiring.

“I’m sure you’ll stay close,” I say. “Even if you aren’t on the team anymore.”

Jake smiles a little too quickly. “Nah. It’s fine. I’m not worried about that.”

“Liar,” I say softly.

“It’s not like I don’t have other teammates. The rookies are great. There’s Rio, Bash, Castellano, and this new guy, Vlad. He’s hilarious. Picture Maddox, but from the Czech Republic, and he doesn’t realize none of his jokes or humor translate into English.”

“That sounds like… something. But I know you’re closest with the original guys.”

“Yeah,” Jake says, He plucks a chunk of his sandwich off and pops it into his mouth. “And now we’re lying to them about getting married. Great way to stay close just as we’re at risk of drifting apart, huh?”

“Jake… I don’t want my problems to mess up your friendships. If you’re worried about that, we can think of another way.” I don’t admit that the idea of backing out terrifies me. This plan is currently the only thing standing between me and losing the B&B. I know the people of Frosty Harbor will always have my back, but my job is more than just a job. It’s a legacy. It’s my mom. It’s everything to me.

“We got this,” he says, reaching across the table and squeezing my hand. He must see some kind of fear in my face because he’s back in the unshakable team captain mode. His eyes are firm and reassuring, his expression shows no hint of weakness. “I looked up some wedding planners, by the way. Do you want the honors of picking one, or should I just go for it?”

His words give me a temporary bout of vertigo. I try not to show it, smiling. “Um, wow. Yeah. I guess we’ll need one of those, won’t we? Maybe I can look over the list on the plane? Fake or not, we might as well make sure the wedding is done well, right?”

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