Page 80 of Sin Bin

“Hmm.” Logan made a show of appraising the boy’s mouth. “Very impressive. You look like a hockey player.”

Cam looked delighted. “Really?”

“Yup. Have you ever seen Alex Ovechkin’s smile? That’s who yours reminds me of.”

The smile that lit up Cam’s face warmed the deepest recesses of Meadow’s soul.

“I’m gonna play hockey just like you and Ovi!” Cam announced excitedly.

“Yeah? You any good?”

“I will be if I work hard!”

“Atta boy. That’s the right attitude.” Logan grinned and tousled the boy’s curls. Then he stretched to his feet, smiling down at Meadow in a way that made her heart turn over.

“Hey,” he murmured. “You came back.”

She smiled teasingly. “Did you think I was gonna turn around and go back home?”

“I hoped you wouldn’t.” His twinkling eyes roamed over her face.

After more than eleven hours on the road, she knew she must look a hot mess. She probably didn’t smell too great either.

“What happened to your errands?” she asked him.

His smile softened. “They can wait.”

Damn if her toes didn’t curl inside her Vans sneakers.

Rosalie looked from one to the other and smiled knowingly. “Why don’t we move this little reunion inside before the local paparazzi show up?”

Meadow grinned wryly. “Good idea.”

As everyone headed into the house, Cam tugged excitedly on Logan’s arm. “I have your jersey! Can you sign it for me?”

Logan grinned down at him. “Sure, buddy.”

“Yay! It’s in my room—come on!”

Logan didn’t follow him. “Why don’t you bring it out to the living room?” He exchanged a brief look with Rosalie. It was a look that told her no adult male should be left unsupervised with a child he wasn’t related to.

Rosalie acknowledged the courtesy with a grateful nod and smile.

Meadow stared at Logan and wondered if, as a foster child, he’d been left alone with an adult who had hurt him. Was that one of the demons he was fighting? The trauma of sexual abuse?

Her heart twisted at the thought.

As Cam dashed off to get his hockey jersey, Rosalie offered Logan a cold beer.

He smiled. “Sounds good. Thank you, ma’am.”

His courtly manners nearly undid Rosalie. She beamed at him. “Make yourself comfortable. We’ll be right back.”

She ushered Meadow into the kitchen, passing her a bottle of water from the fridge before grabbing the beer for Logan.

Meadow unscrewed the cap on her water bottle and downed half the contents.

“You must be exhausted,” Rosalie said sympathetically.

---