Page 73 of The Only Goal

He gets to the edge of the rink, and Casey picks him up, nestling him on his hip and skating around the sides. Kai squeals and clings tight as Casey builds up speed, laughing at Kai’s reaction.

“Pierce! Get that kid off the ice!” Fisher shouts at him.

“Just one more lap, Coach.” Casey raises his arm and flies around the rink for a final round, ice spraying off his skates when he comes to an abrupt stop next to me.

Kai’s laughing, his eyes sparkling like he’s never had so much fun in his life.

“Did you like that?” Casey ignores Coach Fisher’s fuming and grins at Kai.

The little guy bobs his head, then wraps his arms around Casey’s neck in a hug that must be his form of thank you.

Casey grins at me over his shoulder, patting his back before handing him over to me. I grab him, throwing him over my shoulder and scoring a bunch of new squeals as I spin him around, then walk him out of the arena.

Like Casey, I ignore Coach Fisher’s glares. The guy must only be a year or two older than me, so I don’t find it that intimidating, although the good boy in me does hustle to get out the doors. It was a privilege to even come to this practice, and the only reason I got in is because the head coach likes me. He’s always loyal to his players—past and present.

“Can we go again?” Kai asks me when I tip him back, resting him on my hip and walking him to the car.

“Not sure we’ll be allowed. That was a special treat. But…” I bounce him on my hip. “You can come to my practices anytime you want. I’m sure your mom won’t mind.”

Kai nods thoughtfully.

“You know…” I stop by the car and hand him the keys so he can press the button to unlock it. “Once your skating gets better, maybe you can join my Mini Mite team.”

“Really?” His eyes bulge wide, his small mouth popping open.

“Yeah, totally. If you’re into that idea, maybe we can go skating tomorrow, get your practice up.”

He nods, then swallows like he’s a little nervous.

I smile at him, placing him on the ground so he can climb into the car on his own. He buckles his booster seat, and I check that it’s secure before sliding behind the wheel. I catch his eye in the rearview mirror. “You’re gonna be a great skater, Kai. It’s all about confidence and time on the ice. As you get better, your confidence grows, and then you can do even more. You’re gonna be awesome.”

He grins at me, then bites his bottom lip, looking out the window and humming to himself as we drive back to Ponderosa.

I’ve never felt more like a dad in my life. And shit, it’s a great feeling.

Too bad he’s not my kid.

I glance in the rearview mirror again, the thought sitting like an ugly weight in my chest.

He’s not mine.

But, oh man, I wish he was.

CHAPTER 35

TAMMY

By the time the boys get home, the game of Truth or Dare is over—thank goodness. Although, it was kind of fun to learn that Lina’s goal when she was six was to become the first female POTUS, and Rachel used to write love letters to her eighth-grade teacher and hide them under her bed.

“What? He was the first male teacher I’d ever had. He was so dreamy.”

Caroline’s big truth came out, and we all fell over in hysterics when she told us how she once bought her parents “special” brownies from a guy on the street.

“I was like sixteen, and I had no idea why he was selling these cakes. I didn’t even know what ‘special’ brownies were, and they smelled delicious. He said it was a secret, magical recipe. It was Dad’s birthday, so…” She shook her head and snorted. “He got so high.”

Jolie giggled. “Was that the night he did that really weird sermon at the youth event?”

Caroline snorted and started nodding.

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