Page 8 of The Perfect Snipe

“I see.” She straightens her spine, chin lifting a fraction. She adjusts the strap of her purse, and turns back to Cat. “I should be going. It was . . .nice . . .to meet you, Catharina.”

My mother says goodbye to the kids before she turns on her heels and strides out, posture rigid. Her shoes click sharply on the tile until the sound fades down the hall and the front door closes.

“Your mom’s a bitch.” Cat’s eyes go wide when Stella chuckles. “Mierda. Sorry, Leo. I shouldn’t have said that.”

I chuckle. “You’re not wrong.”

“Is Cat going to live here like Bella did?” Mason asks as he takes a banana from the basket on the kitchen island and immediately peels back the skin.

I nod, watching as he takes too large a bite. If there’s one flaw my son has, it’s that he shoves too much into his mouth without properly chewing, as if the food will disappear.

“Sweet. Come on, let me show you my room.” My daughter grabs Cat’s arm and pulls her along.

My son eyes me, pausing before he takes another bite. “You okay, Dad?”

Am I okay?

No.

But he doesn’t need to know that.

“Mason, you all right with Cat being here? With her helping out? I should’ve talked to you two about it first.”

“Yeah, Dad. She’s awesome.”

My shoulders relax at seeing his face light up. He really means what he says. My kids are comfortable. They feel safe. And ultimately that’s all I want because they’ll be spending a lot of time with Cat.

More than with me.

The thought grates on my nerves and my chest tightens, a lump forming in my throat. Balancing my career and fatherhood isn’t easy. I miss so much, more than I want too, and they’re growing up fast. Too fast. Soon enough, they won’t need me.

“Dad?”

“Yeah?”

“You sure you’re okay?”

I nod and walk over, giving my son a hug. Being away from them for a week is probably just catching up with me.

With Cat here, things will go back to normal. Or as normal as a professional hockey player’s life can get.

Chapter 4

Cat

I sit across from Nora at the expansive kitchen island, sunlight streaming through the large bay windows and gleaming off the polished beige granite countertops. My spoon pushes aside the colorful marshmallows floating in my bowl of Lucky Charms.

Nora smirks at me over her steaming mug of coffee. “Seriously, you still save them for the end?”

I shoot her a mischievous grin, tucking a stray lock of my unruly curls behind my ear. “Damn right.”

The fitted T-shirt I threw on this morning rides up slightly as I lean back in the cushioned barstool, exposing a strip of my midriff above my Wonder Woman pajama shorts. It's nice to have a lazy morning off while the guys have the kids out at their activities. Leo's been gone most of the week for away games, so he was eager to spend time reconnecting with Mason and Stella.

“How’s it going, living here?” Nora asks as she scans the immaculate, modern kitchen that looks straight out of a magazine spread. Sleek stainless steel appliances, gleaminghardwood floors, not a thing out of place. Her eyes linger on the state-of-the-art refrigerator, its surface so polished I can see our reflections in it.

“You see the house? It’s fucking awesome.” My voice echoes slightly in the spacious room, reminding me how different this is from my one bedroom apartment.

Nora raises an eyebrow at me. “But . . .?”

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