Page 116 of Power Play

No, I told myself. No. Do not get your hopes up. It’s not him.

But I flipped the covers off the bed and Shrek and I hurtled out of bed, down the stairs and into the kitchen.

“There she is!” Ms. Rene said, turning from the stove with a frying pan full of pancakes.

“Kit!” Tess cried, her mouth blue from blueberries. “We’re going to go feed the fairies! They love blueberries as much as they love strawberries.”

I knew he was there, but I still couldn’t look at him. I couldn’t look at him and see him smiling casually.

I loved him so much. Too much.

“Kit,” he said, his voice was rich with laughter like my heartbreak was just so cute. “I have something for you.”

“What?” I asked, and unable to stop, I looked at him. So stupidly handsome in a golf shirt and a pair of khaki shorts. The sunshine from Calico Cove made his blonde hair blonder, his eyes prettier.

“A job!” Tess cried.

Of course it was a job. I gasped with pain. Like a knife had slipped deep into my gut.

“No,” Tess said, her smile dropping from her face. “It’s a good one. Tell her Liam.”

Liam got up from the table and walked around towards me. “I don’t want your job,” I hissed at him. I would have sworn I was cried out, but no, more scalding hot tears rushed to my eyes and I didn’t even have enough pride to stop them. “You should leave.”

“Come on, Tess,” Ms. Rene said. “Let’s go check on those fairies.” She walked by me and squeezed my hand. “Hear him out, honey.”

Ugh. Betrayal from all sides.

They left out the side door and I crossed my arms over Shrek and glared at him. The effect, I’m sure, ruined by my crying.

“So?” I said. “What’s your job?”

“It comes with benefits. A stipend for school.”

“No. You can leave.”

“Unconditional access to Tess.”

My breath broke. “Don’t be an asshole.” I missed her so much and he had to know that. “Using a kid to try and get me to work for you?”

“It comes with a house. Maybe a dog? That’s your call. It comes with a brother-in-law and a few unruly teammates. It comes with more kids. As many as you want. Bright clever girls like you and good-looking idiots like me.”

I gaped at him. Unsure of where he was going with this. But there were tears in his eyes too. He was crying.

“I’ve spent the last three days trying to fix my shit so you would hear me out.”

“Fix your shit?” I asked, because I was in shock.

“We’ve figured out custody of Tess, it’s not quite fifty-fifty because of the hockey season, but it’s way more than it was, and when I retire, we’ll get her more. I’ve started a college fund and child support. Oh, and I bought Dillons grandmas’ house in Calico Cove.”

“What?” I cried. “Why?”

“Because I couldn’t stand anyone else making memories in that house. It’s ours. Yours, mine and Tess’s.”

I was starting to hyperventilate.

“This job,” he said, reaching out for me. He grabbed my shoulders, cupped my face in his hands. “It comes with me. I love you. I’ve loved you since that night in Nashville.”

“Liam,” I breathed, unable to believe something so romantic.

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