Page 127 of Ask Your Mom If I'm Real

“We want to go catch a few sales,” Noel said. “Neesha, you ready, darlin’?”

Neesha finished popping a chunk of turkey into her mouth.

“Go give your mama a hug, girly.” Jeremiah brushed his hand along her hair.

Anleigh took off like she was shot from a slingshot toward me, threw her arms around my legs, then ran back to her meal.

Jeremiah winked.

I left, shaking my head the whole time.

“What?” Ginger asked as we made our way down to Noel’s car.

“That.” I jerked my chin toward the apartment. “She’s never that open…or loud.”

“She’ll get there, honey,” Ginger said. “Especially with our big brother there to coax it out of her. He definitely inspires screaming.”

I laughed.

Then I spent the day with them, coming home just in time for Jeremiah to trade off Anleigh to me before he headed to practice.

And later that night, when he came in the door, Anleigh was asleep in her own bed, And I was splayed out in his.

His eyes gleamed as he closed and locked the apartment door and said, “Can I tell you how freakin’ exciting it is to know you’re here waiting for me?”

I sat up. “No. But now that I know, I’ll definitely celebrate with you any way you want to.”

He dropped his bag next to the door and stalked to me.

I squeaked when his cold skin met mine.

“Sounds like a fantastic plan.”

Chapter

Seventeen

A code that only parents will know:

G.Y.A.I.T.M.F.H.R.N.B.I.B.Y.A.?*

JEREMIAH

The first game back after the holidays usually sucked to me.

I never played well—then again, no one really did—and it felt like it dragged on and on.

In reality, it was always dragging.

I loved the game of hockey.

Truly, I did.

But my body couldn’t keep up with the demands of the job anymore.

If I wasn’t already sure that I wanted to retire, spending the last four days off with my two new favorite people would’ve cemented it in.

I wasn’t ready to admit it to anyone yet, but I was already feeling the itch to tell the coaches and management that I was retiring.

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