Page 7 of Scoring Grey

“It did… The last few months have been a lot. Adler had his accident?—”

“Please tell me you’re not still holding that against me. Eloise, he’s my son. I’d never put him in danger.”

She shakes her head. “That day was hard for me for many reasons, Callum.” Her piercing blue eyes find mine. “I’ve never not trusted you with our son.”

“Are you sure about that?”

We don’t have any custody agreements. I’d never take him from her, and my hockey schedule puts me on the road for more than half the year. She’s never kept him from me until that accident.

“At the risk of sounding like a terrible mom, can we not talk about our son unless necessary?” She releases my hand and mumbles, “God, I can’t believe I just said that.”

My eyes widen. I can’t believe she’d, for one second, think I could possibly see her as anything other than the best mom a kid could have. Our son is lucky to have her. The only reason he isn’t here with us now is because her father and brother are watching him while we try to see if there’s a shot at us. “Eloise?—”

She holds up her hand. “No, I need you to hear me out. Maybe you’ll understand, and maybe you won’t, but at least you’ll know where I stand. I don’t want to talk about our son while I’m here because I didn’t come here for him, nor am I here because of him.”

God, I needed to hear those words. I’ve been thinking about them since she agreed to come here. It didn’t help that over the past two months, she had one excuse after the next to delay her arrival. A big part of me believed she came for him. Adler wants to see us all under the same roof as one big happy family.

Her eyes search mine, and she adds, “I want to see if there’s an us without him. He can’t be the glue.”

I know what she’s saying. We can’t be together for him. Staying for the wrong reasons will only end in hurt, and it’s not just our hearts that will feel the pain. But her doubt doesn’t sway me. I wouldn’t still be here waiting for her to see what I’ve known all along if I were. No one else has ever worked and never will because the right person already walked into her life. “I’d love to remind you how good we used to be.” I offer her my elbow to escort her out of the store. “Ready to eat?”

“I’m famished. Next time you leave me breakfast, make it a sandwich.”

“Ishould have known better than to allow you to pick the table.”

“What’s wrong with this table?” I ask as I remove my coat.

“It’s a circular booth in the back of the restaurant.”

“I’m aware.”

“Cal, I want to take things slow. I kind of thought I made that clear.”

Tongue in cheek, I try to bite back my smile when I realize where the direction of her thoughts has gone.

“I’m serious.” She swats my chest. “Why is that funny?”

“Because I didn’t choose this booth to try to sneak my hand down your pants. I chose it so as not to draw attention to myself. People know me here, blondie.” I adjust the bill on my baseball cap, pulling it over my eyes a little more.

“Right,” she emphasizes the T. “That was presumptuous of me. I don’t know this side of your world.”

I shrug. “It’s not too terrible. I wear a helmet and the picture the media shows on the TV is from last season, but I’d rather not draw any attention to myself when I’m trying to give it to someone else.”

“What can I get you guys to drink?” The waiter interrupts before quickly realizing who I am. “Oh, hey, Cal. The regular?”

“Yes, I’ll have my regular and an order of poutine as an appetizer and whatever the lady wants.”

“I’ll have a glass of Pinot, please. The brand doesn’t matter.” She holds her finger up. “Well, maybe not the cheapest.”

The waiter smiles. “Got it.”

He walks away, and she must take my gaze for something it’s not because she says, “What? I don’t need another headache. Cheap wines are usually good for that.”

“I want you to order whatever you want. If that’s the most expensive bottle in the house, so be it.”

She exaggerates her eye roll with a smile before saying, “I thought you were trying to lie low coming here and sitting in the back, yet the waiter knows you.”

“I am a bachelor, Eloise. This place has good food, and it’s only two blocks away. I tip well and take care of the staff with tickets since I’m a frequent visitor.”

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