Page 51 of Sworn to Protect

“I am, too,” Nick says, kicking his feet.

“I bet you are, buddy. Learning is always fun.”

Mackenzie presses her lips together to keep from smiling. She probably thinks I’m joking, but I was serious when I said I liked academics.

“You know, Liam’s too advanced for his league. He needs a bigger challenge. I should look into some year-round programs for him.”

Her head snaps up. “You’d do that?”

“Yeah. You’ve got enough on your plate. Let me take care of it.”

A flicker of something unreadable crosses her face before she smirks. My body reacts instantly. She has no idea how tempting sheis or how much I want to see that smirk in far less innocent situations.

“Mom. Mom.” Liam sprints over to us. “Toby told me all about a Pumpkin Festival. It has rides and games and everything! Can we go?”

“I want to go,” Nick pipes up. “Do they have penguins?”

Liam groans. “No, it’s not a zoo.”

“But I want to see penguins.”

I smother a laugh at their ridiculous argument. These kids are something else.

Liam turns to me. “Are you coming too?”

“When is it?” The words are out before I can stop them. Damn it. It shouldn’t matter when. But asking that question just proves what I already know—our time together has an expiration date.

“The weekend after our tournament.”

“Then it’s a date.”

Nick frowns. “Like what you had with Mommy?”

I choke at Nick’s words.

“Ew, Nick, that’s gross,” Liam protests.

“Is not.”

Mackenzie’s squeak makes me cringe. “Who told you we went on a date?”

“Grandma. She said you got all pretty for Nate. She said it was because you had a date. But Uncle Jordan was mad, but Grandma told him to lie down.”

“What?”

“No, she said to lay off.” Liam gives his head a frustrated shake. “She thought Uncle Jordan was ridiculous.”

My gaze strays to Mackenzie. Her face is a mix of mortification and something else. Something deeper.

I steer the conversation back to the festival. “Anyway, I’ll be there. We’ll have a great time.”

That earns me a round of cheers.

Liam tugs on my sleeve. “You’re coming to my birthday party, right? It’s in a few weeks.”

Liam’s steel-blue eyes peer up at me with eagerness. I would turn the world upside down to keep that look on his face. “Wouldn’t miss it. What do you want for a present?”

Liam’s face falls slightly. “Nothing. What I want no one can bring.”

---