Page 15 of Rainbow Kisses

Brian went for the tried-and-true burger with a side of alfredo noodles and broccoli.

Maddy looked at him like she was seeing a new side of him, and he shrugged. “I start practice tomorrow with the team. I’ll burn it off in two hours.”

He wasn’t wrong, but it was obvious Maddy found this unusual behavior. Which made me wonder how much time she’d actually spent with Brian before he’d taken custody.

When Chrissy left again, I waited all of two seconds before asking him what he thought of my idea.

Shrugging, he sat back in his chair. “Honestly, we don’t have a lot of options so I’m open to whatever you suggest.”

Since I was used to my brothers and dad, who never failed to question anything I suggested, my shock must have shown on my face, because Brian’s grin grew, making my eyes widen even more.

“That’s it? You don’t have any questions?”

“No. I trust you, Rain. If you say this is the best option, then that’s what we go with.”

I didn’t honestly know what to say to that.

Brian put one hand on the table and started to drum his fingers. “So what else’s on that agenda of yours?”

Mentally going through the list I’d made, I picked an easy one. “I need your sizes for your uniform, but you can just text me those, and I’ll have them ready for you tomorrow. We have a home game Friday night, which is nice, so you don’t have to travel right away.”

He flashed a quick look at Maddy. “Gonna need to figure out something about those travel weekends.”

“Actually, I have a plan for that too, if it’s okay with you. Maddy can stay with Mom. My mom,” I added, when Maddylooked up at me with a question in her eyes. “My mom doesn’t go to the away games anymore.”

Maddy’s mouth flattened. “I don’t need a babysitter. I’ve been staying by myself for years.”

“Mads.” Brian’s quiet voice made Maddy’s head jerk around to him. “I need to know you’re okay when I’m gone. I’ll be away for two or three days at a time. I’m not leaving you by yourself that long.”

I could tell Maddy wanted to argue. And I had the sense that Maddy had been taking care of herself for so long she thought she was more capable than she should be at twelve.

Brian and Maddy stared at each other for several long seconds while I bit my tongue against the urge to say something. I wanted to tell her how wonderful my mom was, how she loved to have company and would make her feel like family. Luckily, I didn’t open my mouth and insert my foot, because I had a feeling Maddy wouldn’t appreciate the contrast with her own mom. Or the reminder that her mom wasn’t around.

Yeah, I was making assumptions, but I’m pretty sure I wasn’t wrong.

I didn’t want to stare at Maddy, so I kept my focus on Brian—and saw the absolute resolve in his expression. He wasn’t going to budge on this. And he shouldn’t. No matter what the conditions Maddy had been living in before, Brian wanted her to know he was taking care of her now. That was the kind of guy he was. The really good kind. My stupid heart fluttered.

“I can take care of myself.”

The stubbornness in that young voice reminded me of myself at Maddy’s age. I’d had two bossy older brothers constantly ordering me around. My mom had told me it was okay to do what I wanted to do, as long as I was safe and didn’t hurt anyone. She’d wanted me to be able to stick up for myself, but with two older brothers and my retired-military dad, I felt like I had toconstantly fight for my place as an independent person. Not as a little girl who needed protecting.

“I get that.” Brian nodded, his voice still calm. “But I need you to do this for me. Because I won’t be able to concentrate if all I keep thinking about is you all alone.”

Maddy’s mouth pressed into a taut line, and the silence stretched out between them for several long seconds before Maddy’s eyes rolled so hard I swore I heard them rattling.

“Fine. We can see how it goes.”

And now, I couldn’t keep my mouth shut any longer. “You don’t have to stay with my mom all the time. You can stay with me if you want. I mean, my place isn’t as big as my parents’, and I don’t have a hot tub, but I’ve got Wi-Fi and a TV, and I can cook. Kind of.”

That “kind of” was important because I didn’t cook a lot. And I didn’t cook as well as my mom, but I could make a mean mac and cheese.

Maddy gave me a look that implied she would be rolling her eyes at me if her uncle weren’t there. But Brian’s sly smile made my heart trip over itself. It was doing a lot of that tonight. Luckily, I thought I was doing a good job of hiding it, but I swore my bones wanted to melt into liquid with the warm and gooey feelings I had for him.

“Thanks,” he said. “We’ll figure something out by next weekend.”

“Of course. After that, the league has a few days off for the Christmas break, and then the games that next weekend are away but they’re not overnighters.” I turned to Maddy so she knew I wasn’t cutting her out of the conversation. “And if you’re interested, the town holds a winter festival at the beginning of February. The team does a lot of volunteering to help with setup and activities. We could always use an extra hand.”

Maddy shrugged, not meeting my gaze, arms crossed over her chest. “Not really my thing.”

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