Page 74 of Defensive Zone

“Hello, Mr. Lockwood, I have Mr. and Miss Wilde here to see Mr. Reid,” Steve, the doorman, says.

“Okay, uh, send them up. Oh, and Steve? When Hayden Cassidy arrives, send him straight up. He should be here soon.”

“No problem, Mr. Lockwood.”

I hang up and turn to Zach, who hasn’t moved an inch. “Jackson’s here with Isabela.”

His brows furrow before he widens his eyes in realization. He looks down at his lap then jumps off the couch so fast, he’s a blur as he runs into the bedroom.

I tip my head back and laugh before I walk over to the freezer and open the door, allowing the cold air and mundane thoughts to deflate my cock.

Zach returns wearing jeans and a sheepish expression as there’s a knock on the door.

“That was close.” He lets out a relieved sigh and sits down on the couch.

I head toward the door, opening it to greet Jackson and his daughter Isabela on the other side. She’s bouncing on her toes, wearing a bright smile on her face as she clutches a piece of paper in her hands.

“Hey, I’m sorry for dropping by unannounced. Iz drew a picture for Zach at school and wanted to hand-deliver it herself,” Jackson says, stroking his hand over her head. “She didn’t want to wait until tomorrow.”

“Hey, no worries at all. Come in.” I open the door wider to let them in, and Isabela dashes inside, dumping her backpack on the floor before launching herself on the couch next to Zach in a fit of giggles.

“Isabela, this isn’t your home. You need to be more mindful of—” Jackson’s words cut off with a sigh as Isabela’s sneakers land haphazardly on the floor as she kicks them off. He leans down to pick up her backpack and her sneakers before sendingan apologetic look our way. “I’m sorry. It seems I’ve created a monster.”

Laughing, I wave it off. “It’s no problem. Can I get you a drink?”

“Coffee, please,” he pleads.

“No Ryan today?” I ask.

He shakes his head. “No, he’s gone over to his friend’s for dinner, so we’re having a daddy and daughter dinner, which I’m pretty sure will consist of hot dogs and fries.”

I snort. “Sounds like a great time.”

“This is for you.” Isabela grins up at Zach as she hands over the artwork.

My heart practically bursts from my chest at his gentle excitement toward her.

“Wow, Isabela, this is amazing! You really did this?”

She nods enthusiastically, a beaming smile on her face.

“Wow! You did such a good job. What’s this?” Zach asks her, pointing to something on the drawing.

“Daddy said you had a head boo-boo.” She stands up on the couch cushion and places her small hands on his head. “So, I made you into Mr. Bump.”

I hand Jackson his coffee and look over Zach’s shoulder at the drawing as I sit down next to him. It’s Zach dressed in his hockey gear, but instead of a helmet, he’s got bandages around his head and a speech bubble that reads “Ouch.”

“This is so awesome.” I chuckle. “We’ll have to hang it up.”

Isabela lets out an excited whoop, then climbs off the couch and runs to the floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook the lake.

“So, how’s your head today?” Jackson asks.

“It’s good. Saw Joe this morning for another round of acupuncture. I don’t know why I didn’t try it before, but it seems to be helping,” Zach replies, resting his hand on my thigh. “We’remeeting Hayden shortly to talk about what’s happening next season.”

I notice a quick flash of something I can’t decipher in Jackson’s eyes, but it disappears before I can get a read on it.

“Oh yeah? How do you feel about it?” Jackson asks me. “Think you’ll be heading back to Denver?”

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