Page 55 of Perfect Playbook

Logan has been respectfully quiet for most of the tour, allowing me to ask questions, but he just can’t resist his ownpitch to Nino in an effort to focus on the positives. “Did you see the two hockey rinks? I had a frozen pond growing up. This place would have been a dream for me.”

Kaylin has mostly avoided eye contact with my insanely hot, famous husband, but she allows herself a bashful glance, almost blushing at his humility. He’s oblivious because Logan doesn’t take much notice of admiration.It must be nice to get so much you can take it for granted.

Logan continues. “You have a special gift to grow, Nino. This sure looks like a sunny spot to me.”

Nino gazes up at him. There’s something in his expression I only see when he’s speaking with my dad or my brothers. Affinity. My son is young, but he’s fully aware of his boy-ness and reiterates frequently how he thinks makeup is for clowns. Once he learned what a period was by walking in on me in the bathroom. He now tells me how glad he is to never have one, every time I buy tampons at the SuperMart, typically right when the checkout person scans them.

Nino and I are bonded, truly close, but he also knows we’re different.

He’s a boy. Logan is a man. And they’re having a moment.

Kaylin interrupts the affectionate exchange, not picking up on the significance. “Mr. Hunter, it would have been an honor to have you as an alum, too. I’m sure the hockey team would love to get your skates on that ice.”

She’s being nice. Not flirting. But I don’t like it anyway.

Logan doesn’t reply to her. He still only has eyes for my son. “What do you say?”

“About hockey?” Antonio scrunches his nose, unsure. “You think I should try hockey? I play football.” He gazes up at Kaylin briefly. “Known as soccer only to Americans.”

Logan crouches to be on a level with Antonio and grabshis little hands. “Yeah, I mean, getting you a pair of skates would be awesome, but I’m talking about the school. It’s pretty incredible, isn’t it? I can really see you having a great time here. Learning lots and never being bored.”

My heart pangs seeing Logan be such a… dad. That’s not his position in all of this. This is my job.

I slide up next to Nino and crouch as well, taking one of his hands from Logan. I search for something equally as encouraging to say, but when I gaze into my Nino’s big brown eyes, I see it. A flicker of excitement. A desire for this new adventure. No. I don’t need to convince him this is the place for him.

“You like this school?” I smile.

“It’s really cool. But really big.”

“It is big.” Instead of saying, but there will always be people to help you, I wait for Nino to say more. He’s heard enough adult voices, it’s time we heard his.

He considers for a beat. “But the library is huge. And they have lots of pianos and…” He glances at Logan with a smile. “I could try hockey if a coach will help me.”

I watch my son exchange another man moment with Logan, perhaps trying to please him. I thought I’d have until Nino’s teen years before he really needed a father figure. But something is starting to happen here between Logan and my son, and I know it’s a good thing, but apprehension buzzes through my veins nonetheless. He’s better at being Nino’s friend than I thought he’d be.

Nino grins from ear to ear and asks me, “You two really want me to go to this school, huh?”

Logan doesn’t answer, glancing at me for guidance. But before I do, Nino laughs.

“I wanted to come here before we got in the car. I watched the campus tour on YouTube.”

Logan and I gaze at each other. Soft laughs leave our lips. A shared relief passes in the mere inches between us, along with something else. Is it appreciation? Is it triumph? I can’t tell, but whatever it is, it washes over me with the warmest sensation. This is going well. We’re getting along great. Almost too great, especially when I know that later today part two of the day’s plan will unfold.

Logan is playing his part, and soon, I’ll have to play mine.

Our first public kiss.

In less than one hour, his lips will be on mine. Mine will be on his. Our bodies will touch. His hands will hold me. And I will try like hell to erase the memory of his body in bed this morning. I swallow hard, thinking about how he reached over the pillow for me last night, infusing me with that special touch of his, and then I woke up weak in the knees for the man, circling my clit in the shower like some teenager.

I recite about twenty thousand prayers in my head all the way to the hockey arena in hopes of getting some help fromEl Señor.

Our Father, lead us not into temptation…

Chapter Nineteen

I doa good job occupying myself with normal driver activities nearly the whole way to the Scorpions’ arena. I pretend to concentrate on directions, fiddle with the sun visor, and change the radio station to look as though the car is very, very important to me.

Thankfully, Nino can’t stop talking about his new school, or at all, because of the excitement it’s all caused, so my passenger has had plenty of entertainment without me, and the latest conversation takes my mind off kissing Logan for twenty minutes as well.

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