Page 65 of Suddenly Entwined

It’s time to stop avoiding the inevitable, I’m hungry and tired after our swim and Louisa is sure to be exhausted after a day at school and all this pool time.

“Say bye to Piper, Lou. Time to go girls.”

Sage sends me the most obvious wink in the world and I shake my head as we climb out. With every step closer to Berg, I cringe a little more. The swim skirt clings to my thighs as I resist the urge to pull the straps up higher on my shoulders yet again. Natalie and Louisa reach him first, hugging his legs, and scooping them up into a bear hug, even though they are soaked.

Chapter twenty-one

Berg

Ihustled through my afternoon, hoping I’d manage to see some of the girls' swimming lessons. Nobody has ever taken them to the pool but me, and even though I have every confidence in Carolina, there’s that anxious part of me that wants to check in. Sliding into a space behind the rows of plastic chairs in the parent viewing area, I scan the water for them. Natalie’s auburn hair is easy to spot where she’s doing a damn good job learning backstroke. A flash of colour on my left grabs my attention and I watch Lou in her hot pink suit, purple goggles secured to her face, climb a small set of stairs. And then I see Carolina. I have to press my palms together over my lips like I’m deep in prayer. What the actual hell is she wearing? It’s the most matronly, unflattering swimsuit I’ve ever seen. Is this what she thought she needed to wear for a kids swim lesson? Her curls arepiled up on her head, cheeks flushed as she pauses to let Natalie catch up to her and Lou. I fight back a wave of laughter, but it comes out in a snort, causing a pair of grandparents to twist in their seats and narrow their eyes in my direction. Even in that stupid suit, I’ve never liked her more.

None of them spot me, so I lean back against the wall, a smile playing across my lips as I watch Caro agree to more swimming.

Rookie move.

She won’t get out of there for an hour. I tell myself I’ll leave any minute, that I could beat them home and have a rare moment in a quiet house or even get a head start on supper and have a meal ready for Caro for a change. Hell, I could have an extra long shower…and after having her in my bedroom this morning while I wore nothing but a towel, I need it. Her admission about what she does in the shower runs through my brain about twelve times a day. But something about watching Carolina interact with my daughters has my feet stuck to the pool deck. She does her best to toss the girls into the air like they always beg me to do. They’re howling with laughter, scarcely coming up for air before diving back down to hunt for the pool rings Caro and another woman are throwing. There’s really no need for her to still be in there with them. Unless she’s truly enjoying spending time with them, and that really does something to me. Kids are a lot. My two spirited little girls, especially. And even though I love them to pieces, I know that not everyone will. It’s probably one of the reasons I’ve not pursued dating more seriously. Who wants to date somebody who only tolerates the people whomean the most to you in the world? But as attracted as I am to Caro, as much as I enjoy our evenings and our not-so-subtle flirtations, she’s not for me. She’s too young, and in my employ. Pursuing a woman who has nothing tying her down when I have a home, children, and a career in West Isle wouldn’t be fair. Go figure that when I find a woman who gets my blood pumping and also adores my daughters, I shouldn’t want her.

I’m sort of zoned out, lost in my thoughts when I realise my shirt is clinging to my sweaty lower back. I peel off my hoodie, sighing in relief as I feel the heat radiate off me, hastily tugging my shirt back down where it’s rolled up. Nobody needs to see that.

“Daddy! Daddy over heeeeere! Watch me!”

I register Louisa’s voice instantly, returning her enthusiastic wave. Caro’s gaze locks onto mine and mortification covers her face, sinking lower until the water laps at her collarbones. I’ve seen the woman butt naked but she’s playing shy at the pool? Fucking cute.

She rounds Nat and Lou up, managing to extract them from the water with surprising ease. Whenever I tell them it’s time to go they moan and carry on for ages.

I hug my girls, lifting them up even though warm water rolls down my arms. I press my lips together because Carolina’s bathing suit is even worse up close. It’s too big, the swim skirt drooping under the weight of the water.

“Berg,” Caro says, her voice clipped. “Did you come to join us for a swim?”

“Can’t,” I reply as I set the girls down. “Don’t have a suit.”

“That isn’t a problem atall,” she answers, skimming her hands down her body to emphasise her suit. “There’s a lost and found Berg.”

A lost and…

Oh, god.

I wrack my brain, trying to recall if I told her she needed to pack her own swimsuit. I told her where we kept the girls' goggles, where to find their bathing suits, what time they needed to arrive. My entire brain short circuited when I found her standing in my bedroom this morning.

“Shoot, Caro…I’m sorry.”

“You’re gonna be, Berg MacMillan.”

Another snort escaped my lips, and I’m ready to dodge a hit, but Caro bursts out laughing.

“This is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever worn in my life,” she wheezes.

The girls glance between us, not understanding.

I lean in closer, so only she can hear me.

“Caro,” I whisper, “I don’t want to alarm you. But I can see your kneecaps.”

Her mouth is open in silent laughter, and it’s such a pretty sight that I can’t stop with the jokes.

“We need to go, girls. We have to get Caro back to the nunnery before sunset.”

“What’s a nunnery?”

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