Page 8 of Risky Game

“Oh… well, that’s…” Rude? Horrible? I wasn’t sure how to respond.

“Not all her fault. To be honest, I wasn’t a great husband the last couple of years, but I guess I’d figured since we had Amelia, that she wouldn’t want the family to be separated. That was my bad.”

A man who took responsibility was weird. A man who knew he didn’t have a good marriage but assumed the woman would always stay with him? I couldn’t say that was all too surprising. My thoughts must have been printed across my face in bold, large font because Logan smirked.

“Yeah, trust me. That was a pretty dumbass thing to think. Anyway, Vanessa and I had a custody agreement, a plan. She got Amelia during the season, I got her on holidays and, in the off-season, I’ll move back to California to be closer so we can share as much equal time as possible. Last week, she decided to change that.”

“She doesn’t want her daughter?” I couldn’t help the judgment that seeped through my tone. It was too close to home, a dagger to the heart.

Logan scowled. “She’s decided to go on an extended European vacation. Last-minute offer she can’t refuse.”

“Oh.” I sat back on the couch, trying to wipe away the total judgmental thoughts I was having. What kind of mother left her children for months on end… I mean, outside my own.

“Obviously, it’s a surprise to me. She’ll be here Monday, and I’m starting the season. With coaching and it being my first year, I’m under a ton of stress. But I love Amelia, so obviously I’ll do whatever I can, but, well, you know how hectic our schedules can be during the season.”

He said it like I should. And yeah, obviously I knew they traveled and were busy. But hectic? Molly had always seemed to take it in stride, and Jassen never complained. “Sure.”

“You don’t know?”

“Um… Jassen doesn’t really talk about work when he’s at home.” It was probably the worst thing to say, and Logan’s brows rose. “I mean, it’s just… he likes to come home and be with his family, and I’ve only recently moved in with him, so I guess I don’t know… we don’t talk about games and stuff.”

That time, it was definitely amusement that made Logan chuckle. “You don’t pay much attention to his games, do you?”

“Honestly?”

The humor in his eyes returned to the original iron when he opened the door. “Always.”

Damn. Okay. Despite the swirling in my stomach that looked incited, I could be honest. “Not really. I love my brother, and he loves what he does, but I guess to him, it’s never been the only thing that was important to him, or even the most important thing, so it never really became mine.”

“Huh.” He leaned back in his chair, scrubbing his hand against that stupid curl that did its little floppity-flop thing again, and my stomach copied it.

Goddamn. There was no way I could nanny for this man. I’d have to spend time with him. Talk to him.

And every time I looked at him, my mouth watered and my fingers wanted to fix that little curl. Maybe play with those waves.

Trouble. This was trouble and I’d recently resolved to stay far away from it.

“I know you just moved in with your brother to save some money and stuff, but with all the travel I’ll be doing, would you be willing to move in here instead?”

Oh… What a cruel freaking joke this life was turning out to be.

Chapter 4

Logan

My week had been entirely upended. For the last two days, when I wasn’t running plays, watching practice film, or chewing out the guys on the field for the constant, ridiculous, and rookie mistakes, I was glued to my phone, scouring online shopping sites and forking out an arm and a leg for Amelia’s new bedroom furniture. Hell if she’d get here on Monday and not have a room that felt like hers. Lucky for me, she had no hesitation in talking about all the things she loved the most, which was why her bedroom would soon be decorated with gerbera daisy bedding and curtains and unicorn pillows and rugs. Shopping for it all made my head spin, but while I might have been a great football coach, I was an even better dad.

I was dying to get my arms around her, and up until I answered the door earlier, I was so damn thankful for Jassen for talking to his sister and getting her to agree to at least meet with me.

But now? Goddamn, she was beautiful. Young. So damn young for me I shouldn’t have been thinking about her that way at all, but her beauty was undeniable. Long, tan legs that rose to thick hips, a trim waist, and gorgeous breasts. She was wearing leggings and a simple T-shirt, and I didn’t mind at all the casualness of her clothing. This wasn’t a professional job interview. It was for a full-time babysitter.

Bonus, the T-shirt clung to her breasts, more than a handful, and her ebony hair had waves and a shine to it that only made me crave the beach more.

And I’d just invited this young woman to move in with me.

“Will that be a problem? I know you moved down here to help Jassen and Molly, but they’re only ten minutes away.”

Fifteen with traffic, but close enough she could still help her niece and nephew if that wasn’t too much for her.

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