Page 38 of Wild Eyes
I’ve never been especially good at doing what I’m supposed to anyhow.
That’s why I’m still lying here with a light sheet over my legs, mulling over the few pieces of her puzzle she handed to me.
In a matter of one day, my image of her and what’s going on in her life has taken shape. She’s like a new problem horse at the barn. I assess them just as carefully and get a read before I do any hands-on work.
Not that Skylar is a horse.
And I don’t think she needs any hands-on work. If anything, she needs space. A friend. And if I’m known for anything, it’s making friends with absolutely anyone.
I, Weston Belmont, am the world’s best friend.
And the world’s worst enemy. I’m the guy who lets fists fly if the situation warrants it, but I’ve mostly outgrown that phase in my life. Now I’m the life of the party. The social calendar planner. I’m the guy that brings grown men together to bowl on Thursday nights for Dads’ Night Out.
So if Skylar Stone is here to stay and she needs a friend, who better to take her under their wing than me?
I couldeasilybe Skylar’s friend. Sometimes friends accidentally kiss. Sometimes friends get accidental raging hard-ons thinking about said kiss.Totally normal.
Yeah, I’ve got this in the fucking bag.
“Dad!” Emmy’s shout precedes the heavy thumping of her elephant-like footfalls blasting down the hall to my room. Her peach-toned hair flies in a wild mane behind her as she takes a running leap onto my bed and lands on all fours like the animal she is. “What time is soccer again?”
With a groan, I reach for the bedside table while she snuggles into my side. I ignore the pang in my chest when I realize she doesn’t fit quite like she used to. She’s growing too damn fast. I’d like to shrink her, freeze her at about four years old, when her voice still sounded all sugary and she followed me everywhere.
My arms tighten around her as I search for the phone that I know is there somewhere. When my fingers wrap around it, my eyes widen. I’ve been lying here for a lot longer than I thought.
Thinking. Obsessing. Planning.
“Shit. We’ve got forty-five minutes before we need to be at the field with the rest of your ragtag team.”
“Five more minutes,” she mumbles, nuzzling her face into my ribs. And how the hell am I supposed to say no to that? Soon, she’ll want nothing to do with me. Soon, I’ll get eye rolls and scoffs and doors slammed in my face.
So I turn and tug her against me, taking five more minutes to snuggle with my baby girl.
I don’t open my eyes, but I smile when I feel Ollie’s quiet presence as he crawls in on the other side and presses his back against mine. I can hear the soft flick of the pages in his book as he turns them.
It’s the coziest moment. Ruined only by the fact that I can’t stop thinking about Skylar. Wondering if she got any moments like this with her parents.
As if this morning wasn’t hectic enough, two messages come in back-to-back. Both my assistant coaches are bailing on me at the last minute.
Which means it’s just me and fifteen girls at a chaotic kids’ soccer game.
Just me to do subs.
Just me to switch pinnies.
Just me to retie laces that come undone at a rate that downright defies the odds.
Knowing other people’s kids are relying on me to make this experience a good one weighs on me. Which is why it only takes me a couple of minutes to realize what I need is afriendto help me out this morning.
And I have a brand-new friend, one who owes me for saving her from a grizzly.
So, with my coffee in hand, I head out the front door while Emmy and Oliver bustle around the house getting ready.
“If you’re not ready to go in five, I’m leaving without you, and you can walk into town,” I call before letting the screen door slam behind me.
“Really nice, Dad!” Oliver shouts back at me. And I can’t bring myself to chide him. If he wants to yell, I’ll just be grateful he’s talking.
I hustle across the yard to get to the bunkhouse, hoping I can talk Skylar into this. The prospect of doing it on my own makes me want to throw my hot coffee in my face. And the prospect of doing it with her feels much better.
