Page 94 of Hot for the Hockey Player
Oh god.Why couldn’t I have one morning?One freaking morning!
Damon knew exactly why I’d have a bite mark on my neck, unlike his innocent little sister.His nostrils flared when he started to put the pieces together and I resisted the urge to vomit as my gut spun and not just my face, but my whole body grew hot.“Is that from Maverick?”he asked slowly.
Laurel gasped.“Oh my god!Did Maverick bite you?”She turned to her brother.“Why would he bite her?”
“Because they were kissing,” Damon said, with an even tone.“You were, weren’t you?”
“I knew it!”Laurel fist pumped the air.
“What?”I exclaimed.“You knew what?”
“Sam overheard Aunt Danica and Aunt Naomi talking about how Maverick liked you.Like, like-liked you.Like a crush.And they said you might like him too.Then I started watching you guys and the way Maverick looks at you, Mom, is the way Jagger looks at Aunt Raina.He like-likes you.”
While my daughter actually seemed delighted at the idea of Maverick and me together, I was more concerned about how my son was going to take this news.This was certainlynothow I intended to tell either of them—if I was going to tell either of them at all.This was, after all, very, very temporary, and I didn’t want them to get their hopes up, or their hearts hurt in the process.
“Damon,” I said softly, coming around the bed to sit down in front of both of them, “you okay?”
“How long have you and Mav been …” He shrugged.“What are you, exactly?”
“Just since last night,” I said softly.“We revealed our feelings for each other last night.That’s where I was.That’s why I got home late and why I slept in.”
“And he bit your neck?”Laurel asked, still confused.
“It’s what people do sometimes when they’re kissing,” Damon told his sister, with only a small level of impatience.
Laurel wrinkled her nose.“Why?That just seems weird.You bite people youdon’tlike.You kiss people you do.”
“For another day, sweetheart.”I brushed my hand down her arm.“Grown-up relationships are weird.”
“So, do you guys like … love each other … or … what?”Damon asked.“What does this all mean?”
Oh boy.
I pulled them both down to sit on the bed with me, and I pivoted to face them, then took one of their hands in each of mine.“It means that Maverick and I have romantic feelings for each other.But we know that he’s not here forever.So we’re going into this …relationshipknowing it’s temporary.But he makes me happy, and feel special, and if you both are okay with it, I’d like to continue to see him.”
“Isn’t it going to be extra sad when he leaves if you fall in love?”Laurel asked.
I nodded.“It could be, yeah.But then I’ll just focus on the memories of how happy I was while he was here.”I gave their hands a squeeze.“Don’t worry about me.I’ll be fine.I just don’t want you two to get too invested into things and get your hearts hurt when he leaves.”
Both kids nodded.
I focused on Damon again.“You okay with this?”
“When Mav comes over, he’ll still be able to play video games with me, right?You’re not going to just cuddle and kiss all the time now, are you?”
Ah, the true root of his concern had finally been revealed.I chuckled and shook my head.“I promise you can have just as much of him as before.We won’t even kiss in front of you guys if you don’t want us to.”
“Don’t really care about that,” my son muttered as he pried his hand from mine and stood up.
“Well, I think it’s great.”Laurel stood up too.“Mav’s great, you’re great.And if he makes you happy, then that’s all that matters.”She zeroed back in on my neck.“I still don’t get why he bit you though.”
I rubbed at my bite mark and held my hand against it.“Go have breakfast.”
She followed her brother out of my room, each of them casting me a cursory glance over their shoulder before disappearing.
Well, that could have gone better, but it also could have gone worse.I grabbed my phone from my nightstand and shot off a message to Maverick, letting him know that the kids figured it out.
He replied.
