Page 59 of The Hard Hitter

“I’m serious.” She puts her hands on my hips. “I would kill for these. Come on, let’s get the kids changed, and I’ll hook you up with a suit. I keep extras here, didn’t Zander tell you?”

“No, he didn’t.”

“Of course he didn’t. Lured you into skinny dipping, did he?” She laughs out loud at that, and color moves into my cheeks.

“He’s going to pay for that,” I say, as I follow her up the steps.

She goes into one of the many spare rooms, and I follow her. “I used to stay here a lot when Daisy first came to live with Zander. I have a bunch of my clothes in here if you ever need anything.” She sits Scotty on the bed and I sit Daisy beside him. Quinn pulls out a few bathing suits and holds them out for my inspection.

“I think that one will do,” I say, and point to the one with the most fabric. I scoop it up and take Daisy to her room to get changed. I help her into her suit, climb into mine, which is a bit snug, and we meet Quinn and Scotty at the pool. The water is glorious on this hot afternoon, and before we know it, we’ve been in for close to an hour. Scotty’s eyes are rolling back in his head.

“I think this one needs a nap,” she says.

“Daisy, how about we get changed too. I wouldn’t mind lying down on your bed.” I stretch my arms

out. “I’m so tired!”

“Okay,” she says, and when we climb from the pool, the sound of voices reaches our ears. Dammit, I was hoping to be back in my clothes before all the guys arrived.

Zander comes through the door first, and his eyes dart to mine, then slowly move down the length of me. A bit self-conscious in the skimpy suit, I fold my arms across my chest. Jonah and the three other guys they were playing hockey with follow Zander outside.

Zander walks over to me, effectively blocking me from the other men. “Hey,” he says. “Nice suit.”

“Quinn lent it to me. Apparently, she keeps a few of them here.”

He grins. “I forgot about that.”

“I’m sure you did.”

He bends and picks up a tired Daisy. “Did you have a fun day?”

She nods and rubs her eyes.

“She was just going to take me upstairs for a nap,” I say.

Zander nods in understanding. “How about I help you get Sam to bed,” he says to his daughter, and she nods again.

We all go upstairs, and Zander dresses Daisy as I climb back into my clothes. I crawl into bed, and Daisy lays down beside me. Her fingers go to my hair again, and Zander watches us for a moment, once again his jaw tight.

“Give me a minute,” I whisper to him. He nods and steps into the hall. I relax in the small bed, and soon enough, Daisy’s breathing changes, becomes slower, softer. I move gently and check on her. I smile and brush her hair from her face, and carefully climb from the tiny bed. In the hall, I find Zander waiting for me.

Catching me off guard, he pulls me to him and gives me a long, deep kiss that messes with my ability to stand. He breaks the kiss and says, “That’s for coming to the game and bringing Daisy. Did you enjoy it?”

“I loved it.”

“Sorry about you having to do all the prep work for dinner. It was my idea. I should have been the one in the kitchen.”

“I didn’t mind at all. I’m happy you got to hang out with the guys. Besides, I had the kids and Quinn to keep me company.”

He puts his arm around me and leads me down the stairs. “Speaking of Quinn,” he says quietly. “Did she share her news?”

I nod. “I’m so happy for them.”

“Me too,” he says, and from his wide smile, it’s easy to see how proud he is of his sister.

We step outside, and his friend Jamie presses a beer into Zander’s hand, and Quinn hands me a glass of wine.

“Now that everyone is here,” Jamie, says.

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