Page 57 of The Wildcat

I’m not sure if my mom is talking to the three-year-old or her aunt, but they both look confused. “Our family has a private suite for the games,” I tell Bellamy. “There’s plenty of room if you’d like to come. Plus, apparently my mom is a great built-in babysitter.”

“Will you be there?” Kerrigan asks with big hopeful eyes. Man, this kid could ask me for the moon, and I’d try to figure out a way to get it for her.

“I dance during the games. But Gracie will be there.” Then I look back to Bellamy. “Caitlin comes sometimes too. She floats between our box and the Kingston’s box.”

“Thank you for the offer, Mrs. Sinclair. I’ll let Cross know.”

“Oh, honey, please call me Annabelle. And please let both of your brothers know. We’d love to have you all.”

Okay. I might just kill my mom.

Cinderella

Hey, big man. Have a good game tonight.

Cross

I heard a rumor you might be at my house when I get home. Any truth there?

Cinderella

Geez. Kerrigan sold me out? I guess three year olds can’t keep secrets.

Cross

You gonna stay after the movie?

Cinderella

Maybe.

Cross

Be in my bed when I get home, Everly.

I gotta go.

I wipe the grease from Kerrigan’s lips as she makes a mess of her pizza. “Daddy never lets us eat in front of the TV.”

“What we don’t tell Daddy won’t hurt us.” Bellamy links her pinky with Kerrigan’s, and I smile at Grace. We still link pinkies.

Caitlin came over too and brought a few of her old pageant crowns with her. So the four of us are sitting in front of Cross’s giant flat-screen, watchingTangledin tiaras while we eat pizza and strawberry shortcake. Not a bad night.

By the time Kerrigan is asleep on the couch a few hours later, we’ve finishedTangledand moved on toFrozenandFrozen 2. For a little girl who doesn’t talk very much, she sure does like to sing along with her movies, and it’s adorable.

Kerrigan is sleeping with her head on my lap, and Jax is zonked-out, milk-drunk and tucked against my shoulder when Bellamy switches the TV over to the game. “Have you ever seen Cross play, Everly?”

I watch the man on the TV. Strong and smooth and skating so damn fast.

“No. Hockey’s never been my thing.” Total lie. I used to love going to Keith’s hockey games when we were in college.

But as I watch Cross bank off the boards behind the net and score, it’s hard for me not to cheer. If I didn’t have both kids sleeping on me, I’d probably be jumping up and down.

“Oh my God,” I gasp as a guy from the other team slams into him, and Cross flies backward into the metal goalpost. His helmet comes loose and off his head right before his skull hits the ice, and my heart stops.

Ares rips his gloves off and throws them to the ice right before he rails on the player who just hit Cross. The commentators are talking about the fight, but I can only see Cross not moving. “Bellamy,” I croak out on a whisper.

She grabs my hand, and Gracie pulls her phone out. “I’ll call Brynn.”

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