I was a patient man, and I would wait for her. She was worth it.

Chapter Seventeen

Ice Cream

~~Caroline~~

I avoided Junie the rest of the day, pretty sure she’d be able to guess what I’d been about to do. The next morning, Easton left on his road trip, giving me a break from having to see his handsome face.

When Junie got off work, she poured herself a glass of wine and sat next to me on the couch. The kids were curled up on the large sectional. Hailey was reading, and Heath had his Legos spread all over. I was in for a grilling, but the kids’ presence made that difficult. Junie studied me as if she saw right through all the bullshit to the confused woman underneath.

I swear that woman had a hidden camera in here and knew I’d almost done the nasty with Easton on the kitchen counter yesterday. What little we did had felt so damn good and been so damn wrong.

What had I been thinking? At a time when I should have some pride and turn down his proposition, I’d done the exact opposite. He’d given me a big check, and then I’d given him a big hard-on. Regardless of whether or not he’d said the money wasn’t tied to sex, I was having a hard time separating the two.

I wouldn’t succumb to passion again. He’d made it clear. He didn’t want a relationship. He wanted sex. He wasn’t sure he even liked me.

I was pretty sure if I fucked him, I’d fall back in love with him, if I’d ever fallen out of love.

Then there were the kids to consider. I was playing a dangerous game with them and didn’t know what to do to make it right. They’d lost one father, and I wouldn’t allow the loss of another. I had to be one-hundred-percent certain Easton would be there for them through the good and bad times, not just when he found it convenient. Once the newness of being a father wore off, would he go back to being a guy who partied as hard as he played hockey?

I didn’t want that man as the father of my children.

Of course, that ship had sailed. He was their biological father, and nothing I did would change their DNA. All I had left was to do damage control and make this transition as painless as possible for them. They’d hate me for keeping Easton a secret, but they were young, and they’d soon get over it.

“Hey, by the way, Easton left this package while you were out shopping this morning,” Junie said. By her smile, she was aware of the contents.

Hailey perked up, dropped her book, and ran to me. “What did he bring?”

Heath abandoned the skyscraper he was building with Legos and joined us. He was almost smiling in anticipation. His hopeful expression was heartening to see.

I glanced at Junie, and she nodded, reading my mind. Whatever was in here was okay to open in front of the kids. After yesterday, I’d almost expected a sexy negligée and was stupidly disappointed the gift wasn’t going to be that intimate.