7. Holden

7

HOLDEN

This time when the doorbell rings, I know it’s her. I don’t know how I know it, but I hold my breath in anticipation until I finally lay eyes on her again. “Hey, Cat.”

She scrunches her nose at me. “Hello, Holden. Can I come in?”

I move back to let her in, and instantly the smell of her coconut shampoo hits me in the nose. “Is that shampoo? I mean, the coconut?” I sound like a creepy stalker when I say it, and I can't deny that I've thought about buying the scent so I can smell it whenever. But deep down, I know it won't be the same.

“It’s my body lotion. ”

I hold back a groan as I picture her running her hands across her body to apply said lotion. As I follow behind her, I take in her round ass in her black leggings. She has on a long-sleeve tight shirt, and her hair is up in a ponytail again. Because I can’t wait a second longer, I demand, “Tell me yes.”

She smirks but covers it up quickly. I point at the living room, and she goes in there and sits down in the same chair she sat down in the last time. “I’ve worked it out so that I could be here for the next two months, but I thought we should talk first and lay down some ground rules.”

My interest is piqued. I should have known she’d come back at me with rules. She sits up a little taller. “Okay, so first of all, I will be completely dedicated to your rehabilitation while I’m here, but I will not miss any of Cole’s games while doing it. They are all at night through the week and some are Saturday during the day, but that shouldn’t conflict with our working schedule.”

I lean forward and don’t say anything, surprised by how adamant she is about this. She must take my silence as disapproval because she insists, “I haven’t missed one game, Holden, and I won’t start now.”

I’m taken aback. Surely, that’s not true. “You haven’t missed one game? ”

She seems offended almost. “Of course not.”

“But…”

“Not one, and I won’t start now. If that’s a problem—”

I cut her off. “It’s not a problem at all, I guess I’m just surprised. You’re a good mom.”

It’s her turn to be stunned silent, and I realize what I said. “Shit, I didn’t mean it like that. I’m not surprised you’re a good mom. I’m sure you are… the best. I don’t know my mom, but my foster mom never attended any of my games. It’s just nice… that’s all.” I hold my hands up. “Anything we do here won’t interfere with Cole’s games. I promise you that.”

When she came in, she was all business, and now she seems to relax a little. “Thank you… and I’m sorry that your mom or your foster mom didn’t come to watch you play. It was their loss, Holden.”

I shut my eyes tight, and it brings up a bunch of old memories. I remember always looking into the stands, hoping to find someone there supporting me during the games. When I got into the foster home with King, Dom, Gabe, Ledger, and Chrissy, they became the family I needed. They would come to games, but they were kids too. Regardless, we always made a point to be there for each other through everything.

My voice thick with emotion, I clear my throat. “What about Cole’s father? Is he in the picture?” Before she can tell me it’s none of my business, I continue, “Is he going to have a problem with him being here?”

She juts her chin at me. “Cole’s father walked away when Cole was six months old and hasn’t looked back.”

“His loss,” I tell her with complete honesty. How could any man be with Cat and then walk away from her?

“Right. Well, uh, what else?” While she thinks about it, I butt in again.

“What about the boyfriend?”

She’s on defense again. Her shoulders stiffen, and she watches me, unsure about my question. “What about him?”

I wave my hand between the two of us. “About this? What’s he think about this? Is he okay with you staying here?”

“He knows this is for work. He’s fine with it.”

I’ve never been one to hold back. I’m used to pissing people off, but it’s not like I want to piss her off. I just think she should know. “He’s a dumbass. ”

Her hands clench together in her lap, and before she can defend him, I continue. “He’s a dumbass, and you deserve better. If you were mine, there’s no way I’d be okay with you spending two months in a house with another man.”

Of course she’s going to stick up for him. “Jeremy is very analytical. He looks at things differently than most men.”

“If you were mine—”

But before I can get the rest of my statement out, she interrupts me. “But I’m not yours, Holden. I’m not yours now, and I won’t be in the future. I’ve seen the plethora of women you’ve been seen with—which brings me to my next rule.”

I move to the edge of my seat like I’m ready for whatever she’s about to say, but all I’m doing is trying to get closer to her. There’s no way I’m going to be with her for two months and not make her mine. It’s not happening.

She lifts her head, and her cheeks turn a rosy pink. “I know you have needs—”

I smirk at her. “You want to talk about my needs?”

She gets flustered. “No, of course not. I’m just saying that I have a thirteen-year-old boy. An impressionable thirteen-year-old boy, and I’m trying to teach him how to treat a woman.”

As innocently as I can muster, I tell her in a seductive voice, “Trust me, I know how to treat a woman.”

Her cheeks get redder, and it’s amazing to watch as the flush carries down her neck and chest. “This isn’t going to work—"

She shoots to her feet, and I do the same. I put my hand around her wrist, and when I do, we both stare at the spot where I’m touching her. I release her, holding my hands up away from her. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have touched you. Uh, I get it. I’ll be respectful.”

She has so much doubt in her eyes when she looks at me. She crosses her arms over her chest. “Really? I won’t have to worry about my son seeing you traipse women in and out of here?”

I’m completely sincere when I answer her. “Absolutely not. I’m one hundred percent focused on getting better. No women.”

She’s still holding her arms around herself. “And your girlfriend is okay with that?”

Surprised doesn’t even cover it. I’ve searched online to find anything I can on her, but I never thought she would have done the same. “You looked me up?”

She rolls her eyes, and then as if she realizes it’s not professional, she gives me a pointed look. “Of course I looked you up. I’m going to bring my kid around you.”

“Okay.” I shrug.

But that’s not good enough. “So your girlfriend… is she going to be here?”

“If you mean the woman that I have dated on and off the last couple of months, no, she won’t be here. She came yesterday, and I told her I wouldn’t be able to play for two months. She let me know she was going to give me space so I can get better.”

Her face contorts before she even realizes it. She throws a hand up. “Did she not think she should stick around to help you or be there for you?”

This is getting too deep. I never talk about myself, but with Cat, it’s so easy just to tell her everything I’m thinking and feeling. Well, not everything because I think if she knew what I was thinking about her, it would freak her out. “Kendall and I were just dating, and I knew exactly why she was dating me.”

If her face was pink before, it’s a bright cherry red now. She starts to stutter and stammer, and it’s then I realize what she thought I meant. I could play with her a little and see if I can make her blush any more, but I can tell it’s important to her that she keep this professional. “She was dating me so she could be my plus one for events. It’s fine. I knew exactly what our relationship was. I’m fine that it’s over.”