19

Beth

"Come wif me, Daddy!"

"Uhhh…"

"Go on," I urge Milo, who's hesitating at Jonah's request.

"I'm not sure I'm going to fit," he says quietly to me before peeling off his shirt, and holy guacamole, that is one sight I can never get enough of.

Smooth skin, broad shoulders, muscular arms, a well-defined chest, and abs. So many abs. If Milo is looking for a post-hockey career, he would make a killing as a romance novel cover model.

Not that I'd want countless other women—and possibly some men—ogling him.

Okay. Scratch that.

If he wants to take up a new career, I'm sure something like hand modeling would be a great fit for him.

After I get in my obligatory ogling, I remind myself where I am—Milo's backyard.

Who I'm with—Milo, his kids, and Boden.

And what Jonah is asking—for Milo to join him in the temporary inflatable pool Milo bought since he was unable to find any contractors to build an actual pool until the fall.

"You'll be fine," I reassure him.

Josie and I are sitting on a blanket, enjoying the shade of a large California Sycamore. She looks up from her book and giggles. "But Daddy's too big."

I pick up my phone, knowing this is a moment worth capturing. "That's exactly the point," I say to her with a smile.

We watch as Milo carefully steps into the pool.

He was right. He barely fits as he awkwardly attempts to fold himself into the tiny pool. His knees are practically up to his ears, but Jonah couldn't be happier, splashing water everywhere and giggling.

It's the cutest thing ever.

I'm in awe.

Milo treats Jonah the way any father should treat his son. What does it matter if they're not connected by blood? They're joined by something much deeper—love.

Milo truly is Jonah's father.

I lift the phone. "Say cheese!"

"Don't you dare?—"

"Excellent, thank you," I say, showing the photos I snapped to Josie, who lets out a delighted shriek. "Daddy's face. He looks like an ogre."

I cast my gaze to his oversized body in the undersized inflatable pool. "Yeah. That tracks," I say with a smile.

He smiles back at me, and I don't know if it's the cuteness of seeing him in the pool with Jonah, or the fact that he's shirtless, or if it's spending every day together since our first date at the fair two weeks ago, but in case there was any doubt, this anti-love girl is falling for Milo.

Big time.

And the crazy part?

I'm not scared.

Okay, let me rephrase that. I'm a tiny bit scared. But the fear bubbling up in me is residual pain from my past, it's got nothing to do with how I feel about Milo.

Because I have no doubt about my feelings for him. I know exactly what kind of man he is. He's demonstrated that time and time again.

And I think it was his nervousness on our date that completely won me over. His determination to get me that pink reading bear, him asking me to rate him, his fake jealousy—at least, I think it was fake jealousy—over Maverick Pendleton, and then that kiss.

That. Kiss!

When a girl reads a few…thousand romance novels, it's easy to become jaded and have completely unrealistic expectations. I thought I'd have to rein my hopes in, settle for our usual amazing level of kisses, but nope, Milo blew it out of the water.

It was so much more than lips on lips. We were communicating to each other without saying a word.

I know I was.

And seeing as we haven't spent a day apart since then, I'd say Milo picked up what I was putting down.

We haven't made anything official, but it's clear our us-ship is going to become a relationship any day now.

"Want me to take the kids inside?" Boden suggests.

"That would be terrific. Thank you," Milo says, lifting a soaking wet Jonah into Boden's arms. He's got a towel ready to wrap him up in. Josie follows as Boden carries Jonah into the house, shutting the sliding door behind him with his foot.

It was a little odd at first, having a third person around all the time, but Boden is great, and he's got a sixth sense for knowing when Milo and I would like some alone time.

I keep meaning to ask him if he's single. I think he'd be a great match for Amiel. Not that I'd ever interfere in someone else's love life or anything.

Milo climbs out of the pool.

"What do you feel like for dinner?" he asks, drying off his hair, which is now so long it reaches way past his shoulders.

"Bold of you to assume I'm staying for dinner."

"You've stayed every night this week," he replies with a smirk.

A cocky smirk.

A cocky smirk that used to peeve me off but now turns me on.

"What can I say?" I reply nonchalantly. "I like free food."

He chuckles then leans down, the wet tips of his hair brushing against my shoulders as his mouth covers mine.

"What are you doing, Daddy?"

We break apart to see Josie staring at us.

I was so into the kiss I didn't hear the sliding door open.

Milo rubs the back of his neck. "Uh…"

"Sorry sorry sorry," Boden exclaims, chasing after her. "I was changing Jonah."

"It's all right," Milo says to him. "You're my nanny, not running clearance on my love life."

Jonah wanders out of the house, half-dressed. Boden attends to him as Josie looks between Milo and me and asks, "Is Beth your girlfriend?"

His eyes snap to mine. "Um, well…"

"Can you give us a minute?" I ask Boden.

"Of course."

He ushers the kids back inside.

I turn to face Milo. "Well, am I your girlfriend?"

"You'd make me the happiest man on earth if you were."

"So ask me."

He takes my hand in his. "Beth Anne Moore…will you be my girlfriend?"

"I will."

He pulls me into a tight hug, his strong arms wrapping around me like he never wants to let go. His skin is still slightly damp, and I can feel the steady thump of his heart. This is so right. I know it is.

"I should probably go inside," he says, moving back a few inches. "Explain things to the kids."

"You want some company?"

His eyebrows spring up. "Are you sure?"

"Of course."

"Okay. Great. That'd be wonderful. I…I have no idea what I'm going to say. There's no real roadmap for this."

"No. There isn't." I thread my fingers through his as we start walking toward the house. "So let's figure it out together."

"Is she going to stay with us?"

"Can I visit her in her bookstore?"

"Is she our new mom?"

Okay, so maybe I slightly underestimated the grilling a six-year-old is capable of giving. Not that I'd expect anything less from Josie. She's not being mean or difficult about it, she's just inquisitive and genuinely wants to know.

I'm sitting quietly because Milo is handling all the questions she's throwing at him really well, including the last one. Talk about a toughie.

"No, sweetie, no one can ever replace your mommy," he answers, gently bouncing Jonah on his knee. "But Beth is someone who is very special to me."

"I wike her," Jonah chips in.

Milo smiles and continues, "I think you like her, too. Don't you, Josie?"

She nods. "I do."

"That's good," Milo says. "And over time, you'll get to know her even better and like her even more. But she's not here to be your mommy."

Josie takes a moment to think.

She looks at me, and I smile. She smiles back, but it's so hard to read what's going on in her head.

"Is that why you gave her a card with a love heart?" she asks.

Milo glances over at me. "Yeah. It was. I like Beth a lot." His eyes burn into mine. "That's why I asked her to be my girlfriend."

Jonah lets out an excited Wee even though he's a little too young to properly understand what's going on. Josie looks between Milo and me a few times, eventually saying, "Does this mean she can read me stories at bedtime?"

"It does. If Beth would like to."

I smile at Milo, then at Josie. "I'd love to."

And with that, Milo and I are a couple.

"We made it official," I tell Amiel and Courtland in the bookstore the day after Milo and I made the official, if not somewhat unexpected, announcement to Josie and Jonah.

It's a typical quiet summer afternoon in the store, and Amiel's dropped by after her shift at the bakery to stock up on our newest shipment of arrivals.

She lets out a squeal. "Tell. Us. Everything."

So I do, and when I'm done, they're both smiling at me. "The snarky bookworm and the grumpy goalie find their happily ever after in a classic enemies-to-lovers romcom," Courtland says, in his best voiceover voice.

"Whatever."

"Are you happy?" Amiel asks.

"Of course she's happy. Have you ever seen her smile so much?" Courtland answers for me.

"Let's not get too carried away," Amiel counters. "This is Beth. She's probably compiling a list of things Milo has said or done that's annoyed her."

I shake my head. "Nope. No list."

"What about the man bun?" she presses.

"I'm actually digging it. Plus, he's got the softest hair when he lets it out. It's so silky."

"Does he have any annoying habits?" Courtland presses. "Are the kids a nightmare?"

"Haven't stumbled upon any annoying habits yet. And the kids are great. I love hanging out with them."

"What about the nanny? Is he getting on your nerves?" Amiel asks.

"Nope." I shake my head. "Boden is a great guy. Awesome with the kids, and he reads the room to know when Milo and I need some space. Actually…" I shoot a look at Amiel and she immediately recoils.

"I just got chills. You're planning something evil."

"Me? Never?" I throw my head back and cackle. "But seriously, I think I may have found a guy for you."

"Who?"

"Boden."

"The nanny?"

"Yeah."

She scrunches up her face. "I'm not sure…Is he even single?"

"Yet to confirm. But once I do, you'll be the first to know."

"Yes, yes, yes, all riveting stuff, and we'll get around to the male nanny falling for the ginger-haired baker beauty at some stage, but let's get back to you," Courtland says, turning to face me. "There has to be something wrong with Milo or some impending conflict or something you guys should have talked about but have been neglecting. There always is in the majority of enemies-to-lovers stories."

"In that case, I guess we're the exception to the rule. There's nothing wrong with Milo and nothing on the horizon that I'm worried about, either."

"So there's nothing you're freaking out about?" he asks, sounding exasperated.

"The only thing I'm freaking out about is that I'm not freaking out about anything. I really like Milo. He really likes me. He treats me with respect. We communicate openly. I feel good when I'm with him. Things are great."

"So, no third-act breakup in your future, then?" Amiel checks.

"I certainly hope not. Unless I happen to walk past the diner and see Milo talking to a beautiful woman. In which case, of course, I'll be obligated to fling myself in front of him, give him no chance to rationally explain it's someone he knows, make a huge scene, and proceed to fall into a two-week depression where I'm responsible for single-handedly lifting the Ben & Jerry's stock price." They're both grinning. "Seriously, guys. Everything is going well. Really well. Super duper well."

"I'm glad," Amiel says with a smile.

"Me, too," Courtland throws in. "And speaking of things going well…"

I roll my eyes.

Amiel looks between us. "What am I missing?"

"Lori Connors!" Courtland squeals, his voice rising an octave or two.

I groan.

"You'd think Taylor Swift was coming to town given how excited you are over my sister's book signing that isn't for a while yet," I say.

"Doesn't matter. I'm still marking off the days on my calendar, and you can't stop me."

I look at Amiel pleadingly. "See what I've been dealing with."

"He's allowed to be a fanboy." She scoops up her pile of books and smiles. "Just like you're allowed to be happy that you're in a relationship with a grumpy goalie."

I grin.

Well, when she puts it like that.

I sit on the edge of the couch, staring at the TV screen, my heart pounding in my chest. I take a big bite out of one of Amiel's delicious caramel cupcakes I bought on the way home and let out a moan. She is one seriously talented baker, and when a girl needs to comfort eat, you can't go wrong with one of her treats.

The sight of Milo standing at the podium, surrounded by cameras and microphones, fills the screen. He's so composed, every inch the professional athlete.

Not sure why he seems so calm and I'm not.

This is a good thing, I remind myself. A really good thing.

He begins to speak, his voice steady and strong. I already know what he's about to say—he's stepping back, leaving the game he's loved for so long, to spend more time with his children.

My heart swells with admiration for what he's doing, but there's also a sting of guilt. I know how much hockey means to him, how it's lifted him up in some of his darkest times, and the thought of him giving that up is a lot to take. Yes, he's giving that up for Josie and Jonah, but I factored into the decision as well. I hope he doesn't end up resenting me for it.

And then he finally drops the big news.

"I've decided that it's time to step away from the game I love."

I turn the volume up, my eyes glued to the screen, my mouth chomping down on the cupcake.

"Hockey has been my life for so many years. It's given me incredible opportunities, unforgettable memories, and the chance to compete at the highest level. I've shared the ice with amazing teammates, played for incredible fans, and been part of an organization that's supported me every step of the way. But as much as I love the game, my priorities have shifted."

He takes a breath and smiles, and I can tell he's thinking about Josie and Jonah. "My kids are growing up fast, and I don't want to miss out on any more moments with them. It's time for me to be there for them in the same way hockey has always been there for me."

He takes another breath and squares his shoulders. "There's also someone very special in my life, and I'm ready to focus on building a future together."

I almost choke on my cupcake. Whoa.

A wave of warmth rushes over me, and I can't help but smile. I was not expecting him to mention me. It feels a little surreal.

"This isn't goodbye to hockey completely. The sport will always be a part of who I am, and I'll continue to support the game in different ways. But for now, it's time to hang up my skates and focus on the most important team of all—my family and the person who means the world to me. Thank you to everyone who's been a part of this journey with me. I appreciate your understanding and support, and I'm excited for what the future holds."

I lean back on the sofa and let out a long breath.

I'm happy Milo made the announcement, and I definitely think he made the right decision, one made out of love.

I find myself daydreaming about the future, wondering what might come next.