Evelyn’s lips pursed as if she’d been sucking on a lemon. “We need to discuss Copeland.”
“Why?” The word was out before I could stop it. My back went up the moment she used his formal name. Not to mention that talking about Cope behind his back felt all sorts of wrong.
Evelyn bristled, her shoulders squaring as she stared down at me. “Becausehe is a horrible example for the children attending the camp. He curses multiple times a day, he gets into fights?—”
“Has he gotten in a fight at camp?” I asked, mock confusion filling my voice.
A muscle in her jaw fluttered. “No, but children can access the internet.”
“Sounds to me like a parental guidance issue.”
Evelyn ground her back molars. “You may be all right with exposing your son to an animal like Copeland Colson, but I amnot.”
Anger flared, deep and fierce. “That’s your prerogative. Remove Daniel from camp if you feel so strongly. But let me tell you, you’ll be keeping him from learning from the best. And I’m not just talking about hockey. I’m talking about how to be the best man.”
I sucked in a breath, struggling to keep my voice even. “How to be generous, kind, and gentle. How to put others before yourself. How to give back in every way. But if you want your son to miss out on all of that, be my guest.”
“Mom,” Daniel pleaded. “Stop talking mean about Coach. He’s the best and way nicer than you are.”
Evelyn turned to her son, gaping. “Daniel?—”
“No! You talk mean about everyone behind their back. And I know that’s not right. I knowyou’renot right.”
Evelyn flushed, her head jerking toward me. “Do you see what you’ve done?”
I met her stare, not looking away. “I’m pretty sure this one is all on you.”
I pulledup in front of Cope’s house, taking a minute to soak in the beauty of it. It wasn’t just in its majesty but in the thought he’d put behind it. How he’d considered his family and the setting when designing every nook and cranny.
Twisting my head to the side, I popped my neck. Imighthave overdone it today. And Evelyn’s little visit didn’t help. My heart ached for Daniel, and I felt more than a little guilty for having it out with his mom in front of him, even if I had held back on what I wanted to say.
I shut off the engine, grabbed my purse, and slid out of my SUV. All I wanted was a long soak in Cope’s tub, gallons of whatever pastadish he’d concocted, and to sleep for a week. As I reached the front door, I heard shrieks and giggles from inside.
Those sounds had warmth spreading through me—joy that my kid got this every afternoon I couldn’t be with him. I punched in the code to the door and opened it. The volume intensified, and a bundle of blue-gray fur streaked toward me.
I quickly shut the door behind me and sank to my knees to greet the little guy or girl. They looked to be mostly pit bull, with soulful dark eyes and a tongue lolling out of their mouth.
“Hi,” I greeted, scratching behind their ears. They looked to be a few months old at least, but definitely less than six.
Luca bounded toward me, much like the dog had. “Mom! Cope got me a puppy!” My heart plummeted to my stomach. “Well, it’s his puppy, but I got to name it and I picked Gretzky and I get to cuddle him all the time!”
My gaze lifted to the man behind my son. “Did you now?”
Cope sent me a lopsided grin and shoved his hands into his pockets. “I’ve wanted a dog for a while now.”
“I just bet,” I muttered. I knew my kid could tug on those heartstrings when he wanted something, but as I stared down at the adorable pup, I knew I would’ve been helpless, too. “Gretzky, huh?”
The puppy barked and then took off running down the hallway to the living room, Luca fast on his heels. I sucked in a breath as I pushed to my feet, listening to the giggling coming from the living room.
“On a scale of one to ten, how pissed are you?” Cope asked.
I sighed, taking him in. His light-brown hair was rumpled right along with his tee and joggers. I knew it was likely from rolling around on the ground while playing with the new dog and Luca. “Cope, what happens when we move out, and Luca has to leave the puppy behind? Or if you and I don’t work out? He’s getting used to all of this. To you. And I don’t want to think about how much it’ll hurt if he loses it.”
Cope crossed the distance between us in three long strides. His hand slid along my jaw and into my hair, gently forcing the strands back. “Thought you were with me and giving this a real go.”
“I am, but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t consider how this impacts Luca. How it would hurt him if you just disappeared from his life.” Just saying the words out loud had fear thrumming through me.
Cope’s fingers tightened in my hair. “Warrior, don’t like you assuming we won’t work out. Butifwe don’t, I’ll never bail on Luca. I’ll have his back for the rest of his life, and nothing will ever change that.”
