He shakes his head. “Last night didn’t really go to plan,” he confesses. “I was going to give you a tour, try to make you feel welcome.”
My smile grows. “We could have been anywhere, Kodie. You were there, and I’d have felt at home.”
“Fucking hell,” he groans, his grip on my hips tightening. “Okay, so how do you want to play this?” he asks, searching my eyes for suggestions.
Thirty minutes later and Kodie has his fingers wrapped around the door handle, but he hesitates opening.
“I can still try to slip out if you?—”
“No. Let’s go. Just…let me go in first and…yeah, just let me go in first.”
I slip my hand into his. Our fingers entwine, and I give a little squeeze of support.
Silently, we make our way toward the stairs. By the time we begin descending, Sutton’s soft voice floats up to us. Any hope that she might have slept in is squashed. Not that Kodie thought there was any chance of that.
Each of our footsteps sounds like gunshots, and my body trembles with nerves. It’s like I’m a teenager again, trying to slip out of the house for a party I’m not allowed to go to. Only this time, the adult is trying to give the kid the slip.
The front door is right there; I could easily disappear unnoticed. But I trust Kodie, and of course, I don’t want our relationship to be a secret forever.
Keeping it under the radar makes it seem like we’re doing something wrong. Okay, so we might be breaking a few rules, but ultimately, we’re just two people who are falling for each other. We’re both consenting adults, and being with Kodie makes me happier than I ever remember.
Kodie's breath rushes over my face as we hit the ground floor, and he presses a kiss to my cheek.
“Wish me luck,” he whispers before striding away before he can change his mind.
As he slips around the corner, I lower my ass to the bottom step and wait.
“Daddy, did you have a sleepover?” Sutton demands the second he walks into the kitchen, proving Kodie right. She saw my car.
“Uh…yeah, Peanut. I had a friend come over after you went to bed. It got late so she stayed here.”
“Yesss,” she hisses. In my mind, I see her pumping her little fists in victory like she does on the ice. “I knew it was Coach C.”
I suck in a sharp breath, trying to predict Kodie’s reaction.
“I’ve seen her car at the rink,” Sutton explains despite no one asking her to.
“Is it okay that Casey stayed over?” Kodie asks hesitantly.
“Uh…yeah. She’s awesome. Why wouldn’t it be okay?”
My heart pounds against my ribs and I lift my hand to cover it, afraid it might burst right out of my chest.
“It’s usually just us three here. I don’t want to do anything that you don’t like. This is our home.”
“Yeah, but it’s Coach C. Where is she, anyway? Don’t tell me she left already.”
“No, she’s just coming. Aren’t you, Casey,” he calls, making my heart rate pick up.
Am I ready for this?
Fuck. Yes. I was born ready.
Pushing from the step, I race toward the door with a wide smile on my face.
All eyes turn on me as I step into the kitchen.
“Coach,” Sutton shouts before jumping from her stool and racing over to hug me.
