Play Me (Take a Chance #3)(33)
Author: Diane Alberts

It all felt so blessedly…normal.

She stretched and reached out for Garrett, but he was gone. She rolled over and ran her hand over his pillow. It was cold to the touch. She sat up, holding the sheet up to her chest. Where had he gone?

She hurriedly dressed, and then practically ran down the stairs. She came down to the sight of Chris and Garrett playing PlayStation, laughing and talking quietly. She froze in the living room walkway, her heart warm and filled with love. This was her life now, and she’d never been happier.

Garrett looked up and saw here standing there. He paused the game and rose. “Hey, sweetheart.”

“Hey, you.” He held his arms open and she crossed the room and slid inside the warmth of his embrace. She looked at Chris as she hugged Garrett. “When did you get home?”

“An hour ago.” Chris watched them with narrow eyes. “Garrett picked me up when I called. So…you two are together now?”

Kiersten grinned. “We are. Very happily so.” She paused. “Is that cool with you?”

Chris’s eyes brightened. He liked that she asked. She could see it. He shrugged and played it cool, though. “It is. It’s better than that freaky arrangement you two had going on before.”

“I agree,” Garrett said, dropping a kiss on her head.

“Me too.” Kiersten looked up at him and smiled. “Thanks for letting me sleep in.”

“You needed it.” He looked down at her with heat in his eyes, despite the innocent- sounding words. “And you better get used to it. I plan on taking the Saturday morning shift around here.”

She curled her hands into his shirt, pulling him closer. No more pushing him away. Those days were over. “Keep talking like that, and I’ll have to make an honest man out of you.”

His eyes widened. “Keep talking like that, and you’ll be darned right.”

“Hm.” He’d even watched his mouth in front of Chris. Could he be any more perfect? “Is that a threat?”

“No,” he said, lowering his mouth until it almost brushed hers. “It’s a promise.”

“I like the sound of that.”

He closed his mouth around hers, keeping the kiss gentle and PG-13. They had an audience, after all. When he pulled back, he grinned down at her. His eyes were sparkling with life and laughter.

Chris cleared his throat. “Is the lovey-dovey crap over yet? We have a game to finish over here.”

Kiersten laughed, and Garrett’s baritone chuckle blended with hers. She stepped out of his arms and bowed to Chris. “Yes, master. You may have your stepfather back.”

Chris smiled. A real, genuine smile. “Thanks.”

“I’m going to go make some coffee. You want some?”

“It’s already made. All you need is a mug.” Garrett sank down on the couch next to Chris. “And yeah, I’d love some. Thanks.”

Chris hit start. “Can I have a hot chocolate?”

“Sure, bud,” Kiersten said, her heart swelling at the sight of her men playing together. Such a normal thing, and yet so big. “I’ll be right back, guys.”

He shot her a grin. “Love you.”

“I love you, too.”

She went into the kitchen, the sound of their laughter drifting out behind her. Yep, this was her life now. And it was damned perfect.

Thank God.

Epilogue

Seven months later

Garrett paced up and down the sidelines. Chris dribbled down the court, his eyes darting around, watching everyone who stood in his way. This time, Chris didn’t freeze up or panic. He dribbled through the players without even hesitating, squared off, and scored a three pointer. The crowd went wild, mostly with cheers since it was a home game, and Garrett smiled.

All that practice with Chris was paying off.

Sometimes Chris even came with him and the adults to scrimmage. The kid could hold his own against a bunch of grown-ups.

Kiersten cheered from behind Garrett, whooping so loudly she woke up the baby cradled in her arms. Amy let out a loud wail, letting her displeasure be known. Garrett spun around and gave Kiersten a pointed look. The whole way to the game, she had worried that the loud noise might be too much for the little one, but she’d come to watch Chris anyway. How ironic was it that she was the one who upset the little angel?

She rolled her eyes at him and rocked Amy in her arms.

Garrett forced himself to look away from his girls for the next four minutes. Tonight was a big night. He reached in his pocket and fingered the solitaire diamond he’d stashed there. His sweaty palm slid across the smooth metal and he extracted his hand without dropping the ring onto the floor.

The buzzer sounded and the crowd cheered. Another victory. Another undefeated season well under way, too. Kiersten came down the bleachers and stood next to him. “Good job, Coach.”

He grinned and kissed her. “Thanks, babe.”

“What about me?” Mike asked, holding his hands out. “Don’t I get a pretty word out of you?”

“Of course. Great job to you, too.” She extracted herself from Garrett’s arms and hugged Mike with her free arm. Mike snatched up little Amy, and all the women sighed collectively. Ah, the sight of a single man holding a baby. “There’s my pretty little sweetheart,” he cooed, for once oblivious to the females drooling over him, focused solely on the one drooling on him.

The moms all surrounded him and Mike, as usual. Mike was the target for their affections, now, though. Everyone knew Garrett was happily spoken for. “All right. Practice is at five tomorrow. I’ll see you all then. Great game!”

The crowd dispersed, leaving Garrett, Mike, Kiersten, Chris, and Amy. It reminded Garrett of that day a little under a year ago…the day that changed his life for the better. The day Kiersten decided she wanted to use him to get back at Pete. What had once stung now all weaved together in the bigger picture of his life.

The life he shared with Kiersten.

Now, they could take the next step. Marriage. He only hoped she’d decided marriage wasn’t such a bad thing after all. They’d been living together for seven months. Loving each other.

This was the next logical step. And he wanted to make her his in every way.

“She’s so cute,” Mike said, holding the baby’s little hand. He nudged Garrett in the ribs. “How did you make something so damn cute with that face?”

“She takes after her mother.” Garrett crossed his arms and grinned. “Hey. When are you going to settle down and have a few babies of your own?”