I had absolutely no idea what was going on.

Twice I’d checked to see if there was going to be a full moon tonight. There wasn’t. I’d also Googled weird weather occurrences that caused extreme atmospheric shifts, like The Day After Tomorrow kind of stuff, convinced something of biblical proportions was about to go down, and that was the explanation for Sean’s sudden change of heart.

No dice on that either.

I had zero explanation for why Sean was offering to help me out. I just knew he was, and I was grateful.

I also had zero explanation for why I was falling back into old habits I’d quit cold turkey when Sean made it clear how not interested he was in me.

Sitting up on that counter wasn’t something I did anymore. Neither was speaking to him, and I was doing both. Really well. Like we hadn’t had months of distance, and this was just what we did during our day-to-day.

We didn’t. We didn’t even have a day-to-day. There was nothing routine about us. Not anymore.

But seeing as Sean was offering to help me out, had actually engaged me in conversation when he walked up to my car, and had said more words to me in one day than he’d ever spoken total in all of our past interactions, I thought, what the hell? The least I can do to show my appreciation is be friendly with the man.

I’d just ignore how good it felt showing that appreciation. Or I’d at least acknowledge how I should be ignoring it.

Maybe it was easier letting go and letting things happen. I wasn’t fighting Sean on his offer and forcing distance again. I was accepting it. Just like I was accepting the routine of us. Hopping up on that counter and speaking to Sean felt…natural. It was easy and comfortable when, at the moment, nothing else in my life was.

But if I kept wondering, if I kept trying to pick this apart, all of that could change.

Sean probably wasn’t struggling for understanding with all of this. So why should I? If he wanted to help me out, awesome. If I wanted to sit up on that counter and talk his ear off, great.

I wasn’t going to pick this apart anymore.

I was going with the flow.

“Woo! Go, Eli!” I cheered from the top of the bleachers, getting looks from both my brother and the parents surrounding me.

From Eli because he hadn’t done anything to warrant a cheer, unless you counted looking cute covering third base as cheer worthy, which I absolutely counted.

The looks from the other parents had to do with the same thing, I was sure, but I also had a feeling it was because I’d been cheering a lot during this practice, not needing an actual reason to, obviously, and I was standing out doing it, considering none of them had been rooting on their kids at all.

I was surrounded by crickets. It was weird.

Crickets who paid more attention to their phones.

Aside from taking a few pics of Eli and sending them to my mom, plus one short video of him up at bat, I hadn’t looked at my phone at all until it started ringing halfway through the practice.

Typically, I would’ve excused myself and stepped away so I wouldn’t disturb anyone, but since no one seemed engrossed in anything important, I stayed where I was after digging the device out of my pocket.

Sean’s name flashed across the screen.

I noted the time before accepting the call. It was nearly four-thirty. He should’ve been at the school by now.

“Hey,” I answered. “Any problems?”

“Yeah. Do me a solid and confirm I’m not lookin’ to kidnap anyone and make a fuckin’ dress out of their skin.”

“What?”

“Here,” Sean grumbled, then not a breath later…

“Did you send some stranger to pick me up?” Dominic’s voice was hurried and high-pitched. “Some guy I’ve never even seen before? You actually want me to leave with him?”

“Dominic, calm down,” I said. “He’s not a stranger. I work with Sean.”

“He’s a hair stylist?”

“Do I look like a fuckin’ hair stylist?” Sean griped, sounding close by.

“You look like you want to make a dress out of my skin.”

“Okay. Nobody is making a dress out of anyone’s skin.” Two parents whirled around to look back at me. My eyes narrowed. “Do you mind? Watch your kids,” I snapped, gesturing for them to turn around.

“Watch whose kids?” Dominic asked.

“Not you,” I told him. Assholes. Do some parenting. “Dom, Sean is…a friend. Okay? He’s my friend. He’s the cook at Whitecaps, and he very kindly offered to pick you up and bring you to me so I don’t have to leave Eli’s practice.”

I began chewing on my cuticle like a maniac, hoping this was all the convincing I would need to do. I didn’t know what else to say.

“He’s your friend?” Dominic asked incredulously.

“Yes.”

“Just your friend?”

Oh, my God. “Who are you, Oprah? Just let him give you a ride. And don’t act like you haven’t been checking out his bike. I know you’re into that.”

There was a short pause, then Dominic admitted, “It is pretty sweet. Looks like Dad’s, but I wasn’t really digging the blue on Dad’s Harley. I like that black-and-chrome look. Or all black. That’s badass.”

“You into bikes?” That question came from Sean, and I knew we were all good then.

Smiling, I said into the phone, “Okay, Dom. Go with Sean. I’ll see you in a bit.”

“Yeah, okay. See ya.”

Expecting the call to disconnect, I was pulling the phone away from my ear when I heard a gruff, “Hey.”

My stomach clenched. Actually, my entire body clenched. Especially everything near my waist. That was clenching the most.

Not only because this was the first hey I’d ever received from Sean—his typical greetings to me consisting of head jerks or other nonverbal cues—but also because of the gruffness in his voice.

Gruff coming from men with deep voices was nice.

Sean’s gruff, coming from Sean and his voice, was good.

Real good.

“Hey!” I chirped, pressing the phone back to my ear.

“He seems convinced I’m not here to do some weird Hannibal Lecter shit to him,” Sean said. “We’ll be outta here shortly.”

“Okay!”

There was a pause, then, “You all right?”

“Yep! Just happy.”

Another pause, then, “Right. Gotta go.”

“Cool. See ya!”

“Later.”

I ended the call, smiling, happy, really happy now thanks to that hey, set the phone on the bleacher seat beside me, and looked between the parents, asking “Anybody want to do the wave? I’ll start it.”

Silence and strange glances were all I received.

“Sheesh. Tough crowd.” I looked out onto the diamond and watched Eli bend down and brush dirt off the base. “Woo! Lookin’ good, number four!” I yelled.

Eli raised his head and gave me a lopsided smile, which turned into a full-blown grin when I stood, launching into a one-person wave.

I’d do waves by myself for the rest of the practice if it got me grins like that. Not only because I was here to support Eli and cheering him on was how I’d planned on doing that, take note, parents, but also because I was determined to make up for that missed field trip.

And I’d make up for it good, too.

“I didn’t embarrass you too bad, did I?” I asked Eli as we walked across the grass toward the parking lot after practice.

“Nah. M-Mom does that,” he said. “Sh-She’s always the only one yelling and s-stuff.”

I wrapped my arm around his shoulder and pulled him into a side-to-side hug. “So, did you think about what super special thing you wanted to do tonight?” I asked.

When I picked Eli up from school, he didn’t seem to be upset anymore, telling me he knew it wasn’t my fault we got stuck in traffic (it was, and I’d argued that point), and also sharing how stupid his classmates said the botanical gardens turned out to be (apparently, flowers were boring), but I wasn’t going back on my promise. I’d told him we’d do something special, and I meant it.

Walking pressed together, we both stepped over the curb and onto the graveled lot.

“I’m s-still thinking.”

“It can be whatever you want,” I reminded him. “Just nothing illegal. I don’t care how special it is. No dancing girls for you. You’re too young.”

He giggled.

When we reached my car, I popped the trunk and dumped his baseball equipment inside while Eli took off his cleats, exchanging them for his sneakers he wore to school. Then after setting those in the trunk, along with his hat, which was covered in a thin dusting of dirt, I slammed the trunk closed and turned at the sound of Harley pipes in the distance.

“W-We g-going to get D-Dom now?” Eli asked.

“Nope.” I grinned at him, then tipped my head at the bike as it pulled into the lot and made its way down the row of cars, slowing to a stop in front of us.

Eli stepped closer to me as Sean cut the engine and toed the kickstand down. “Sh-Shay, w-who’s that?” he asked.

“That’s my friend,” I told him, no hesitation this time, since I was going with the flow of things.

Dominic swung off the bike and took off the helmet he was wearing, handing it over to Sean.

“How was it?” I asked my brother.

He smiled. He actually smiled, without me getting injured.

Pure elation filled me.

“Great,” he said. “Sean goes way faster than Dad.”

I cut my eyes to Sean, who was slouched over the handlebars and looking directly at me.

I ignored how good he looked positioned like that, which was a difficult task, considering the faded jeans he had on were clinging to his thighs, and the sleeves of his heather-gray thermal were pushed up, revealing magnificent forearms decorated in ink. Plus his hair was styled in one of my favorite ways Sean ever wore his hair—a little messy. Pieces had fallen out of his pony and were hanging in front of his ears, framing his face.

Sean had amazing hair. I wanted to touch it more than I wanted to breathe.

“Not too fast, I hope,” I said to him.

“He got here, didn’t he?” Sean answered.

I cocked my head as most of that elation I’d been feeling left me. Mm. Not sure how I felt about that answer.

But he had done me a favor, so I decided not to press, and instead wrapped my arm around Eli, who was staring at that bike and nothing else. “Sean, this is my brother, Eli. Eli, this is Sean.”

Sean jerked his chin.

I looked down at Eli and watched him return the gesture.

Holy Lord, that was cute.

“The car unlocked?” Dominic asked.

“Yep,” I answered.

He dug the phone out of his pocket and looked back at Sean. “Thanks for the ride, man. It was cool,” he said.

“No problem,” Sean replied.

Dominic walked to the car, opened the back door, and dumped his book bag inside before climbing in himself.

When I turned back to Sean, he was looking at me again.

“S-Shay.”

I put my attention on Eli. “Yeah, buddy?”

“I know w-what I w-want to do now,” he said, half of his mouth lifting.

All that admiring he’d been doing, it immediately dawned on me what my brother was referring to.

And although I wanted to give him the world right now, there were certain things that were just out of my control.

“Oh, um, I don’t know, E. I think Sean has to get back to work.”

“What’s the problem?” Sean asked.

I looked at him, mouth open to reply, but Eli stepped forward and spoke first.

“I w-want a r-ride,” he told Sean.

Sean’s brows lifted. “Yeah?”

Eli nodded his head so fast, I feared it would detach from his body.

“E, Sean has to get going,” I said, reaching for my brother.

“I do?”

I quit reaching for my brother and looked back at Sean. “You don’t?”

His one shoulder gave a quick jerk. “Gotta be getting back, but I got a minute,” he shared.

“Oh. Well, okay!” I stepped up beside Eli and ruffled his hair. “One quick ride around the parking lot. How’s that sound?”

Eli tipped his head back and wrinkled his nose. “B-But Dom g-got a long r-ride. I want that t-too.”

“E…” I began.

“C-Can you t-take me back to S-Shay’s?” Eli asked Sean, cutting me off.

“He’s gotta go to work, E,” I said. “Just go for a ride around the parking lot. That’ll be fun.”

“B-But th-that’s not special, Shay.”

I pinched my lips together. Well, shit.

“You live around here, or closer to Whitecaps?” Sean asked, drawing my head up.

Oh, my God. Was he actually considering this?

“Uh…closer to Whitecaps,” I said. “I’m at Pebble Dune Apartments.”

Sean nodded once, then held out the helmet to Eli, telling me, “Don’t know where that is, but I’ll follow you.”

Oh, my God. He wasn’t only considering this. He was doing it.

Helping me out was one thing, but Sean didn’t even know my brother. He could’ve insisted parking lot ride or nothing, but he wasn’t.

Wow.

Wow.

“Yes!” Eli punched his fist into the air. “C-Can I go, Sh-Shay? C-Can I?”

I pried my smile off Sean and gave it to Eli. “Heck, yeah, dude. Go for it.”

“Yes!” he cried again before breaking into a sprint.

I walked over to the bike as Eli was fastening the helmet, stepped up beside Sean, and quickly admired the jewelry he always wore on his arm—bracelets made of different colored thread. Single pieces. Not three or more strands braided together.

Friendship bracelets. That’s what the thread reminded me of—my childhood. I’d made bracelets using thread like that all the time.

Then I bent down and told him with a hushed voice, “Not too fast. He’s only eight.”

Sean smirked behind his short, thick beard. “Sure thing, Mama Bear.”

“Mama Bear? You cracking another joke? That’s twice today.”

He stared at me, confused.

“The not everyone should have pets comment,” I reminded him.

His face hardened, making him look regretful. “I was talkin’ about me when I said that.”

“Didn’t sound that way.”

Somehow, his face hardened even more, causing little lines to form in deep, tanned grooves beside his eyes. Now he wasn’t only looking regretful. He was looking mildly pissed.

“Relax. It was funny,” I told him, smiling.

His gaze lowered to my mouth, and he instantly quit looking pissed, but that regret was slow to leave him, keeping the tenseness in his jaw until a soft giggle escaped me.

I couldn’t help it. I was thinking about that pet comment.

It really was funny.

And even though I missed Ombre, my fish, I still appreciated a good joke.

“I’m r-ready,” Eli said at my back.

I spun around and helped him swing up onto the bike. “You remember how you gotta hold on, right?” I asked, guiding his arm around Sean’s waist and pressing Eli’s hand to Sean’s belly. “Like this. Tight.”

I felt hardened muscle contract beneath my fingers.

I looked at Sean, breath catching in my throat.

Sean looked at me, his eyes more intense than I’d ever seen before.

Then I looked back at Eli before I passed out, doing this at the same time as he muttered, “I g-got it.”

He slid closer to Sean and wrapped his other arm around him, which prompted me to step back since he did, indeed, have it.

The bike roared to life.

Eli’s face lit up, and the smile he was wearing rivaled Dominic’s, which brought that feeling of elation back on, but this time tenfold, seeing as I was making up for that missed field trip in a good way, the way I had been hoping to make up for it.

And I had Sean to thank for that.

The bike backed up a car length, leaving room for me to pull out of my parking space.

I gave Eli a thumbs up, got one in return, met Sean’s eyes and got that head jerk I always found hot in a broody sort of way, but was beginning to find cute too now that I’d seen Eli do it, waved at the both of them, and then got in my car.

“So, how was tutoring?” I asked Dominic once we’d both pulled out of the parking lot, Sean staying close behind me.

“It was tutoring,” Dom replied curtly.

Eyes already in the rearview, I looked from Sean to the top of Dominic’s head, saw his attention on his phone, and told him, “Hey, you know we all care about how well you do in school, right? Mom and Dad, they love you a lot, Dom. They just have—”

“God, I don’t care,” he interrupted me. “Seriously. We don’t have to talk all the time.”

Annnnd King Attitude is back. Awesome.

I rolled my eyes away and put them back on the road ahead of me after taking one last glance in the rearview at Sean. I kept my mouth shut and finished the drive in silence, but not because I wanted to.

Part of this whole going with the flow thing meant picking my battles with Dominic.

I’d gotten a smile out of him today. A real smile. I wouldn’t push my luck.

When we got to Pebble Dune Apartments, I parked in my usual space while Sean pulled up along the curb, allowing Eli to hop off onto the sidewalk.

“My l-legs are sh-shaking!” He giggled, unhooking the strap under his jaw and removing the helmet.

I closed the driver’s side door and walked over, asking, “How cool was it?”

“So c-cool!” Eli handed the helmet over to Sean.

I ruffled his hair. “What do you say?” I prompted.

“Th-Thank you.”

Sean jerked his chin.

Eli smiled, then returned the gesture in an exaggerated way, so his head tipped way back.

I laughed. “Go get your book bag out of the car,” I told him. “Leave your baseball stuff. We’ll need it for tomorrow.”

“Okay.” Eli stepped away and hurried to the car.

“Can I get your house keys?” Dominic asked at my back.

I was going to tell him I’d just be another second, but remembering his smile and how I was picking my battles, I tossed him the keys instead after hitting the lock on the key fob.

Dominic caught them, then he and Eli went inside the apartment.

I turned back to Sean. “Thanks again for getting Dominic for me, and for what you did for Eli. That meant a lot to both of us. You didn’t have to do that.”

“I didn’t do it ’cause I had to,” he replied.

He didn’t, and I knew that, which was another reason why I was so grateful to him.

Just like the guy who bought my tacos the other day, Sean did a good deed just because he wanted to, and he wasn’t expecting anything in return for it.

I thought that said a lot about him.

“Well…” I paused, not sure what to say next, besides a hundred more thank-yous and an invite inside, which I was too terrified to offer for fear he’d shoot me down.

“Gotta get going,” Sean muttered, letting me off the hook.

I was grateful for that as well.

“Right. Okay, see ya.”

“Later.”

I waved as I turned, took the three steps down to the basement level, and paused at the door, looking back toward the sidewalk when the bike engine revved.

Sean and I locked eyes.

Then I watched him pull away.

Before I went to bed that night, I’d decided on writing out a thank-you note to express my gratitude to Sean.

Even though I’d verbally expressed this gratitude already, I believed written words held more meaning. Growing up, my mother instilled in me the importance of writing thank-you notes. It was an older tradition she’d said was becoming nonexistent, thanks to technology. People made phone calls nowadays, or worse, sent texts. (Mom thought texts were the most impersonal.) And I wasn’t being raised like that. Not if she could help it. As soon as I could write, my mom had me sit down and make out cards for my friends and family the day after birthday parties or any special event where gifts were given.

Now I wrote thank-you notes for different reasons. I didn’t have to receive a present from someone. If I felt inclined to send a note of appreciation, I did.

And that night, I was feeling more inclined than I could ever remember feeling, let me tell you.

What Sean did for me meant a lot.

After dinner with the boys, one walk-in haircut, several loads of laundry I not only washed but took the time to fold and put away, and some social media time, I got started. And two rough drafts later, I’d polished up the note I’d written out, proofread it three times, and fancied it up with doodles along the edges of the card.

I also might’ve sprayed it with my perfume. With a light hand. Nothing crazy.

Then after sealing it in an envelope and addressing it to Sean, I stuck the thank-you note in my purse, made sure the boys were in bed, and turned in myself, considering it was already after one a.m. and we had a busy day tomorrow.

Both Dominic and Eli had sports stuff going on.

Dominic had a scrimmage, and Eli had practice. And both just so happened to be going on at the same time, at two different athletic parks.

Go figure.

It was a lot, but I had a plan. I’d split my time between the two, driving back and forth so I wouldn’t be choosing between my brothers, and I figured depending on the length of Dominic’s scrimmage, I could stay for the end of Eli’s practice and take him to the other field so we could both watch Dom.

The plan was simple. It was also one that could work.

However, life seemed to have a wild hare up its ass about me lately, so even though I felt good about this plan, I still had a difficult time shutting my brain off and passing out that night. What if there was some weird electrical malfunction where all iPhones shut down for no reason? If that happened, I’d miss the alarm I’d set to allow ample time for consumption of a big, hearty breakfast. The boys needed their fuel. Breakfast bars and cereal just wouldn’t do before a morning of sports, so I was relying on that alarm.

Now I figured the chances of this weird electrical malfunction happening were one in a million but again, wild hare. This led to the panicking. And typically when I panicked, I busied myself with a task in hopes I’d get distracted and forget about what I was panicking over.

I had several options, but I settled on alphabetizing my product supply, choosing that because it allowed me to stay in my room and make little to no noise.

It worked too. An hour later, I had systematized my inventory and successfully distracted myself enough to fall asleep.

I wasn’t worried about weird electrical malfunctions anymore. I knew the alarm I’d set would wake me up.

So, the next morning, when my eyes slowly fluttered open of their own accord—without an alarm—I was confused. I rolled to my side and pulled the charger cord, dragging my phone across the carpet until it was close enough to press the home button.

My phone lit up and displayed the time: 9:16.

“Son of a bitch!” I yelled, kicking the blanket off and scrambling off the futon. My alarm was set for eight-thirty. Why the FUCK is it 9:16?

“Get up! Get up!” I threw the door open and rushed out of the room, banging on the boys’ bedroom door as I continued to yell. “We only have fifteen minutes before we gotta leave! You guys gotta get dressed! Hurry!”

We wouldn’t have time for a big, hearty breakfast. The boys would be limited to cereal or a granola bar. I couldn’t even offer them something hot and filling, and a morning of sports called for something hot and filling.

Shit!

I was preparing to bust into their room when giggling at my back halted me. Looking over my shoulder, I saw Dominic and Eli seated at the kitchen table, dressed and ready to go.

What the…

“Oh, you guys are up,” I said, surprised. Turning completely, I walked over, and getting closer, saw the full plates in front of them, filled with scrambled eggs, pancakes, and sausage links.

Huh? “Dom, did you cook?” I asked.

Mouth stuffed full and syrup dripping from his lips, he mumbled something I couldn’t make out.

“What?”

“S-Sean did,” Eli answered this time, drawing my eyes to him but not lingering there, and instead, moving to the kitchen entryway when Sean stepped forward and filled it.

My eyes bugged. My mouth dropped open.

Sean Molina was standing in my apartment, wearing his typical chilly-weather uniform of faded jeans and a well-worn thermal, this one midnight blue in color. His hair was tied back at the base of his skull with a few strands hanging in front of his ears, and I would’ve appreciated that look because it was one I liked appreciating, but I couldn’t do that because Sean Molina was standing in my apartment.

“What are you doing here?” I asked him.

He was holding one of the Blow Me coffee mugs I’d purchased from Etsy. I’d gotten it because of the hair-styling reference, but it held a double meaning—one I was trying exceptionally hard to ignore right now. I could feel the burn in my cheeks, turning them red.

Sean said nothing, just leaned his shoulder against the door frame and stared at my lower half.

My initial reaction? Flattery.

Was he checking me out right now? Holy shit.

Then reality struck: I never slept in pants.

Gasping, I tugged on the hem of my shirt enough to cover my thong and slowly backed away, saying, “Uh, let me just…put something on. Be back.”

More giggles erupted from the table.

I thought I caught a smile behind the coffee mug as Sean took a sip, but I couldn’t be sure, since I was retreating fast.

“Jesus Christ!” I whispered after reaching the second bedroom and slipping inside. I slammed the door shut and dropped my head against it, groaning.

Sean saw my ass.

My brothers saw my ass.

I didn’t really care about my brothers. Yes, it was mildly embarrassing and something I’d probably never live down, but SEAN SAW MY ASS. This was absolutely something I would never live down. I couldn’t take this back. I couldn’t tell him Ha! Just kidding! Not my ass! Because it was my ass, and he saw a lot of it. Everything except the crack.

Great.

Most of my clothes were temporarily being stored in the closet I kept supplies in, since my brothers were occupying my bedroom. Hurrying over to the sliding door, I pulled out a pair of jeans and a flannel, quickly got dressed, tugged on a pair of socks, and ran my fingers through my hair before slinking back out into the main living area.

If I’d had the option, I would’ve stayed hidden away and lived out the rest of my life as a hermit, but I didn’t have that option. Furthermore, why the hell was Sean in my apartment?

“Hey,” I said, walking up to Sean, who was still perched in the doorway of the kitchen, drinking his coffee.

He lifted his chin in greeting. “Your coffee sucks.”

“Uh, thanks.” I made a mental note about Sean disliking coconut-mocha coffee. Not sure why, but I did. “What are you doing here?”

“Saw on the calendar they had stuff goin’ on this mornin’,” he began, glancing at my brothers. “Figured you’d have trouble doin’ both, so I’m here.”

“You’re helping me out again?”

“It ain’t a big deal.”

I stood a little taller, staring back at him and disbelieving the words he’d just uttered, even though I’d heard them loud and clear.

He was helping me out again.

Sean had taken the time to glance over that calendar yesterday when I was merely pointing out a day’s worth of activities, and after doing so, came to the conclusion he’d help without me asking him for it, knowing his help would make my life easier.

He was right. This wasn’t a big deal. This was a huge deal.

“You made them breakfast,” I said, pointing out the other part of this amazing act of character. “A hot breakfast. That’s so important. I wanted to do that, but I think there’s something wrong with my phone. My alarm didn’t go off.”

“It went off,” Sean said.

“I’m sorry?”

“Your alarm. It went off.” He tipped his chin at the table. “Already had breakfast going, they were up, so I shut it off and let you sleep. I had it handled.”

“You shut my alarm off because you had it handled?”

“That’s what I said.”

“What time did you get here?”

“’Bout an hour ago.”

“And who let you in?”

Sean looked at Eli, then I looked at Eli, who was shoveling bites of pancake into his mouth like this was his last meal on Earth.

I couldn’t blame him. Those pancakes looked amazing.

“E, did you let Sean in without letting me know he was here?”

“Obviously,” Dominic commented.

I ignored King Attitude and kept my focus on Eli, who finished chewing up his bite, swallowed, and wiped his mouth off with the back of his hand.

“Yes,” he answered.

I stepped closer and told him, “I know he’s not a stranger or anything, but you really should’ve woken me up first. Okay? Please, wake me up first next time.”

Eli slouched in his chair and nodded.

“What’s the problem?” Sean grated at my back.

I turned to him. “Nothing. I just think he should’ve let me know you were here.”

“You got an issue with me helpin’ you out?”

“No. Not at all.”

“Then what’s it matter?”

“Well, for starters, I would’ve put on pants,” I snapped, bringing my arms across my chest and cocking my head.

Sean’s mouth twitched. Even with his beard, I didn’t miss it.

“You know you got a mole on your butt, Shay?” Dominic teased.

“I’m aware, Dom. Thank you.”

Eli snickered. Dominic was laughing under his breath. Sean didn’t make a sound, but his mouth kept twitching.

“Anyway,” I continued, wanting to get my ass off the table for discussion, “I didn’t need to sleep in. I could’ve helped you make them breakfast,” I told him.

“Didn’t need help,” he returned. “I can cook this shit in my sleep.”

I was sure he could.

This meal was probably nothing for him, and I understood why he was playing it down, but I couldn’t do that, and not just because he’d done me another favor either.

I knew what was in my pantry.

“You made pancakes from scratch,” I stated, knowing he must have, since I didn’t have any pancake mix.

“And?”

“You could’ve just made eggs and sausage, since I had both on hand, and the boys would’ve been happy with that. You didn’t have to go through the trouble of making pancakes from scratch, but you did. Just like you didn’t have to let me sleep in. And you can play that down too all you want, but it’s not nothing to me. I like sleeping in, but I would’ve really liked helping you make them breakfast, whether you needed it or not. Then I could’ve been thanking you this whole time instead of waiting until right now.” I dropped my arms and stepped closer, watching his body straighten off the doorjamb as I got in front of him. Then I tipped my head back and said what I needed him to hear. “Thank you, Sean. Today would’ve been a little stressful. Possibly a lot stressful, considering my luck lately, and now, because of you, it won’t be. Thank you.”

He looked from my mouth to my eyes, then nodded his head once.

“I have a feeling I’m gonna need to stock up on stationery,” I added.

His brow pulled tight.

I raised my finger to halt him from asking questions, spun around, walked over to the couch and bent over it to dig through my purse, then returned to my spot in front of him with the thank-you note I hadn’t been prepared to deliver until my next shift at Whitecaps, but I was more than happy to deliver now.

I held out the card, and Sean took it.

“What’s this?” he asked.

“A thank-you note.”

“For what?” He lifted his eyes off the card and looked at me. “You already thanked me.”

“I know.”

I turned around and spotted bites of pancake left over on Dominic’s plate. He was finished eating and messing with his phone, so I stabbed two bites with his fork and stuffed the triangles into my mouth.

“Oh, my God,” I moaned as the deliciousness of the pancakes slapped my taste buds awake.

Eli giggled, watching me, and licked syrup off his thumb.

“So good, right?” I asked him.

He nodded fast.

I ate two more bites of pancake plus the rest of Dominic’s sausage, then straightened up and collected the empty plates. “Okay. Are you guys ready to go?” I asked my brothers.

“Yep,” Eli said, standing from his chair.

“My stuff’s already in Sean’s truck. He’s taking me,” Dominic informed me as he stood.

“Oh, okay.” Wow. He even came prepared with a vehicle to transport sports equipment. That was incredibly thoughtful. “I’ll probably catch the end of your game. So, good luck! Score some goals or whatever.”

Dominic snorted. “I play defense. I don’t score.”

“Okay, well, good luck defending.”

He rolled his eyes.

I was secretly grateful to be on Eli duty today.

“You ready?” Sean asked at my back.

Dominic nodded.

I turned, still carrying the plates, and watched Sean and my brother make their way toward the door.

“We’ll see you guys later!” I called out.

Dominic walked through the door, saying nothing.

Sean looked back when he hit the entryway, gave me a “Later,” and then pulled the door closed behind him.

My thank-you note was sticking out of his back pocket.

Eli’s practice lasted forty-five minutes, which was just enough time for us to catch the end of Dominic’s game.

When we arrived at the field, I anticipated Sean being there, but what I hadn’t expected to see was him standing along the sideline in the area parents were seated, watching my brother play.

That made me smile, for two reasons.

One, Sean was showing my brother support when he didn’t have to, and that meant a lot to me. And two, standing among the preppy lacrosse parents, Sean stood out. In a good way.

There were a lot of polo shirts over there.

After walking Eli over to the playground area where a bunch of other kids were playing, I headed for the field.

“Hey,” I said, coming up to stand beside Sean. “How’s it going? Are they winning?”

Arms pulled across his chest, Sean looked from the field down to me. “I got no idea what the fuck I’m watchin’,” he said.

I laughed. “Yeah, it’s a little different. Dom loves it, though.”

“He loves beatin’ the shit outta people.”

“What?”

I looked toward the field then, searched out Dominic’s number, and watched him run full speed at another player, drop his helmet to the other kid’s back, and level him.

I gasped. “Dominic! What are you doing?” I yelled as one of the refs blew a whistle.

“He ain’t allowed to do that?” Sean asked.

“Not like that, no,” I said. “I mean, they can check, but that was crazy.”

“He’s been doin’ that a lot.”

I looked up at Sean. “He has?”

Sean nodded, then put his attention back on the field. “Kid’s angry,” he said. “I don’t think he gives a fuck about playin’ right now. He’s out there to hurt.”

I watched Dominic walk up to another kid and knock his helmet into him. The kid wasn’t even doing anything.

A heavy breath escaped me. “It’s because of my dad,” I said. “Dominic’s watching that disease just…take him from us. And my dad, he’s this mountain. I know you look at me and think my parents are probably little, but Dad’s a big guy.” I looked up at Sean. “He’s so strong. Now, he has trouble tying his shoes and opening a pickle jar. It’s so sad to watch. I hate it. But Dom…he can’t be angry like this. He can’t hurt other people.”

A loud crack turned my head, and I watched Dominic stare down at a kid sprawled out on his back.

“Perkins!” one of the couches yelled. “One more time, and I’m pulling you! You hear me?”

Dominic didn’t even look up.

“I just don’t know how to help him,” I said to Sean. “He won’t talk to me.”

“Kid needs to let his anger out.”

“And how do you suggest he do that?”

I imagined duct-taping the couch cushions to my body and letting Dominic body slam me all over my apartment. I really didn’t want to do that.

Sean was silent for a minute, just kept watching the game. Then he rubbed at his mouth and smoothed out his beard before offering, “I got a wall in my house I’m tearing down, plus a few other things that need demolishing. Could use his help, if he’s interested.”

My brows lifted. “Really?”

There was surprise in my voice, but God, there shouldn’t have been. Why was I not expecting Sean’s help when he was constantly giving it lately?

Maybe it wasn’t the offer he was proposing that was so surprising. Maybe it was Sean himself.

He kept catching me off guard. I never expected anything from this man. Not anymore. I didn’t even think he liked me enough to be my friend.

“That’s…so nice of you,” I said, drawing his eyes off the field and down to me. “Do you think that’ll help him?”

“You ever put a hole in a wall?”

“Can’t say I have.”

The corner of his mouth lifted. “It’ll help. Trust me.”

Huh. I was curious how Sean knew so much about this subject matter, but figured there was a better time and place for that discussion, so I didn’t inquire.

“He busy tomorrow?” Sean asked.

“No, thank God.” I laughed a little. “Sunday is the one day neither of my brothers have anything going on. No chance of me screwing anything up.”

Sean checked the time on his phone before stuffing it back in his front pocket, doing this while turning to face me. “Right. I gotta get going,” he said. “Let me know if he’s not feelin’ my offer; otherwise, I’ll pick him up tomorrow at nine. You gonna be around that afternoon?”

“I work two to close,” I told him. “I figured the boys could hang out at Whitecaps. Nate said it was fine.”

“I’m headin’ in at three, so I’ll bring him,” Sean offered.

“Okay.” I smiled up at him. “I’ll talk to Dom after the game and let you know ASAP.”

“Let me know whenever. No rush.”

“I’d rather give you notice, so I’ll let you know ASAP.”

Sean stared down at me.

I went from smiling up at him to grinning up at him, watching his expression tighten when I did that. “What?” I asked.

“You all right?”

“Just happy,” I answered, because again, thanks to Sean and his thoughtfulness, I was.

So, so happy.

His warm copper eyes moved over my face, then he repeated the need to get going, saying it a little hurried this time, muttered his goodbye, which consisted of his standard “Later,” walked between the parents seated in chairs, and sauntered through the grass away from the field.

I watched him disappear over the small hill overlooking the parking lot, then turned back to the game just in time to catch Dominic full-body check another kid.

I winced.

Dominic got pulled from the game with forty-three seconds remaining.

On the bench, he received a lecture from his coach, followed immediately by one helluva lecture from me when I marched over there once the game whistle blew.

Dominic was pissed. Anger was pumping through him so hard, I knew his limbs were shaking from rage and not the typical adrenaline one would feel when playing a sport.

I didn’t care. I still lectured him.

Then I informed him of Sean’s offer, which seemed to be the equivalent to dangling a fat, juicy steak in front of a starved lion. Dominic’s eyes lit up, he smiled, his anger left him, and I would’ve bet money on him salivating.

He was very interested in putting holes in walls.

I was trusting Sean. I had a feeling this would help.

As promised, I shot him a text ASAP, letting him know Dominic was in.

Sean didn’t text back, but I wasn’t sure he was the texting type. I knew some guys just weren’t. They did phone calls or nothing. So I didn’t take offense.

Then as I was stocking up on stationery supplies at Michael’s half an hour later while the boys moaned in discomfort behind me, my phone beeped.

Be there at nine.

Apparently, he was the texting type. I grinned.

People were just full of surprises.