“Everyone, ready?” Hawked asked, entering the living room.

I could tell Hunter felt out of place, and I wished there was something I could do to help him feel more at home. But the sad fact was that it was going to take all of us time to adjust. This was a huge change for everyone.

I hadn’t processed what this meant for my relationship with Hunter. And I hadn’t even let myself realize what this meant for Hawk and me. We were in this thing together. Co-parenting? Dating? I couldn’t wrap my head around it.

“Yeah I’m starving how about you, Hunter?” I asked. Hawk and I decided to pick up some lunch while we were out shopping.

“Kinda,” he answered, glancing down at the ground.

“Come on,” Hawk prodded. “We’ll get some food and your choice of clothes. I’m driving.” He snatched the keys from the table near the front door.

My heart felt as if it could literally cry right this moment. Every single time I doubted this man and his ability to care for this beautiful little boy he proved me wrong. I glanced back at Hunter and watched as hope lit his eyes. I wondered how long it has been since someone has taken him shopping.

How long had it been since someone bought him a pair of shoes and didn’t just pass along someone else’s hand me downs?

How long since he had underwear and socks that fit his body?

Hunter and I followed Hawk to the elevator and down to the parking garage where his car was parked. I couldn’t stop thinking about all of the things that had happened in the past few weeks. How I had gone from not having any hope to having so much hope it was overwhelming. And yet, I was nervous.

Hawk shuttled us both inside the cars.

I was nervous that he wouldn’t get custody. Nervous this was only a dream. Nervous he’d break my heart. That this wasn’t the real man—it was only a temporary fix for the playboy I had met.

“And ice cream? What about that?” he called to Hunter in the backseat.

“I love ice cream.”

Tears rained down my cheeks. I wiped at them furiously, not wanting the man in the driver’s seat to see the effect his simple gesture has had on me, but he noticed and in the act of a true gentleman he reached into his glove compartment and pulled out a hankie, passing it to me to wipe my eyes.

“Thank you,” I said. We both knew I didn’t just mean for the handkerchief.

“Of course.” He replied.

After today my heart and my head were going to have to have a serious talk. Everything this man was and everything he did had me so twisted in knots I didn’t know if I was coming or going. One minute I wanted to kill him and skin him alive and the next I want to wrap my arms around him and bury my face in his chest.

Hawk kept a baseball hat pressed around the frame of his face. It was comical if he thought that was some kind of disguise. The man was huge and anyone within five feet of him would immediately recognize him—especially women.

It didn’t help that every five minutes there was a story about the Sharks on the news. The city was taking the playoffs bid to epic proportions. His fame and popularity was out of control.

The mall was decorated with Christmas trees and hanging snowflakes in every corner. Hawk trudged forward to one of the shoe stores. I rolled my eyes when I saw it was all athletic shoes. I would have gone with shirts and pants first, but I wasn’t the one leading the shopping expedition.

He pointed to a wall of shoes. “Pick any that you want. You can buy all of them if you want.” He grinned widely.

I tugged on his arm, pulling him away from an awestruck Hunter.

“What’s wrong?”

I spoke softly. “Balance. He needs some balance. He can’t go from having nothing to having everything.”

“I just want him to be happy. His life has sucked for so long.”

“I know it has.” I wanted to reach up and wrap my arms around his neck and draw his lips to mine. I was melting on the spot. Did he have any idea how adorable he was being? “But you have to act like a parent, not an uncle. There’s a difference.”

“Shit,” he muttered. “Ok. Got it.”

He walked back over to Hunter. “Bud, listen. Pick your favorite five. That’s all we can get today.”

Hawk looked at me for approval. I let a giggle slip. “Five?”

He shrugged. I realized it was going to take a while for any of us to have balance.

Hunter fell asleep on the way home from the mall. The day took its toll on him, and he couldn’t keep his eyes open any more. He looked peaceful and relaxed sleeping in the backseat. It was hard to imagine anyone not wanting to love him.

“Thank you.” I broke the silence in the car. Hawk glanced over at me like I had grown two heads or something.

“For what?” he asked, looking back to the road.

“For taking a chance on him and looking past the outside.”

I could tell he didn’t know what to say or how to respond to that comment so he changed the subject.

“Yeah, so I have practice tonight. I don’t know when I’ll be home.”

“What? But it’s his first night here. I mean his first official night,” I blurted out.

“It’s the playoffs, baby. I don’t have a choice.”

I crossed my arms. “So I’m just in charge of dinner and getting him to bed and all of that?”

“I thought you liked all that shit.”

I glared at him. “I do, but you’re the one who wanted to adopt him. Do you really know what that means?” I tried to keep my voice low in case the child woke up. I didn’t want to hear us argue about him.

“I don’t know what any of it means.” His words shocked me at first, but I realized how honest he was being with me. “That’s why I need you.”

I nodded. We had to be a team on this. We had to work together.

“I’ve got tonight.”

“Thank you.”

He parked the car in his secure spot and walked to the back to carry Hunter inside. I watched as he carefully lifted him into his arms. Hawk looked strong and caring. I sighed. This man had completely turned my life upside down.