Page 40 of Betrothed
“Halftime,” I murmured.I should’ve let her go, but my hands stayed put on the dip of her waist for a second longer, feeling her shiver as a breeze blew over the field. The day had started out sunny, but had quickly become cloud-covered, the threat of rain looming in the distance. “Here. Wear this.” I shrugged out of my jacket and held it up for her.
Her gaze tangled with mine for a long second before she turned and slid her arms into the sleeves.
“He’s doing well,” I murmured, redirecting the conversation to anything other than the fact that lawyers didn’t loan their jackets to their beautiful clients.
“He is,” she agreed, but the shine in her eyes dimmed when she looked across the field. “I wish I could tell him.”
If the thrum of desire in my blood wasn’t enough to keep me heated, the jolt of anger I felt every time I looked at the team’s bench and saw Stan lording over it,coaching the game, was.
I sent over the visitation request to Stan’s lawyer with zero expectation he was going to easily accept it this time. For Kenzie’s sake, I’d hoped I was wrong, but I wasn’t. Stan had refused. His reason? Because he was helping coach—something he’d conveniently forgotten to mention last weekend; he claimed it wasn’t fair to split his or Jake’s focus from the game to let him see Kenzie.
I called bullshit.My fist balled with a will of its own, ready to split Stan’s head from his body if he continued to do this to Kenzie.
Meanwhile, the damn saint of a woman took the news with more grace than he deserved. Or maybe that was just because I’d agreed to take her to the game regardless of what Stan said.
But for Kenzie’s sake, we had to stay on this side of the field. Let Stan handle telling their son why he couldn’t come over and see his mom; it was his choice.
“He knows you’re here for him. That’s what matters,” I promised her, unable to stop myself from reaching for her hand.
Instantly, her fingers twined with mine, like we were both starving for any crumbs to feed the attraction between us.
Back at Blooms, the lines were clear. We kept things professional. Didn’t talk outside of work hours. But here… outside of Carmel… the lines blurred.
“Do you think he can hear me?”
“Kenz.” I chuckled. “I’m pretty sure Canada can hear you.”
A wide smile beamed over her face, and she started to laugh before her whole expression crumbled.
“What are you doing here, Mackenzie?”
I turned, releasing Kenzie just as Stan reached us. He narrowed his eyes on me, and I wondered if he saw that I’d been holding her hand. It didn’t matter, I told myself. There was nothing he could do about that—nothing he could do about me though I sure as hell would like to see him try.
“I came to watch Jake’s game,” she said firmly, and I caught the slight lift in her chin like she was prepared for battle.
“And I told you no,” he said, his tone flat but with a slight edge. “So, you can either leave now or—”
“Or nothing,” I broke in. “We’re just here to watch the game from the opposite sideline of a public park. We’re not here to visit Jake, and we aren’t breaking any rules to do so.”
Stan’s nostrils flared, and he folded his arms, his eyes wild for a second as he looked me up and down. “You think you’re smart, don’t you?” he demanded and turned his attention to Kenzie. “You know I don’t have to let you see him, right, Mackenzie? It’s my decision, and I can change it likethat”—he snapped his fingers—“if I want. You’re a drug addict. You should be thanking me for letting you visit my son.”
Kenzie let out a gasp of pain. The way he emphasized ‘my’ didn’t go unnoticed—nor did the way he spoke loudly to make sure the few people standing around heard him call her a drug addict.
Fucker.
Red blurred my vision. I stepped forward until he could only see me and dropped my voice low. “Speak to her like that again, and you’ll be begging me not to sue you—not to drown you in so much legal paperwork not even your smug ass will be able to worm your way out of it.”
“Zeke.” Her hand rested softly on my arm, and it was the only reason I held back.
“You’ll have to let Kenzie see Jake if a judge orders you to,” I said, holding my tone flat as I smiled that fake-ass smile back at him. “And I’m sure that judge would be interested to hear how you’re threatening and verbally harassing her in public with no provocation.”
His lip curled, and I thought he was going to say something—do something stupid, but then he didn’t. Instead, it was almost like every emotion wiped from his face, replaced with an easy grin that made me question everything.
“I’m disappointed in you, Mackenzie. Very disappointed.” Stan shook his head, his eyes flicking to Jake before looking back at her. “Enjoy the rest of the game.”
He turned and walked back around the field, making sure to stop and talk to several parents along the way, some with their kids who played on the opposing team, but still, everyone greeting him with warm smiles while they sent pitiful stares in Kenzie’s direction.
As soon as she noticed them, she tensed.