Page 65 of Over the Line

“Sure. That sounds great.” I paused. “Unless you wanted to ask me about anything? Or tell me anything?”

He pursed his lips as he seemed to think about it. Then he shook his head and met my gaze. “Not that I can think of.” Inclining his head, he asked, “What about you?”

“Not at the moment, no.” God, I wished.

He raised an eyebrow, a hint of playfulness entering his expression. “But you’ll tell me if you’ve got a boyfriend? Or a girlfriend?”

“I’ll…” I hesitated. “I mean, if I think they’ll stick around for a bit, sure.”

Chris laughed. “Fair enough.” Pushing himself to his feet, he added, “I’ll go get Jazz.”

As he headed upstairs, I closed my eyes and exhaled. I wished I could tell him I was dating Liam St. Clair. I wished that were a thing that was true.

A man could dream, I guess.

Today, I was just glad to have knocked down one more barrier between my son and me.

Normally, Jasmine drove Chris to the arena, then came back later to watch the game and drive them both home.

Today, though, a couple of days after I’d come out to Chris, he had a team obligation that didn’t leave him time to come home before heading to the arena. The solution—Jasmine dropped him off this morning and rode in with me for tonight’s game, and I’d drive them home afterward.

As she eased herself into the passenger seat, she said, “I really appreciate this, Mr. Kane.”

“Don’t worry about it.” I smiled. “And like I said before, you can just call me Garrett.”

She glanced at me as she pulled on her seat belt. “Are you sure?”

“Of course. You’re an adult. Formality is…” I waved a hand.

She laughed softly. “Okay. I don’t know why it’s still such a habit.”

“Eh, old habits die hard.” I shifted back into drive and headed out of the townhouse’s parking lot. “I won’t be offended if you call me Mr. Kane, but Garrett is fine.”

“Okay. I’ll try to remember this time.” We chatted as I drove, and she filled me in on some of the plans she and Chris had for their baby’s arrival. “My mom’s coming out in February to stay with us. So she’ll be here when the baby comes, and she’ll stay for a few weeks after he’s born.”

“Oh, good,” I said. “I’m happy to help out as much as either of you need. I still have to work, but if you need anything, especially when Chris is on the road, don’t hesitate to give me a call, okay?”

Jasmine smiled. “I’ll keep that in mind. It’ll be really great to have someone locally, you know? So… thanks.”

“Of course. Anything I can do to help—just say the word.”

“Thank you,” she said again. “And, um, by the way—helping with the baby aside, it’s been really good for Chris, having you in town.”

I glanced at her. “Yeah?”

She nodded. “He was so excited when he told me you were moving to Pittsburgh—I know he was worried you might not be happy about the baby, but he was still thrilled.”

I winced. “It isn’t like you two are sixteen.”

“No, but we’re not married, and we’re young, and…” She trailed off.

“I’d be a bit of a hypocrite if I gave him grief for that. His mother and I weren’t married either, and we were way too young.” I shrugged. “You and he have good heads on your shoulders, and you can support yourselves.”

“The League paycheck helps,” she said with a shy laugh.

“Man, I would’ve killed for a paycheck like that when I was about to be a dad.” I paused. “To be serious, I would never have been angry with him or with you even if you were sixteen. Worried, sure. But not angry.”

“Really?”