Page 81 of Cheap Shot

“He’s my favorite player.” Harper beamed at him. “He’s thebest.”

“He’smean,” Evie said. Though it didn’t exactly sound like an insult. Luke grinned down and fist-bumped her.

“Yeah. I like that,” Harper said. “He makes the monsters go away.”

“What?” Luke asked with a frown. “What monsters?”

“The bad monsters that come in my room when I sleep.”

“She has nightmares sometimes,” Sebastian said quietly, looking Luke in the eye. “They got really bad after her dad left. But Brie told her to imagine the biggest, baddest tough guy she knew and that he’d kick their butt and make them go away. Apparently, that was you.”

Luke swallowed.Shit. Well, that explained why Harper liked him so much. “I’d definitely kick their, uh, butts,” he said to her. “You just tell me who needs a good punching.”

Harper giggled.

“I had nightmares after Mommy left,” Maura said, biting her lip.

“Your mommy is gone?” Harper asked.

“She’s notgone,” Evie said. “She and Daddy got divorced and now we live in two houses. One with Mommy and one with Daddy and Ducky.”

“Ducky?” Harper asked with a tilt of her head.

“Jesse. Daddy’s boyfriend.”

“Oh!” Harper’s face brightened. “Dancing goalie.”

“Yes, but we call him Ducky,” Evie said.

“Doesyourdaddy have a Ducky?” Maura asked.

Harper shook her head. “No. He’s just gone.”

“Up in heaven gone?”

“No. He just left.” Harper sounded matter-of-fact.

But Luke swallowed thickly becausefuck that man. Fuckanyonewho would fucking walk out on their sick kid and leave their wife to deal with that shit alone.

He glanced at Sebastian, who nodded like he knew exactly what Luke had been thinking.

“You should get a Ducky,” Maura said. “They’re thebest.”

Harper glanced at Sebastian. “Uncle Sebby likes boys. Maybe he’ll get a Ducky.”

Sebastian looked away and cleared his throat. “Uhh. Maybe someday. Uncle Sebby is busy with work right now.”

“Do you play hockey?” Evie asked him.

“I did, but never as well as your dad and, uh, Uncle Luke.”

Holy shit. That was the first time Sebastian had ever complimented his hockey. Luke wasn’t holding his breath that it would happen again but …

“Then what do youdo?”Evie sounded like she couldn’t imagine anyone doing anything but playing hockey.

Which made sense to Luke. Whywouldanyone want to do anything else? He sort of understood why Sebastian had quit but it still seemed crazy to him.

Sebastian smiled. “I own three flower shops.”