Prologue
We Can Do Anything
Jake
“Text when you get home so I know the two of you made it in the door, okay?”
“Sure, Dad.” Queenie pushes up on her tiptoes and kisses me on the cheek, then
she turns to her fiancé, Ryan Kingston. “Okay, Boy Scout, let’s get you home.”
King pushes away from the wall he’s been leaning against. He sways unsteadily,
eyes slow to track, but when they land on my daughter, a smile pulls up the corners of
his mouth. “I’m gonna be your Boy Scout for the rest of my life. And you’re gonna be my
Queen. Just a few more months and you’re mine forever.”
Queenie laughs. “I’ve been yours since the day I met you. Come on, before you
say embarrassing things in front of my dad and Hanna.” She slips her arm through his
and helps him down the front steps to the Uber waiting at the end of the driveway.
Hanna, King’s older “sister”, or at least that’s how most people know her, steps
up beside me, her shoulder brushing my arm. “I hope he’s not too much of a mess
tonight.”
“I’m thinking all those shooters Queenie kept making for him are probably going
to result in a serious hangover tomorrow.” I wait until the Uber pulls away from the curb
before I shut and lock the door.
Tonight was my daughter’s engagement party. She’s marrying the goalie for the
NHL team I manage. Throw a bunch of hockey players and their significant others
together for a laid-back barbeque and an open bar and the result is a lot of happy
stumbling down the driveway into Ubers.
“I definitely feel like Ryan is going to have some regrets come morning.” She pats
my shoulder and her fingers drag along my biceps. “You tired or do you want to jump in
the hot tub for a bit and unwind?”
Hanna’s definitely on the tipsy side. I can tell by the glassiness of her eyes and
the flush in her cheeks. It isn’t often she lets loose like this. At least not that I’ve seen so
far, and we’ve had enough family get-togethers and events over the past several
months. With more to come since the wedding isn’t that far off. Truth be told, I’m feeling
the scotch I’ve been drinking tonight, too.
“Hot tub sounds good.” Our gazes meet and lock for several beats, enough for
me to wonder how good of an idea this actually is.
We’ve been dancing around each other for months. Ever since the first time we
met, actually. The attraction has been clear from day one, and the more time I spend
with her, the harder it becomes to ignore.
Planning the engagement party for Queenie and King means we’ve spent a lot of
time trading text messages, emails, phone calls, and more recently, Zoom chats that
often have little to do with tonight.
Her grin widens and her chocolate brown eyes sparkle with a hint of mischief. “I’ll
change then.”
“You bring that red bikini?”
“Are you keeping track of my swimwear?”
I lift a shoulder in what I hope is a nonchalant shrug. “You look good in red.” I
skim her cheek with a knuckle. “And this blush you’re wearing is particularly sexy.”
“You’re trouble tonight, aren’t you?” Her fingertips dance along my traps as she
brushes past me. “And yes, to answer your question, I did, in fact, bring the red bikini.”
She disappears down the hall to the spare bedroom, where she’s sleeping
tonight. Because I invited her to stay at my place this weekend rather than at King’s. It’s
not that she isn’t welcome there. It’s more that she wants them to have their privacy. It
also means I get more time with Hanna, so it’s a win all the way around. And I’d be lying
if I said I hadn’t been thinking a lot about time alone with her this weekend.
I change into my swim trunks, pour myself a scotch, heavy on the rocks, and her
a glass of wine before I make my way outside. I set the drinks on the outdoor dining
table, remove the hot tub cover and check the temperature, making sure it’s not too hot.
Once I carry the drinks over and set them in the cup holders, I sink into the hot,
bubbly water, stretch my arms out, let my head fall back and my eyes close. All the time
I’ve been spending with Hanna is starting to get to me.
Reminding me that I’m in my forties, and very much still a bachelor. There are a
lot of reasons why getting involved with Hanna on a romantic level would not be a good
idea. Queenie and King’s relationship being at the forefront.
But she’s fun. And sexy. And we get each other.
A minute later, the sound of the sliding door opening and closing and the slap of
flip-flops against the deck have me cracking a lid.
“You better not be sleeping already!” she calls out.
“Not sleeping, just waiting on you.”
I watch as she pulls the tie on her robe and the terry fabric slips over her
shoulders, revealing that red bikini I’m such a fan of. Hanna is all curves. Amazing
curves. The kind I’ve fantasized about putting my hands on plenty of times over the past
several months. And with us spending a lot more time together, it’s been hard not to
give in to the constant draw.
I rise from the water and hold out a hand as she climbs the steps. Her fingers slip
into my palm, sending a jolt down my spine and a stirring inside my swim trunks. “Could
you try to be a little less beautiful all the time?” I tease as I help her into the tub.
“Could you try to have more of a dad bod?” She drags her fingers down my abs,
brows waggling, a smile on her gorgeous face. “You are definitely good for my ego,
Jake.” She pats me on the chest and sinks into the water on the opposite side of the tub
from me.
Which is probably a good thing since I feel like we’re playing with fire tonight. The
kind I wouldn’t mind pouring a gallon of gasoline on just to watch it burn brighter.
“That was a great engagement party. I think the kids had fun, don’t you?” She
stretches her legs out. Her toes skim the outside of my thigh and I barely resist the urge
to run my hand up her calf.
I don’t know what’s in the air tonight, but things seem…different. Heightened.
“Yeah. It was good,” I agree.
She pokes me with her toe. “Then why are you frowning? You’ve been off all
night. What’s going on?” With all the planning and talks we’ve been having, Hanna and I
have gotten to know each other better. And she can read me pretty easily.
“I don’t know. On one hand, I’m happy for King and Queenie and I know he’s
going to be a great husband to my daughter, but I spent all these years raising her, and
being there for her. They’ve been living together for months, but for some reason, it’s all
kind of hitting me. It’s real now.” I take a sip of my scotch. “It’s different from when she
went away to college, and even when she moved out of the pool house and in with
King. There’s this hole I didn’t expect.”
“It sounds like empty nester’s syndrome.” She moves to the spot beside to me,
where the glass of wine I poured her sits.
“Is that what this is? I’m all morose and shit.”
She chuckles and props her elbow on the edge of the tub. “You need to look at it
with a fresh perspective, that’s all. You’re not losing your daughter. It’s different with
girls. Sure, she’s found her partner in life, but she’s always going to be your baby girl.
And the two of you are so close.”
“I don’t know what to do with all of this freedom,” I admit. “My entire life up to this
point has been revolved around raising Queenie and my career.”
“Which means you did your job. And that’s a good thing. Think about it, Jake.
This is the great part about having a kid young. Sure, you lost out on the freedom of
your twenties, but in some ways, this is even better. You’re in your forties. You have a
great job, you’re in incredible shape.” She twists and pulls her knee up so it rests
against my thigh, her arm extending along the back of the tub, fingertips skimming my
shoulder. “You have all of your hair.”
“I’m definitely grateful for the last one,” I joke.
“You have great hair.” She runs her fingers through it. “It’s sexy.” She bites her lip
and then shakes her head. “Anyway, what I’m saying is, you’re in the prime of your life.
Most people in their forties are raising teens, or maybe their kids are getting ready to go
to college. You’ve done all that. Now you can just live. You can date. Have fun. Do
whatever you want.”
“Fun would be good.” My gaze drops to her lips. “And I’d like to do whatever I
want.”
“Me, too.” Her bottom lip slides through her teeth. “Like right now I could kiss
you.”
“You definitely could.” I skim her thigh under the water with my fingertips.
She nods. “There’s nothing stopping us.”
“So why aren’t your lips on mine yet?” I ask.
Hanna shifts again, her wet palms come to rest on either side of my jaw, and she
presses her soft lips to mine.
I slip my hand under her hair and wrap it around the back of her neck. For a
moment, I question whether this is a good idea. But when our lips part and our tongues
meet, I forget all the reasons why it might not be.
I groan as I sink into the kiss and our tongues tangle. She tastes fruity, like the
wine she’s been drinking. She straddles me and settles in my lap, her breasts pressing
against my chest.
She breaks the kiss for a moment and our eyes meet. “I’ve been thinking about this for months."
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