When she’d inquired about Piper’s uncle, Blake’s eyes had briefly narrowed, then flicked to Piper. For a moment Audrey had thought maybe Blake assumed Piper was Cameron’s kid. She’d resisted the urge to correct him, and then her frustration grew when he’d replied with a gruff, “He’s not here yet.”
Audrey had grabbed his arm when he turned back to his team. “Well, how will I know which one is him?”
Blake had chuckled. “Just look for the big surly guy.”
Um…okay?
So she’d been sitting on the bleachers for the past twenty minutes and looking for anyone who could be Piper’s uncle. Then ten minutes ago, the bleacher had tilted under her rear end when Gorgeous Baseball Cap Guy had come strolling onto the field with the same confident, loose-limbed grace he’d had earlier. He’d exchanged his worn blue jeans and sweatshirt for athletic pants and a black Bobcat Football T-shirt. A whistle hung around his neck, and the same ball cap was pulled low over his blue eyes.
Shit, there was no way that was Cameron Shaw. Just. No.
But Audrey’s gaze kept flickering back to him, alternating with annoyance and…well, something close to damn.
Because wouldn’t that be a perfect cap to a shitty day? Flat tire. Dumped via text. Then the man whose gaze had flickered to the gaping hole in her shirt while he argued over how to change a tire turns out to be Piper’s uncle.
The universe could not be so cruel.
Audrey turned around to the two women seated behind her. “Excuse me?” When they ceased their conversation to look at her, Audrey continued. “Can you tell me which coach is Cameron Shaw?”
The woman with teased auburn hair pointed toward the field. “That one standing on the forty-yard line.”
“The one with the ass like cement,” her friend quipped.
Yeah, as she feared. Gorgeous Baseball Cap Guy. Audrey laughed and turned back to the women. “That can’t be him.”
The brown-haired woman leaned forward. “Honey, I would know that backside anywhere.”
Meaning what?
The other woman nudged her friend’s shoulder. “My cousin Becky says he has the stamina of a porn star.”
Audrey resisted the urge to cover Piper’s ears, even though the child was too busy playing with Jellybean to pay attention to anything else. Or maybe Audrey should just cover her own ears.
Of course someone who looked like Cameron Shaw would be a god in bed. Did she expect someone who looked like an underwear model to be anything less?
Practice eventually ended, and she and Piper exited the bleachers, with Piper dragging Jellybean along with her.
Piper gazed up at Audrey with eyes so green, like her mother’s, that Audrey felt the familiar pain in her chest. “Are we going to meet my uncle now?” the little girl asked.
“Yes, and he’s going to love you,” Audrey assured her.
Piper bit her lip and hugged Jellybean tighter. “I’m scared.”
Audrey forced the lump out of her throat and tried not to think about having to leave Piper. She loved that little girl as she would her own, and the idea of being away from her tore her guts up. There would be no more makeovers, no more whimsical stories, and no more sticky kisses. She took a deep breath, dropped to her knees, and forced herself to be brave—for Piper’s sake.
“I want you to listen to me for a minute,” she told Piper. “You have nothing to be afraid of. I’m sure your uncle Cameron is a good guy, and your mom trusted him, so that means we can trust him, right?” At Piper’s hesitant nod, Audrey continued. “I know you’re worried, sweetie, but I promise I won’t let anything bad happen to you. Okay?” Audrey stroked Piper’s soft cheek and had to remind herself that Piper was just a little girl who didn’t know where she was or who she was going to live with. Just another reason to get those lustful thoughts of Cameron Shaw out of her head.
“’Kay,” Piper answered. “But what if he doesn’t like me? What if he doesn’t want me to live with him?”
Audrey shook her head. “That’s not possible. I know he’ll love you.” Audrey moved herself and Piper out of the way of people who were leaving the bleachers. “Do you remember when we went to the zoo last year and you didn’t want to feed the giraffes because you were too scared? Then you put your brave face on and walked up to the giraffe, and he took a leaf right out of your hand?”
Piper smiled, then giggled. “Yeah. He licked my hand with his tongue.”
Audrey grinned with her. “That’s right, he did. And you had nothing to be afraid of, right?”
Piper hesitated, then nodded.
“I need you to be that brave girl again,” Audrey told her. “Can you do that for me?”
Piper glanced at her feet, then at Audrey. “’Kay.”
Audrey stroked Piper’s hair, loving how soft and fragile the curls were. Then she pulled the child into a tight hug, reminding herself of how small and vulnerable Piper was, how much she depended on Audrey to keep her safe because Audrey was the only person in the world Piper knew anymore. Dianna hadn’t been close to any of her extended family, and her mother had died several years ago. Piper’s grandfather had been too old to care for a child, and hadn’t been that close to Piper anyway. Audrey was it, and she’d be damned if she’d let the kid down. She’d made a promise to Dianna, and she’d see it through to the end.
She let go of Piper and led the girl onto the field. Now