Touchdown - Leslie North Page 0,10

spend with someone who would just end up exiting their lives. Luckily, the two of them had options.

“Well, this is all new,” he said. “I’ve been figuring it out as I go along.”

“I hear that.” Jill paused as she wrote, searing him with a meaningful look. “I’m right there with you.”

She peppered him with questions about his exact schedule, taking notes in her floral-lined planner. He enjoyed watching the way she occasionally drew hearts above her i’s instead of dotting them and how meticulous her writing was. He laid out what the next few weeks looked like for his schedule.

“Okay,” she said, holding the planner out in front of her. “So what if we did this? I’ll set my workdays as Mondays and Tuesdays, which coincides with your light day and off day. Then all the other days, I can come over early in the morning, instead of the nanny, to be with the kids until you get home. What do you think?”

The idea of seeing her not just frequently but daily both excited and dismayed him. Yes, he loved getting the chance to be around her. But each time they came together, it proved harder to stop himself from imagining all the things he shouldn’t be indulging in when it came to Jill.

“I think it’s great,” he forced out.

“This will help them stay on schedule, too,” she added brightly. “And I can tell—you’re a scheduled man.”

He laughed. “Had to call me out, didn’t you?”

Jill winked again. “Takes one to know one, I guess. Now, the other thing I was thinking was that we can also have the nanny do more peripheral things. Like take the kids to play groups and stuff. The kids need to start socializing, at least.”

“Genius.”

Jill closed her planner with a big grin. “Well then. That was a successful planning session.”

Successful, yes, and relieving. It felt like the pieces were starting to come together, especially now that they’d worked out a way for both of them to be involved equally, which would make sure the kids got the best of both families.

“I need to get home,” Jill said. “I’m still unpacking from the move.”

“Should have just brought your stuff to my place, since you’ll be here all the time,” he cracked.

She pursed her lips. “Remember—I said I don’t need a second ex-husband.” Jill packed up her things and went over to the triplets, kissing them all on the foreheads. “I know you’ve got a big game tomorrow, and it’s probably too late to rearrange everything you’ve got scheduled, so why don’t we just say we can start the new schedule next week?”

“That’ll give me time to figure out the new nanny schedule too, since I’ll still need her on Mondays.”

Maxwell followed her out of the living room and toward the front door. It had gotten dark during her visit, and when she opened the door, the seductive scent of late fall in Georgia wafted into the house, birdsong and all.

“So I’ll be back in a few days, then, I guess.” Jill paused in the doorway, looking up at him like she might add something else.

“Yeah. Sounds good.” He gripped the doorframe, fighting the urge to swoop down and steal a taste of those lips. Only in an alternate dimension. Not when their brand-new co-parenting schedule hung in the balance. “And if you have a chance, come to the game tomorrow. I can get you tickets if you want. I’ll put your name on the list, and you can just show up and they’ll take you to the VIP family area.”

“Oh, my.” She laughed nervously, glancing away. “That’s very nice of you. I wish I hadn’t made plans for tomorrow.”

“Another time,” he said, trying not to feel like that had been a rejection. The woman was allowed to not make his games a priority. Especially the same week as entering his life. So why was he suddenly desperate for her to witness him in action?

He knew why. Because he wanted to fucking woo her. Make her even a smidge as attracted to him as he was to her. Which was exactly what he didn’t need to be doing.

“I’m glad we could figure this out,” she said, rushing forward to wrap him in a quick hug, the amber undertones of her perfume feeling like a sucker punch. This was a place he wanted to be—wanted to stay. But before he could even realize what was happening or even return the hug, she’d pulled away, waving at him as