Touchdown - Leslie North Page 0,3
one who reminded Jill most of her cousin Wayne, and the glee on her face removed some of Jill’s sadness. The triplets were pure joy—and occasionally frustration—and she intended on spending every moment possible with them.
Her original goal in moving back to Savannah had been to move closer to family and start a new, expansive phase of her career. And now, after losing Wayne, she didn’t just want to be physically closer to family—she needed all the family she could get. And if she had her way, she’d be seeing these kids as much as possible—just short of moving in and calling herself the fifth resident in Maxwell’s stunning, palatial home.
“Shelley, are you having fun?” Jill lifted the little girl onto the bench beside her. Shelley nuzzled into her side, and Jill relished the brief window of alone time, while the boys shrieked and laughed near the slides with Maxwell. Shelley clearly needed a break from all the activity, and Jill welcomed the chance to pull her into her lap and watch the chaos of Maxwell and Shelley’s brothers playing together.
“Your Uncle Maxwell sure is a cool guy,” Jill murmured, unable to prevent her gaze from sliding over the angular muscles of his calves and the wide spread of his shoulders. Yes, he looked like a snack, for sure.
But she was on a diet—figuratively—and needed to stay the hell away from temptations like that.
After a few more rousing rounds of hide-and-seek, Maxwell and the boys trotted their way, sweat glistening on Maxwell’s forehead.
“I’m surprised to see you sweat,” Jill said, flipping her hair over a shoulder. “Thought an NFL man like you might need a little more of a workout than that to break a sweat.”
His brows shot up, head cocking to the side as laughter slipped out of him. “Oh? Us NFL men aren’t allowed to sweat?”
She tried to bite back her smile, squinting up at him against the sun. “You’re allowed to do whatever you want, I guess.”
Ouch. She hated how those words sounded, even though she’d meant them lightly—and had been totally joking. Stormy memories swirled inside her, and she fought to ignore them.
“Well, just so you know—this isn’t sweat,” Maxwell clarified, scooping up Cameron as he attempted to run back toward the slides. “This is just my cooling mechanism.”
“Mm-hmm.” She smirked, unnerved but delighted by how easy it was to be playful with him. Maxwell hoisted Cameron onto his shoulders, who shrieked with laughter as Maxwell hopped around. Kevin demanded the same treatment next, followed by Shelley. Just as Jill was about to request her own turn, Maxwell heaved a sigh.
“Okay, kids. Unka Mack needs a break.” He collapsed onto the bench at the far end, setting the three kids up on the bench between them one by one. He draped his arm along the back of the bench, his fingertips briefly brushing the sheer sleeve of her shirt. “So you seem to be the child whisperer. Do you have kids of your own?”
She laughed, though it didn’t prevent the stormy thoughts from returning. “No.” She paused, wondering if she should add more, but how could she encapsulate what she’d run from when she first left Savannah?
I’d been at the point of starting my dream family when I found out my ex-husband had not one but three girlfriends behind my back.
No, it was better to leave that sorry history in the past. She was coming up on one year since the divorce had been finalized. It was time to start acting like it didn’t still rule her life.
“I’ve just been working with them for years,” she clarified. “I know a few tricks. Especially since when I see them, it’s in the dentist’s chair.”
He nodded slowly, an appreciative look sweeping over his face before he snapped his fingers. “Ah. So you’re the dentist. I do remember hearing about you. You’re the one who lived overseas fixing kids’ smiles.”
“That was me,” she said, shooting him a grin. “But now I’m moving my practice back to Savannah. Where it belongs.”
“That’s great. For all the crooked smiles of Savannah, and also for me,” Maxwell said. He jerked his chin toward the kids resting between them. “I could use your expertise when it comes to these three.”
“I was hoping I could help out,” she said. “Well, more than help out. I want to be involved. That was part of my reason for moving home, even before the accident happened. Besides, I don’t think any one person can handle all this on