2.the pick up

Caleb’s P.O.V.

The drive to Dahlia’s school was nerve-wracking, but I managed to stay focused and alert during my drive downtown. I arrived at the school, parked the car, and walked toward the entrance of the school building. There were already some parents standing by, waiting for their kids to come outside, and looking at the school building made me feel a pang of nostalgia for my own childhood. God… how many times did our mother stand right here waiting for us to walk out of the building? And just standing here, facing my old school building, I couldn’t believe that it had been so long since I had last visited my hometown. Everything looked familiar and yet so different at the same time.

As a famous hockey player, I was already used to being recognized by fans all the time, but I didn’t expect the attention I was receiving from some of the mothers who were waiting out here for their children. Some of them without a doubt still ‘happily married’, even though they were giving me bedroom eyes.

“Excuse me, are you Caleb Johnson?” A woman with brown hair and bright blue eyes asked me, stepping forward. I turned to face her, a polite smile on my face, playing the role of a friendly athlete.

“Yes, I am. Nice to meet you.” I nodded at her, forcing myself to be polite because I was raised to always be polite to fans. The woman’s face nearly split in half with excitement as I answered her.

“Oh my goodness! I can’t believe it’s really you! It has been so long since we have seen you in town. How are you?” She asked me, as I tried to remember this woman, or if I had ever known her as a kid growing up here. She looked to be around my age, speaking to me as if she knew me personally. And yet, she didn’t really ring a bell for me. I was however taken aback by her enthusiasm, in which she nearly pressed her breasts into my chest as she stepped closer to me.

“I’m doing well, thank you. I’m just here to pick up my niece.”

see there?

See how I didn’t ask her a question back and blocked the whole conversation?

it's silent language for ‘back off and just let me be’.

The woman nodded back at me.

“Of course, of course. Well, it is great to have you back in town. My son is a huge fan of yours, would you mind taking a picture with him when he gets out here?” And I sighed deeply but nodded, as I forced myself to smile again, not really wanting to give this woman the idea as if I would do anything for her, but saying no to a kid, any kid for that matter, I would never be able to do that.

“Sure.” I nodded politely, trying as much as I possibly could to blend in with the other parents who were waiting for their children to show up. I couldn’t help but feel a bit overwhelmed by all the puppy eyes I was getting in my direction. Jesus Christ, it felt as if I was the only single male in close proximity, and all these moms, single or not, were on me like hawks. But I also knew that they all just wanted a piece of the famous hockey player, and not the real Caleb Johnson, the cripple guy who lived on The Loup Ranch nowadays.

Finally, the school bell rang, sounding like my salvation, and children began to spill out of the building. I scanned the crowd, looking for little Dahlia. I spotted her near the front of the gates, looking around anxiously with her purple backpack bouncing on her back. As soon as she saw me, her face lit up like the fourth of July and she ran straight towards me.

“Uncle Caleb! You came to pick me up?” She exclaimed in surprise, throwing her tiny arms around me as I hugged her tightly, feeling an urge of love for my niece as I heard her sweet giggles sounding in my ear.

“Hey Dahlia, how was your day in school today?” I asked her.

“It was good,” She nodded, looking up at me with those big brown doe eyes of hers that would make me buy her anything, or do anything for her.

“Are you going to take me home now?” She asked me as I nodded.

“Yup.” I smiled down at her, seeing how she smiled even wider at me.

“Good, but you need to come and see Miss Reese first, I have an arts and crafts project that was too big to carry by myself, you have to help me, Uncle Caleb.” Dahlia told me, to which I nodded, agreeing immediately.

“Oh, I’m sure your Uncle Caleb will be strong enough to carry your project for you, sweetheart.” The mother from before sounded in my ear, making her words sound like a dirty promise. Hell… was this woman even married or not? Still… she gave me the creeps either way. And I was far from interested in whatever the hell she was trying to offer me here.

“Oh, yeah, the photo.” I stated, trying to go with the ‘I didn’t just hear what kind of nasty things you said to me just now’ approach. I quickly posed for a photo with her kid, hoping that the mother wouldn’t post it online, portraying it as if I was her new steady boyfriend, soon to adopt her son as my own.

God please no…

***

Reese’s P.O.V.

“God… I mean, that’s exactly what he looks like… a God.”

“I would take a bet that his dick is just as big as his bank account… I mean, could you imagine taking that guy for a ride?”

“I could only dream about a guy like that pressing me up against the wall. God… any woman would cheat on her man with a guy like that.”

"I wonder with his condition of being so fit... the man should have amazing stamina..."

what in the world are those two talking about?

I opened the door as I let some kids outside, overhearing how the other teachers were whispering and giggling against each other, their eyes looking in the same direction.

I had moved to this small village just a couple of months ago to start a new job as a preschool teacher. I had been excited to start this new chapter in my life and I had been loving every moment of it so far ever since the moment I had moved here. I especially loved the small town part, where everyone knew everyone, and somehow, it felt as if it was impossible to stay under the radar or keep any secret hidden, that fact had somehow eased my mind and made the move over here even easier. A cheater, for example, would never be able to weave a web of lies in a small town just like this one. Let alone a famous, celebrity cheater. God… after finally being graduated, finding a job had felt so fulfilling, and finding it in a small town where I could take a fresh start and start all over again, had only made it better in my book.

“Have you seen the guy waiting outside? He came to pick up his niece.” One of the teachers asked as she turned to face me.

“He’s pretty famous and very, very cute.” She added, wiggling her eyebrows.

“Cute? That isn’t just cute, that is called drop-dead gorgeous, Irene!” The second teacher, Bianca, giggled at her college.

"He is a professional hockey player, I mean... just look at him! I heard he got injured pretty badly and came back to live with his family on the Loup ranch just out of town. Those brothers all share the same wickedly handsome DNA. I wouldn't even be able to choose if I would have gotten the chance." Bianca spoke directly to me now, and I couldn’t help but be curious, so I walked closer to the window and peeked outside myself. As soon as I saw him, I knew why the other teachers were gushing over him. He was tall, with chiseled features and a smile that could light up an entire room. I also didn’t miss the play of his muscles underneath his shirt… and I felt my insides warm up just at the sight of him.

No!

Don’t go there!

Don’t do it again!

Because as soon as I heard that he was a professional hockey player, my heart had sunk into my stomach, just because his profession hit so close to home. I knew that athletes were notorious for their wild parties and loose lifestyles. I had been raised to be a responsible and disciplined person myself, and I knew that I could never be with someone who didn’t share those same values… ever again. So, instead of standing there like the other two teachers, ogling the man from afar, I decided to just steer clear of him. Even though I still found myself stealing glances at him because well... I was still human after all. He was dressed in dark blue jeans and a light blue shirt. He looked the part of a cowboy living on a ranch to a T. A ruggedly handsome one at that. A ruggedly handsome cowboy with dark brown hair, almost black, which was longer and looked as if it curled behind his ears, and eyes so dark I wanted to stare in them for hours. And before I even knew it, I had already started to daydream about what it would be like to be with him, him doing the things to me that the other two ladies next to me had been daydreaming about as well. And then, as he looked around and seemed to spot someone he knew… he smiled.

Oh God… that smile!

That was a dangerous smile… very dangerous… especially for my panties.

But I wasn’t stupid. I knew that it could and would never happen. I was just a preschool teacher who had recently moved here, and he was a professional athlete. Our worlds were too different, and even if we did hit it off at any given moment, it would never work out in the long run, I was smart enough to understand that fact. I had already found that one out the hard way. So, I tried my best to get the handsome man out of my head as I focused on my work and reality instead of a daydream. I loved my job and the children I taught, and I didn’t want anything or anyone to distract me from that. But every time I blinked and I caught myself staring at him once again, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of longing. It was a feeling I knew I needed to suppress, for my own sake. I had never seen this man at the school before, so I had no idea what child he would come to pick up. But then, I saw how Dahlia, a blonde and sweet girl from my very own class, ran over to him and basically jumped into his arms.

I surely wouldn’t mind doing that as well…

preferably without any clothes on.

And as I watched at how the dark cowboy cuddled sweet little Dahlia, I honestly believed it was the first time in my entire life that I had heard my ovaries scream, just by watching a man interact with a child, which given by my job was a sight I saw almost daily. But I sighed deeply, as I looked around the scenery, and also spotted how not only me, but by the looks of it, every other woman standing close to him, was eyeing him as well.

Stop it, Reese!

Move along.

Just move on and continue with your day!

And so I did, as I walked down the hallway and into my own classroom, ready to clean up for the day and go back home. I had found myself a small apartment to rent just a couple of blocks away from the school building. It was small with only one bedroom, but it was all I could afford at the moment, and I had been able to make the place feel like a home. And by not paying too much for it, I was still able to save up. Hopefully, one day being able to buy myself a small house, or at least buy something, so that I would at least own some property of my own.

I picked up a broom and started sweeping the floors, since the weather was still good outside, the little kids were still able to play in the sandbox, meaning that my classroom was also filled with lots of sand. Not that I minded, but I also couldn’t leave my classroom a total mess before heading home. My classroom was in a way my home away from home, and I liked to at least have it as clean as I possibly could. Also being the new girl, I still felt as if I needed to prove myself to my co-workers. I was humming a song that I had taught the children this week, even though I couldn’t help but to keep daydreaming about a certain cowboy I had seen today at the gates of the school building.

“Hello?”

The voice came from straight behind me, so I quickly turned around and practically crashed into Mr Steamy cowboy himself, and I nearly jumped out of my own skin, once reality had sunk in.

him?

Why? What is he doing here? What does he want from me?

Please... just take me!

Darnit, Reese, stop it!

“Chips! You scared me!” I screamed, pressing my heart against my chest in case my heart decided to pop out of my blouse. Had I really been that deep in my own thoughts that I hadn’t even heard the door opening? I turned myself around even more, facing the tall and very handsome man that was standing in my classroom, a handsome man with a puzzled expression on his face. My heart skipped a beat as I realized just how close he was actually standing to me. One eyebrow playfully rose on his forehead as his eyes never left me. Shit... the man even smelled good.

I mean... of course, he would...

“Chips?” He asked me, one corner of his lips rising up into a wickedly dangerous smile.

Darnit,

that smile would get any woman into so much trouble…

I shouldn't have made him smile...

“Yeah… chips.” I nodded before I cleared my voice, my brain completely scrambled, and unable to find the right words to say.

“I… I work with kids, so I need to filter my words… no swearing, you see?” I rambled against the tall and handsome cowboy, whose smile only grew bigger while my nervousness only increased. And once again I found myself getting distracted by his devilishly good looks and the way his eyes seemed to sparkle in the sunlight. Chocolate brown eyes... My God. Is this God taunting me?

“Oh! So you say chips instead of shi…”

“Chips! Yes.” I yelped before he could finish the actual word. Blushing, because I had once again been caught off guard by this man’s appearance. I quickly tried to compose myself, and straightened my back, trying to make myself sound as professional as I possibly could. Even though I really, really wanted to just lean in and feel his body against mine. Or climb his body like a monkey... the options were endless at this point, really. And also... very impossible to ever happen in the real world.