Page 19

CHAPTER

EIGHTEEN

FORD

The morning after announcing our marriage to my parents, I wake up early, unable to sleep any longer. With how fitful my sleep is, I tend to sleep in late on the mornings I don’t have practice. But how does one sleep in when they suddenly remember they have a wife and a baby?

Grabbing the phone from my nightstand, I see a text from my dear mother telling me she’s arriving tomorrow.

I sit up straight in bed, fully awake now, and run a hand down my face with a loud groan.

Tomorrow .

And she’s bringing Farrah with her. Felicity wanted to come too, but thankfully she has a wedding to plan. I love my sisters, but both of them together is…a lot.

Two house guests, a new wife, and an infant.

Cue the panic attack.

I do not enjoy unexpected things, and yet, all the unexpected things are happening. The marriage was my choice, but everything is happening at a rate I can’t slow down. The snowballs just keep being thrown at me, and I can’t duck to avoid them. Instead, they’re pelting me in the face repeatedly .

Knowing I need to warn Amber of the onslaught of Remingtons coming at us in the next twenty-four hours, I stumble out of bed and into the hallway. I’m about to put my ear against her bedroom door to see if she’s awake, but a wail beats me to it. The wailing is coming from downstairs. I rush in that direction, a little concerned about the screaming and why it’s happening this early in the morning. I raise the phone in my right hand, double checking that it is, in fact, only seven in the morning.

I stumble unceremoniously down the last two steps, only to find Amber on the couch, in another little nursing nightgown. This one is pale blue, trimmed in white lace. It makes her skin look angelic, and her dark brown freckles stand out from the pale fabric. One of her breasts is freed from the garment as she tries, unsuccessfully, to contain a wailing and flailing, Nella.

I’m out of breath as I come near the couch and realize I’m still making eye contact with Amber’s areola. My chin raises and my eyes move up to the ceiling of my home. There’s an interesting light fixture up there. The designer called it a modern Sputnik chandelier. A wonderful, fascinating ceiling. Honestly, people don’t appreciate their ceilings enough these days, you know?

This platonic husband thing is already harder than I imagined it would be. And not for any of the reasons I expected it to be challenging.

“Ford, it’s just a boob. You don’t have to pretend the ceiling is so interesting. Could you hold her for a second?” Amber asks, her voice tense.

I look at her, her nightgown fastened again. “Yeah, of course.” I reach out and take the infant from her grasp, settling her on my bare chest and bouncing up and down. She liked that last time I did it. But she is not liking it right now.

“I’m sorry,” Amber says, her voice wobbly like she’s about to cry. “She was up most of the night. I don’t know what’s wrong.”

“You were up all night?” It comes out louder than I wanted it to. “Why didn’t you come get me? I could’ve helped.”

“Ford.” She scoffs. “That’s not really what you signed up for here.”

I pause, making sure my voice is soft and even, not harsh. “That’s exactly what I signed up for. We’re a team here, Ambs. You don’t have to do this alone anymore.”

A tear cascades down her cheek, and she sniffs. I pull her into my chest too. Comforting both my girls at the same time. Amber leans against me, her hand coming to rest on my back. She seems comforted by my presence. Nella does not. The normally adorable and coo-ing infant, is really freaking pissed.

I sit down, remembering something Mom used to do with Felicity. Felicity was a horrible baby; it wasn’t her fault. She had colic and was just miserable, the poor thing. I lay Nella on my lap and start moving her legs like she’s riding a bicycle.

She continues writhing and fussing, but after a full minute, she starts to calm down a little. The poor thing seems really uncomfortable, her arms moving rapidly.

There’s a vibration on my thighs where her back is resting, and then warmth. Something wet, and very warm, is moving up her back and onto my legs. Ignoring it, I keep moving her legs. Once the vibrations from her rear-end stop, and she sighs, I stop my ministrations. I raise her up, to see my fears have come true. She’s had a blowout.

Amber giggles, and the sound almost makes me happy enough not to notice the disgusting smell coming from Nella’s diaper. A diaper that obviously didn’t do its job well.

“Oh, Ford. I’m so sorry.” Amber’s hand comes up to cover her mouth.

“What do I do now?” I ask. “She probably needs a bath. ”

Amber looks down at my legs. “Yeah, and you probably need one too.”

Glancing down, I see my grey sports shorts are twin to Nella’s soiled pink sleeper. I’m glad I’m not wearing a shirt, because that prickle of discomfort that’s always followed by itching is creeping up. If I was wearing a shirt right now, it would be feeling too tight. Too rough. I close my eyes and count to two, allowing myself to take a deep breath. When I open my eyes again, Amber is watching me. Concern written all over her face.

“I want to help you, but I just need to change first. Okay?”

Amber nods. “How about I give her a bath while you take a shower?”

I shake my head side to side. “I just need to change, then I’ll give her a bath while you go back to sleep for a while.”

Bad smells aren’t my favorite thing, that’s no secret. But Nella doesn’t smell any worse than a hockey locker room. There’s no stench equal to hockey equipment that’s been worn by a bunch of big, sweaty athletes.

Amber hedges, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. “It’s really fine, Ford. Go shower.”

“I can handle a little poop,” I tell her, knowing she’s been up all night and needs some rest. “I’m going to change, and I’ll meet you in the guest bathroom.”

With a sigh, she follows me up the steps.

I duck inside my bedroom, change into a clean pair of shorts and throw on a t-shirt while I’m at it, then head across the hall. Amber is in the guest bathroom, sitting on a plush rug. She has Nella laid out on a towel and is stripping off her sleeper.

I kneel beside her. “I’ll take care of it. You go get some sleep.”

Looking at her face for the first time since practically falling down my steps earlier, I see the dark circles there. She’s exhausted.

“You’re sure?”

“Positive. I’m cleaned up and good to go.”

Nella babbles happily, whatever was bothering her tummy no longer causing any issues.

She stands and starts to walk toward the bedroom, then turns back. “You’ve never bathed an infant before.”

“Until three months ago, had you ever bathed an infant?” I ask, raising an eyebrow to drive my point home.

Amber crosses her arms, and my eyes drop, very briefly, to her ample breasts. Amber has always had nice curves, but some parts of her are definitely…more generous now. “Please wake me if you need help, okay?”

Glancing at Nella, I say, “We’ve got this, don’t we?” Nella coos, and I give Amber a salute.

Amber heads straight to her bed and rolls onto it, taking the blankets with her.

I stand and close the bathroom door so Amber can sleep, then start the bath water before crouching in front of Nella again and cleaning her up with baby wipes.

The guest bathroom is almost as big as mine, so there’s plenty of room to move around. It has a sleek white freestanding bathtub which now hosts a smaller, pink baby bathtub. While the pink tub fills up, I move to the cabinet where the towels are stored and remove a few for Nella and lay them out for when her bath is finished.

Gently, I pick up the wiggly baby girl and ease her into the tub. When her body hits the water, her face scrunches up like she’s mad, but she soon calms down and gives me a gummy smile. She splashes her hands merrily in the water, causing it to spray all over my face, but I just chuckle. How could I be annoyed when she’s so happy? Especially after seeing her so miserable not even fifteen minutes ago. I never want to see her scream like that again, but I know she probably will.

Amber has arranged a caddy beside the tub with baby soap, lotion, small wash cloths, diapers, diaper cream, and fresh sleepers. I smile at her tiny bit of organization. Tidiness has never been Amber’s strength, so you can tell that her number one priority in life is… taking care of her daughter. I grab a washcloth with a little pink duck pattern and squirt some lavender-scented soap onto it, then get to work washing the slippery baby. She coos and smiles like she wants to have a conversation, so I oblige.

“I never had a chance to tell your mom that we’re going to have company tomorrow.”

Nella stares at me.

“I know. Not even three days into marriage, and family is already visiting.”

She pokes her tongue out.

“Hey, now. Cut me some slack just this once, okay?” I dampen her red curls with the washcloth. “At least you’ll get spoiled by your aunt and grandma. Honestly, you can’t complain.”

She smiles and flails her hands again, making water splash on my face once more.

“All right, Nells. Let’s get you dried off before your fingers and toes go pruney.”

She splashes in protest, but I manage to get the clean baby dried, diapered and dressed.

As Nella and I sneak out of the bathroom, I peek toward the bed and see Amber facedown amidst a pile of pillows and smile to myself.

Thankfully, Nella stays quiet as I close the guestroom door. When I pass my room on my way back downstairs, I stare at my bed, denying the itch to make it the way I do every morning of my life. Instead, I force myself to ignore it and carry Nella downstairs, where I lay her on her playmat that has little toys hanging above it. She loves the simple contraption.

As I’m making myself a cup of coffee in the kitchen, where I can still see Nella in the living room happily grabbing for her toys, I take a deep breath for the first time since waking up early this morning.

I’m quite literally about to plant my ass on the sofa—the first time I’ve sat down this morning—when my doorbell rings.

I close my eyes and count to three, that annoying prickle of overwhelm creeping its way in. I’ve held it together the past few days, through all of the changes in life, routine, tidiness of my house…but that one little doorbell sound is what’s about to set me off.

Checking that Nella is still on her mat—not sure where I was expecting her to go—I run to the door.

Colby Knight stands there, grinning his signature smile. I groan and spin on my heel, back to the living room. I can tell he’s following me from the sound of the door clicking shut and the patter of footsteps.

“Okay, what’s your problem? That’s no way to greet your next-door neighbor and favorite teammate, now, is it?” He asks, taking a seat on the floor by Nella as I sit on the couch and grab my mug of coffee.

I roll my eyes and take a sip, welcoming the caffeine to my system. “None of you are my favorite,” I grumble, sipping my black coffee again.

“Everything okay? Where’s Amber?”

“You wouldn’t believe the morning we’ve had, especially since we’ve only been awake for like two hours.” I set my mug down. “I woke up to a text from my mom that she and my sister are coming tomorrow, went to find Amber to tell her, then got completely derailed by this adorable thing.” I pause, pointing to Nella. “Who was having a massive meltdown and pooped all over the place…all over me .” I huff a laugh. Now that the moment has passed, I can admit it’s a little bit funny.

Colby bursts into laughter then bumps his fist against Nella’s. The contact draws her focus to the man on the floor beside her and she smiles up at him. Colby’s eyes go soft, and he runs a hand across her now dry curls. “Dude, how can you be annoyed with someone this cute?”

“I’m not annoyed at her,” I defend myself. “She couldn’t help it. I think I’m just…” I pause again, thinking of a description for what I’m feeling. “I think all the change is sinking in, you know? I’m more than happy to have Amber and Nella here, but this morning was my first dose of reality. Nella comes first over everything, obviously, but babies are a lot of work. I know it’s stupid, but I didn’t think about how hard it would be. How hard this has all been for Amber. Like I’m exhausted from two hours when she’s been doing this on her own for nearly three months. She’s freaking super mom.” Leaning forward, I rest my elbows on my knees. “Every day I wake up and have the same routine, I have only myself to think about, until I get to work and have the team to think about. My time has been my own, everything was just easy. And I need to learn to spread that time to three people now.”

Colby nods, blowing out a breath. “That’s definitely a lot of change at once. But if anyone can do it, it’s Ford Remington. Captain of the unruly D.C. Eagles.”

I snort a laugh. “Nella and Amber are much cuter than you guys.”

Colby’s hand comes to his chest in mock offense. Nella coos, and he looks at her, his bottom lip poking out. “Okay, you have a point. She’s really f?— ”

“Language,” I warn.

“Right. Really freaking cute,” he corrects. “Can I hold her?”

Holding my hands up in front of me, I say, “Hold at your own risk. She may have another blow out.”

Colby narrows his eyes at me then carefully places one big hand under Nella’s head and another behind her back. He lifts her into his arms and beams at her. “Girls don’t have blow outs,” he tells her. “I don’t believe that guy for a second.” He shoots me a glare.

A loud yawn comes from the stairs, and I glance over to see Amber walking into the living room, looking a little more rested. And a little too sexy, in her nursing nightgown, for my comfort. Colby looks over, hearing her enter the room. He must want to stay alive, because his gaze quickly darts back to Nella.

Colby is a great guy, and he’s good to his fiancée, Noel. But Amber is wearing too little clothing around another man for my liking. Honestly, I shouldn’t even be seeing her like this. But I won’t stand for any other man to see her in her nightie either.

I stand, whipping off my hoodie, walking toward her, then swooshing it over her small frame. It nearly comes to her knees, which is still more leg than I’d like anyone to see. But it’s an improvement.

Amber blinks at me but pushes her arms through the sleeves. Her green eyes widen when she spots Colby holding Nella, and she offers me a coy smile and a nod of her head in silent thanks for the hoodie.

“Well, good morning,” she says brightly, moving farther into the room and sitting on the couch. “I didn’t know we had company.”

Colby shoots her that winning, dimpled grin that makes all the girls swoon. She remains smiling, but she doesn’t faint or blush. I release a silent breath, relieved she doesn’t seem to have an insta-crush on Colby Knight like every other female on the planet.

“I’m Colby. I’m Remy’s teammate, but I also live next door.”

“You belong to Noel, right?”

Colby grins. “Yes, ma’am.”

“I didn’t realize you lived right next door,” Amber says, glancing at me. “Do any of your other teammates live in the neighborhood?”

I nod, my shoulders tensing. Up until this moment, I was thrilled to have three of my teammates living on the same street, but now that Nella and Amber are here…does this mean a steady stream of unexpected visitors? The thought, along with my mother’s visit and Amber’s impending surgery, makes my heart race. I roll my lips together and push a hand into the pocket of my shorts. I find my pocket empty, and remember the coin is up in my room. Another piece of my routine forgotten in the chaos.

Swallowing, I force my shoulders back, hoping to look relaxed. “Yeah, actually West recently bought a house down the street, and Mitch bought one around the corner. Mitch and Andie aren’t moving in until after their wedding, though.”

Colby chuckles. “Probably only a matter of time until Bruce joins us. But he’s still enjoying the pleasures of penthouse life.”

“Bruce is the goalie?” she asks, worrying her bottom lip as if trying to memorize all the names being thrown at her.

“Yep, that’s him,” Colby answers, then pulls out his phone and snaps a selfie of him and Nella. He looks down at his phone, typing something. “Noel is going to be so jealous I’m holding the baby.” He sets his phone on the rug and tickles Nella’s belly. “She’s adorable, by the way.”

Nella kicks her feet and coos .

Amber stands and takes a step toward them. “Thank you, I agree. I’m afraid I need to steal her from you though.” She wrinkles her nose in apology. “If I don’t feed her in the next five minutes, she’s going to get really pissed off.”

Colby’s jaw drops, and he turns his attention to the smiling infant again. “These two keep talking shit about you. The audacity.”

I clear my throat. “Language, Knight.”

“Gah! Sorry.”