Page 3

Gabe

“What the hell happened here?” I ask incredulously. After zero sleep at the hospital, I’m horribly exhausted. Grant was right, though. One pitiful look, and the nurses turned a blind eye to my refusal to leave the NICU. I’m not sure if I would have slept anyway. I spent an hour on the phone with my parents. My mom sobbed incoherently more than once, forcing my incredibly ill-equipped father to deal with her and keep the conversation moving with me. I know my dad loves his kids, but he’s not the most verbal man out there. It was like pulling teeth while my mom attempted to get herself together.

With a massive bag of hospital donations strapped to my back, I’ve got Mackenzie still strapped in her car seat as I attempt to lumber into my house. At least, I think this is my house. It looks like the baby section of Target just blew up in here.

“I had nothing to do with this,” I hear from my right, and I turn to see my teammate Luca Santo. Luca and I got off on the wrong foot, but we’ve established a ceasefire.

“If you didn’t do this, why are you here?” I ask before hearing a disturbance coming from the living room.

Luca sighs. “They made me come.”

I’m about to ask who ‘they’ is, but the disturbance comes into view. Grant, Levi, and Jax move into the kitchen as I carefully set the car seat on the island. I’m already exhausted, and the only thing I did was drive her home.

“You wash the sheets before you put them on the mattress, ass face,” Levi shouts.

“What does it fucking matter? It’s a baby. She won’t know the difference,” Jax argues. I see the sheet they’re both holding, with Grant evidently playing referee in the middle of this unneeded tug-of-war in my house.

“Guys, lower your voices before you wake her —” I don’t get to finish my thought before a loud cry fills the air. “Dammit.”

“Fuck, man. Sorry,” Jax says sheepishly, scratching his curly light brown hair.

“Why is she crying? Does she need a bottle? Or to be changed?” Levi asks. When I cock an eyebrow at him, he shrugs, and his brown locks fall haphazardly over his forehead. “I’ve got four little sisters, man. I was changing diapers before I hit double digits.”

Grant shakes his head and chuckles. The move seems oddly familiar, making me pause to study him. I’ve seen that move before. And not on him.

It means a lot to me that these three guys are here — well, and I guess Luca, too — because I don’t have a fucking clue what I’m doing. As I painstakingly unhook the car seat straps, and gently pick up Mackenzie, I hear an “aw” from at least one of the guys.

“Damn, dude. You’re a dad,” Grant says quietly.

Mackenzie stops crying as soon as I pick her up and settle her into the crook of my arm, choosing instead to look around at her new surroundings. “I am a dad. Now, can one of you numb nuts explain what the hell happened here?”

Grant chuckles. “Well, when you didn’t activate the amazing phone tree, I did it. All the guys started asking me questions to which I had no answers, so I had my sister help me set up a registry for you at Target. The whole team bought it out in a few hours, and boxes started arriving early this morning. We were trying to get everything set up before you got home, but these two decided to argue about the fucking crib sheets, so here we are.”

I look around, bewildered, at the stacks of things on my counters. Boxes are strewn everywhere. “And I’ll need all of this?”

“Well, my sister suggested we add some things to the registry for a little further down the road. So you’ve got a variety of diaper sizes, plus all kinds of clothes going up to twelve months. She also suggested we add a bunch of different pacifiers because apparently, babies are fickle about what kind of … uh, nipple they like.” Grant’s face turns red as he finishes the final statement.

I feel movement in my arms, and I look down to see Mackenzie turn toward my chest and open her mouth. “Damn. She’s already hungry.”

“How do you know?” Jax asks with wide eyes.

“The nurses told me it’s called rooting when the baby turns toward you and tries to find a food source.”

“Huh,” Jax says as he watches Mackenzie.

“Can someone take her so I can get a bottle ready?” I ask. Jax and Grant step backward while Levi rolls his eyes.

“Jesus. I’ll take her,” he says.

Before he can pick her up, Luca steps forward. “Uh, actually, can I take her? I, uh, need a little practice?”

We all stare at him. I smile broadly as realization sets in. “Santzy, are you telling us you knocked up your girl?”

He smiles reluctantly. “I’m neither confirming, nor denying, that my girl is pregnant.”

“By all means, you need some practice,” I tell him as I gently deposit her into his arms. Luca is like a brick wall. He looks remarkably out of place with a tiny baby in his arms, but the look of wonderment on his face as he stares down at my daughter is dazzling.

Opening up the bag of goodies the nurses sent me home with, I remove the canister of formula, a bottle of water, and a baby bottle. Then I whip out my phone to pull up my notes.

“What are you doing?” Levi asks.

“I took notes. I want to be sure I do this correctly,” I mutter.

“Fucking hell. Give me the damn bottle, Daws. You don’t need notes.” Levi grabs the baby bottle and water. “Newborns don’t drink much. Start with two ounces. Never put the formula in first. Always start with the water, then add the formula.”

“In the hospital, they warmed the bottle up slowly,” I comment, and Levi shrugs.

“Pretty sure there’s a bottle warmer in one of the boxes, but for now, she’ll be fine drinking it at room temperature. Don’t microwave it because there can be pockets of super-hot water that can burn her mouth.” Levi expertly measures out the water and formula and has the bottle ready for Mackenzie in a matter of moments. He looks at me expectantly. “You gonna feed her, or should I?”

“Uh, you?” I say hesitantly. Levi seems pretty confident in his baby abilities, and I kind of want to see him continue. He snatches Mackenzie out of Luca’s arms, grabs what he tells me is a burp cloth off the counter, and walks out of the kitchen. The rest of us file quietly behind him.

“Did you guys rearrange?” I ask, noticing my couches are on different walls.

“Yeah, because the only place we could put the rocking chair was right by the window, and we worried the sun would come in and hurt her eyes. Oh, there’s another rocking chair in your bedroom. Babies get up a lot at night,” Levi murmurs.

Wow. They really thought of everything.

“The coaches chipped in and got you a crib, so we put that in the bedroom next to yours. But we also got a bassinet, and that’s in your room,” he continues.

I flop on the couch closest to Levi and Mackenzie and rub my eyes. “I don’t know how the fuck I’m going to do this. Coach said I can take the next two weeks off. He’s listing me as a healthy scratch, and telling the media it’s a personal matter, or a family emergency. My mom and dad want to visit, but they can’t just leave their jobs, so they’re planning to visit over spring break. That’s six weeks from now. What the fuck am I supposed to do?”

Grant clears his throat. “I may have a solution for you.”

“I’m all ears.”

“Well, my sister just moved here from Oregon. She wanted a change, so she came here without a job lined up. She has a background in early childhood education, and she’s the one who helped me with the registry. I think she’d be a great live-in nanny for you.”

“Live-in nanny?” I ask.

“Honestly, it makes more sense that way. Rather than you dropping Mackenzie off somewhere, she stays here. When you’re gone, my sister will be here for whatever Mac needs. Plus, my sister doesn’t have an apartment lined up, so you’d be helping her out.”

“That’s true. And don’t call my daughter Mac.”

“It’s a nickname, Daws. Surely you understand a nickname.”

“You can call her Mackenzie or Kenzie. Once she’s old enough to approve her own nicknames, you may ask her if she is okay with you calling her Mac.”

“That’s fair,” Grant says with a chuckle. He grabs his phone and fires off a message. “My sister is actually at a coffee shop a couple miles away. I can have her stop by so you can interview her and see if it’ll be a good fit.”

I watch as Levi begins patting Mackenzie on the back, and immediately, she lets out a massive belch, making all the guys laugh. “Yeah, please do. If I could get someone on board immediately, it would really help me out with one less thing to worry about.”

“Alright. I’ll let Cassie know to head over.”

Cassie?

No. Just a coincidence.

It can’t be the girl from the restaurant.

I shake off a shiver as I grab my daughter and bury my nose in the side of her face.

“Hey, Daws! Get your ass down here and meet the nanny!” Grant calls from downstairs. I’ve gone up to check out the crib and changing table the guys put together. Fortunately, my main bedroom is spacious, and I only had a bed, two nightstands, and a dresser. Adding two pieces of furniture makes it slightly cramped but still doable.

Mackenzie used the opportunity of being in her new space to take a massive dump in her diaper. How can babies poop this much? It can’t be normal. It just went everywhere, and I’m definitely going to need a lot of practice on diaper changes. Something tells me this little girl will give me as many opportunities as I need.

As I descend the staircase, I hear a light, airy, female voice giggling at something Jax says, and my hackles go up. That voice. I’ve heard it. I’ve felt it on my skin. And I’m suddenly furious that Jax is hearing it, too. Turning the corner, I see my one-night stand surrounded by my teammates, basking in the glory of all their attention. Now I’m pissed.

I clear my throat, angry that Cassie is enjoying their attention, and I’m ready to tell Grant it won’t work. No way. I’m still ticked that I went to get us breakfast the morning after we met, and when I returned, she had completely checked out of the hotel. I even asked if she left a note for me, and the front desk staff was apologetic when they confirmed she hadn’t. I didn’t want it to be just one night. I wanted more. She rocked my world that night, and not a day has gone by that I haven’t thought about her.

Looking at her now, I’m remembering every minute detail. Having her long blonde hair wrapped around my fist. How her delicate fingers felt scratching along my back. How fucking phenomenal every curve of her luscious body felt against mine, and especially her hazel eyes filled with lust as she watched me come inside her. It was a night I’ll never forget. But why did she run?

When Cassie’s eyes meet mine, I see a momentary spark of joy in her gaze until her eyes narrow to slits and her lips purse into a straight line. She clears her throat before grabbing her bag from the side table and putting it on her shoulder. “I’m sorry, Grant, but this won’t work. I know him. It’s a hard no.”

“What? You know him? How? You’ve been here all of ten seconds, Cass,” Grant sputters.

“Two weeks, actually,” I blurt out. Yeah, I know. It sounds pitiful, even to me. But I haven’t stopped thinking about her, and now Cassie is standing in my home, and she has the audacity to look pissed at me . “You’ve got a lot of nerve to be standing in my house and looking at me like I’m the villain here.”

Cassie’s mouth drops open in shock. “I have nerve? Seriously? When I woke up, you were gone! You didn’t even leave your number or anything!”

“Shit,” Jax grumbles, but I soldier on.

“I went to get breakfast for you, Firecracker. I was gone less than an hour, and when I got back, you had already checked out. I asked the front desk staff if you had left me a number or note, and you hadn’t left either.”

“A whole hour to get breakfast?” Levi asks.

I turn to him and shrug. “Denver Biscuit Company. I figured she hadn’t had it before. There was a line, and it took a while.”

“Ah. That makes sense. It really is good food, Cass,” Levi says with a smirk.

“Hey!” Grant interjects. “Nobody calls her Cass except me. Now, I’d like to know how the two of you apparently met before I even saw you when you got here!”

Cassie sighs before turning to him. “I stayed in a hotel one night. Remember? I’d been traveling all day, and I just wanted my own space before I would be in yours for an unknown amount of time. I went next door to a restaurant and sat at the bar. Gabe sat next to me.”

Grant turns to me, his expression murderous. “What the fuck were you doing at a restaurant by her hotel?”

Jostling Mackenzie as I reposition her on my shoulder, I reply, “I’m allowed to have dinner out, Nally. Considering I’m not even sure you mentioned your sister moving here, I doubt you can assume there are some nefarious plans going on here. Complete coincidence, trust me.”

“Well,” Cassie says with a haughty laugh, “maybe you should have been home instead, since clearly you weren’t supposed to be out that night anyway.” She makes a pointed look down at my daughter.

“Oh, sis, um, that’s not exactly true —” Grant begins, but I hold up a hand to stop him.

“Let her think what she wants. She decided about me as soon as she saw me come down the stairs. Do you want the job or not?”

“I think I already said no, jerk face,” she retorts.

“Jerk face? Is that the best you can do?” I ask.

“No, but I’m not going to say what I really think in front of a child.”

I lean toward her in a mocking manner before whispering, “Pretty sure she won’t be repeating things for a bit, so by all means, say what you want to say.”

Cassie’s face reddens as her hands clenched tightly into fists. “Fine, asshole. You want me to be honest? You’re just a typical hockey fuck boy. You do whatever you want, and you don’t think about any repercussions. I bet you wouldn’t even be in that little girl’s life if her mom hadn’t passed away. You take and take and take. I feel pity for your daughter, and that she’ll have to grow up with you as a father.”

I feel the blood drain out of my face as I reflect on her words. It’s so quiet we can hear interstate traffic from a mile away. Grant looks miserably at me, unsure of how to speak. Jax has a minor smirk on his face, and Levi is shooting fiery glances between me and Cassie.

Cassie looks momentarily chagrined as she attempts to speak. “That was unnecessary. I was out of line, and —”

“No,” I interrupt. “You made your point. Best if you stop talking now. I’m going upstairs. Let yourselves out, please.”

I grab the hospital bag with everything I’ll need for Mackenzie, then make my way back up the stairs.

What she said isn’t too far off what most people think about professional athletes as a whole. People definitely think similar thoughts about hockey guys. And I’m sure there have been times when I’ve fit that mold with horrifying accuracy. But it had been months since I’d slept with anyone. Hell, Nicole might have been the last one-night stand I had. I dated someone briefly for about a month. It was apparent we were on different pages, and we separated amicably.

As I quietly close my bedroom door, I hear Grant yelling at Cassie. “This was the perfect job for you, Cass, and your mouth just had to go and fuck it up! He was going to let you live here rent-free!”

We hadn’t actually discussed the rent, but I probably would have let her.

Three hours later, I wish I had begged Cassie to stay. Mackenzie hasn’t stopped crying, and I’m at a loss as to what to do. I called my mom, and she began crying when she heard her granddaughter. I hung up when I realized she wasn’t in any way able to help when she appeared to be hysterical at the same time.

I’d changed her, fed her, changed her again, tried on three different outfits of differing fabrics to see if one possibly irritated her, and then began pacing back and forth across my bedroom. I hadn’t thought about the outfits being an issue, but Levi suggested it. He wasn’t too thrilled when I called him for the fourth time, but he patiently walked me through what he remembered from the newborn stage. The only thing that seemed to settle her down was the constant movement, patting her diapered tush, and humming Britney Spears songs. Kenzie apparently has an affinity for …Baby, One More Time , because that settles her down immediately. I’m deep in a rousing rendition for the sixth or seventh time, so I don’t hear my bedroom door open. When I turn and see an outline of a body, I jump and yell simultaneously, frightening my daughter and making her cry again.

“Oh, shoot,” a female voice says fretfully. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you, and make her cry.”

“Shh, shh, shh,” I whisper in Kenzie’s ear. “It’s okay, sweet girl. I’ve got you. Daddy’s got you.” When she settles back down, I turn and glare at a remorseful Cassie. “What the hell are you still doing here?”

“Grant wouldn’t let me leave,” she blurts out. “He said I needed to apologize to you, that I didn’t know the whole story, and that I’d misjudged you.”

“He left you here?” I ask incredulously.

“No, he’s asleep on your couch. He said he’d wait me out, because I was being a stubborn ass.”

“He’s not wrong,” I mutter. I see her staring at Kenzie’s diapered bottom, and my brow furrows in confusion. “Is there an issue?”

“Hmm?” Cassie asks.

“Why are you staring at her diaper?”

“Oh, I’m not staring at her diaper. It’s just … you’re not wearing a shirt,” Cassie stammers.

“And?”

“Well, why aren’t you wearing one? You’re making me uncomfortable.”

“You barged into my bedroom uninvited, and you have the audacity to tell me you’re uncomfortable? That’s rich,” I laugh. “It’s skin-to-skin. The nurses said Mackenzie would like it. It’s the only thing that is settling her down right now.”

“Have you tried swaddling?” Cassie asks.

“Is that when they look like a baby burrito?”

Cassie giggles, and it reminds me of the Cassie I first met. “Yes, like a burrito. Swaddling puts pressure on the entire body, which makes babies feel like they’re back in the womb. It’s comforting to most, but some babies hate it.”

“She seemed to like it in the hospital,” I murmur.

“Can I try?” Cassie asks softly, and I nod. “Let me wash my hands before I handle her. May I use your sink?”

I point her toward the en suite bathroom and wait for her to return. Cassie gingerly takes Mackenzie from my arms and easily slides her into a hold that looks remarkably like carrying a football. Kenzie’s arms and legs dangle from Cassie’s arm, but her head is held protectively in Cassie’s hand.

Cassie rummages in the hospital bag and pulls out a simple white blanket. I watch as she lays the blanket out on my bed, then pulls down one edge to make a triangle. She places Kenzie in the middle, then folds the edges snugly to make the burrito. Mackenzie immediately stops crying.

“What kind of sorcery was that?” I blurt out. Cassie picks Mackenzie up and snuggles her against her chest.

“No sorcery. I can teach you how to do it.” She motions like she’s going to take Kenzie out of the burrito, and I throw up my hands to stop her.

“Don’t you dare. She’s quiet and happy. You can teach me another time.”

“Okay,” she says with a light giggle. She hands Kenz to me, and I stare down at my daughter in complete awe.

“I don’t know what I did to deserve her, but I’m so fucking thankful she’s here. How is it possible to love someone so much when you’ve just met them?” I ask.

Cassie reaches up to touch Kenzie’s cheek lightly, her thumb caressing Kenzie’s cheek in reverence. “I only just met her, and I’m already half in love with her, so I’m not sure I can answer that question objectively.”

“Please be her nanny. Seriously. Grant wouldn’t have recommended you if you weren’t the best for the job.”

“You haven’t even interviewed anyone else. How can you say I’m the best?”

“I don’t know,” I whisper. “Gut instinct, I guess.”

“Is it …” Cassie hesitates.

“What?”

“Will it be weird? Me being here? It’s bad enough I had to basically tell my brother I had a one-night stand, but then to find out it’s not only his teammate, but also the single dad I would be nannying for? It’s a lot, Gabe.”

I’ll ignore the shiver that threatens to dance up my spine when she says my name. She rarely said my name during our night together. “It will only be weird if we allow it. I’m not going to lie, I wanted to see you again. I did go back to the hotel, Cass. I didn’t intend for that to be our only time together. But now, things are different. My focus has to be on my daughter.”

“I know,” she whispers. “For what it’s worth, I wanted to see you again, too. Maybe not like this, though.”

“I’d like to offer you the job. We can take it on a conditional basis, and make sure we’re both comfortable moving forward. We have one last road trip before the playoffs start, and maybe we won’t even make it far. I may only need you for a month or two.”

Cassie studies me, her eyes dancing between mine. “And you’d want me to live here? For the time being?”

“Yes, I think that would be best. It sounds like it would also help you as you get settled.”

Cassie shudders. “I need out of Grant’s house before I murder him, or any of his random puck bunnies.”

I stifle a laugh. “Problems?”

“Yes!” she hisses. “I found a strange woman in my bedroom this morning, and she yelled at me ! She thought I was another puck bunny!”

“Grant does have a revolving door,” I chuckle. For a while, he was in a relationship, and we all thought he’d be proposing soon. Then suddenly, he became the team ho, and wouldn’t answer any questions about his girlfriend.

“Is that something I’ll encounter here as well?” she asks bluntly.

“No. Especially not with Mackenzie here, but I’ve never been a big proponent of the puck bunny scene. I prefer to have a connection with someone.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Yeah. I’ll take the job. And the room.”

I let out a big exhale. “Oh, thank fuck.”

A loud grunt fills the air, followed by a disgusting gurgle, and then a horrendous odor. Cassie lets out a harmonious giggle. “I’ll leave you to it, Daddy.”

“I guess you start tomorrow then, huh,” I call out as she opens my bedroom door and skips down the hall.

“We can discuss a dirty diaper stipend tomorrow.”

Nice.