Page 10 of Make Your Save (Aston Archers Hockey #3)
CHAPTER NINE
HADLEY
R owan stares down at me, his duffle bag in his left hand as I put a breakfast sandwich in his right one. “What’s this?”
I stifle a sheepish grin, shrugging with indifference. “I figured you could use some carbs this morning.” A frown instantly creeps onto my lips. “You don’t have to eat it if you don’t want it.”
His eyebrows tug downward. “What? No, this is perfect.” He smiles at me, his eyes scanning my face as my expression relaxes. “I usually try to eat something before we get on the plane, but it normally ends up being something I can get on the way because I never give myself enough time to make something.”
“Well, I guess I saved you a stop this morning.”
Something falters in his gaze, something unreadable passing through his dark blue irises. “You did.” He dips his chin slowly, his lips parting as if he’s going to say something else, but he quickly closes them as he glances around the room at the dozen stacked boxes from our order he picked up this morning. “Are you sure you’re going to be okay here with Lucy while I’m gone?”
A smile dances across my face. “Of course. It seems like you’re not really leaving me alone anyways.”
Rowan asked me this morning if I minded if he gave my number to Nova and her best friend, Riley, just in case I need back up. Nova started a group chat with the three of us immediately and already made plans to stop by this afternoon.
“It just feels like such a fucked-up thing to do, leaving right now,” he says softly, glancing down at Lucy in my arms. “I don’t know how Coach would feel about it, but I could ask for a leave of absence for personal matters.”
“Hey. No.” He looks back up to me and I reach for his arm, giving his wrist a gentle squeeze. “This is your job. This is how you pay your bills and how you are going to provide for her. I promise you, we will be fine. Nova and Riley are going to be stopping by later this afternoon and everything will be good.”
He slowly tips his chin, still not looking convinced. “I know you can handle it without me,” he tells me, his eyes searching mine. “I just don’t like the thought of you not having anyone here in case you need something.”
“Not all of us are terrified of babies, Ro,” I laugh softly. “You have a whole goddamn village. We got this.”
After his run to the store this morning, he called and made an appointment with the pediatrician for Lucy tomorrow morning. I volunteered to take her since he won’t be here, which he was extremely thankful for. He also set up a babysitter for when I have to work, so we have every single base covered.
“Okay,” he half whispers, looking back at the baby and me. He’ll be on the road for the next week for a string of away games. “Well, I guess I’m going to go then.”
“You should before you’re late,” I tell him, pushing away the worry that tickles in the pit of my stomach. I have plenty of experience with babies, so I know I have this. I know I can do this. “Have a safe flight, a safe trip, and you’d better make sure you don’t let those pucks get in the net,” I tell him, a grin pulling on my lips as I point my finger at him.
“Whatever you say, outlaw.” He chuckles with amusement. “But only because you told me not to.”
Rowan’s eyes drop down to Lucy and he inches closer, his face lowering to hers. She stares up at him, her eyes wide, mouth falling open. “Bye, little Lucy,” he says softly, his hand lifting to stroke the side of her cheek. “Be good for Hadley until I get home. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
He turns his head, looking up at me, and he’s so incredibly close, I can smell a hint of mint from his toothpaste. My eyes trace the vein-like lines around his pupils. “She can’t understand me, can she?”
I laugh quietly, shaking my head at him. “No, but it’s the sound of your voice that is most important. As her vision gets better, she’ll be able to recognize you just from seeing you, but it’s important for her to hear you now. ”
His gaze latches onto me for two heartbeats and I’m momentarily lost in those blue orbs. Damn him for being so attractive. And damn him for having a baby, because seeing him with her is literally melting my heart.
Rowan turns his head to look back at Lucy. “I hate having to leave you, but I know Hadley will take the very best care of you.” He lowers his lips to her forehead, kissing her gently. “I love you, little Luce, and I’ll see you in a few days.”
He straightens his body back upright, his gaze landing on me once more. He stays for a moment longer, as if he doesn’t want to leave, before he pulls himself away. I watch him as he disappears through the house, the sound of the door shutting behind him as he enters the garage.
I look down at Lucy in my arms and she stares back at me, her eyes roaming across my face. “Looks like it’s just the two of us.” Her nose crinkles, and she moves around in my arms, lifting her little arms to stretch her body. Her mouth opens with an exaggerated yawn and I find myself doing the same.
“Good idea,” I smile at her, glancing at the various boxes of things and back out at the living room. “We’ll take a nap and then tackle the nursery.”
“I don’t know how the hell he knows where anything is in his toolbox.”
I glance up at Riley as she walks back into the room with two different screwdrivers. I lift an eyebrow at her as I hand Nova one of the slats for the crib. “Believe it or not, I haven’t looked in his toolbox yet.”
Nova snorts and I realize there’s definitely an unintended innuendo hanging in that sentence. “Give it some time.”
“Yeah, right.” I laugh, shaking my head at her. The two of them came over a few hours ago and we immediately got to working on putting the furniture together. The furniture that Rowan specifically told me not to touch.
We ran out of time this morning to get things put together before he left and he told me he would do it when he got home. He felt guilty leaving without having Lucy’s nursery set up, but I assured him we would be fine. I didn’t tell him my plans of doing it anyway, but what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.
“How is he adjusting to this?” Nova asks as we finish up the crib, both of us rising to our feet as we carry it over to the wall. It’s a crib with a changing table attached to it, so that’s one less piece of furniture we need to construct.
“As well as anyone can adjust to something like this,” I tell her, taking the crib mattress from Riley as she slides it across the wood floor to me. She adjusts the baby carrier strapped around her body, her son’s little head rolling to the side as he readjusts against her chest.
The room is quite the sight right now, but it’s coming together. We now have the crib all put together, and Nova and I managed to carry the glider into the room and tucked it in the corner. We have the dresser half put together and then that’s it for now. It’s not much but it’s a start for the little one.
Posey, Nova’s daughter, sits in the center of the room, reading a book upside down to Lucy as she sleeps on the mat we got her for the floor.
“He’s going to be a great dad,” Riley says as she runs her hand over Theo’s head. “He has such a big, soft heart.” She smiles, her gaze meeting mine as Nova and I start back on the dresser. “I overheard him talking to Nash one day about how he never wanted to go through what we went through.” She pauses, a wave of pain washing through her eyes. “After Theo’s traumatic birth, I think it really scared all the guys about having kids.”
“Oh, yeah,” Nova bobs her head up and down. “Lincoln’s going to be like a damn helicopter when we decide to have babies.”
“At least Rowan doesn’t have to go through any of the birth process,” I chime in, shrugging innocently as the two of them look at me. “I mean, that part is already over.”
Riley chuckles. “This is true. I’m not so sure he wanted kids, but I think this will be good for him.” She smiles at me as Nova and I flip the dresser over. “He’s lucky to have you here to help him.”
“Are you planning on staying here with him full-time?” Nova asks me as we move the dresser to the other wall. Riley walks over with a stack of little baby clothes and we begin to fill the drawers.
“I’m not sure yet,” I admit, the thought idling in the back of my mind. “My lease is up in two weeks and I didn’t plan on staying, so I need to see if I can extend my lease. I have three months until my next travel assignment, so I need to figure out what I’m going to do.”
Rowan told me to take the guest room beside Lucy’s nursery, so I put my bag in there before the girls got here earlier. I’ve spent the past few nights on his couch, so it feels weird to occupy an entire bedroom. I think he meant for me to use it just while he’s away, but I don’t know. I have my own apartment, but my lease will be up soon and I’m not sure what my plans will be after this.
Originally, I planned on continuing to travel. After feeling so stuck for so many years in Cedar Ridge, I just wanted to see what else the rest of the world has to offer.
“I’m sure he’ll just tell you to stay here,” Riley says as she lifts Theo from the carrier and unstraps it from her body. “It would honestly make the most sense.”
“It does,” Nova adds, finishing up the drawers before turning back to me. A soft smile lifts her lips. “Rowan’s going to need all the help he can get and I think you might be the perfect person for the job.”
I let out a laugh, settling down on the floor in front of Posey and Lucy. “I didn’t think my nursing career would have me turning into being someone’s nanny.”
“Sometimes life takes the most unexpected turns,” Riley tells me, the glider shifting as she sits down to nurse Theo. “Enjoy the ride, girl.”