Page 9 of One Good Puck (Denver Bashers #5)

Gavin

I pump my legs harder as I hit the last half-mile of my morning jog, right as the sun starts to rise.

My lungs are on fire with how hard I’m breathing, but I love it. These pre-dawn runs before a busy workday are what give me energy.

With autumn just around the corner, I’m even more eager to go for a run.

This might be the last warm morning before the cold weather rolls in, which means I’ll have to hit the treadmill or head to the arena early for a workout.

I’m fine doing both of those, but there’s nothing like sweating it out in the fresh air.

When I round the corner of the street, my house comes into view. In the driveway, I spot Abby’s red Honda parked off to the side.

I smile to myself. It’s been two weeks since she and Emma moved in, and things have been smooth. Most mornings, they’re out of the house before I come downstairs for breakfast. By the time I come home from work most evenings, they’re getting ready for bed.

But last night, when I came home from work, Abby and Emma were in the kitchen, covered in flour while they baked chocolate chip cookies. They were laughing and joking around, clearly having a blast. It was such a happy moment to come home to. Not to mention the delicious cookies.

I slow my pace for a block to recover and pat my stomach. I meant to stop at just one cookie last night, but they were so good I ended up eating three, which made Emma giddy. Yeah, it means that I’ve had to go harder on this morning’s run, but I don’t care. It was worth it to see her happy.

She reminds me of Sophie when she was that age. Always smiling and laughing. She seems like such a happy and well-adjusted kid, which shows what an incredible mother Abby is.

When I’m a block from my house, I slow to a walk and catch my breath.

I think about how long it’s been since I’ve shared a living space with anyone.

Sophie moved into the guest house when she started attending medical school, and then she moved in with Xander last season.

Since then, it’s just been me at this house, and honestly, it’s been pretty lonely.

It’s nice to have someone to share this massive space with.

Especially when that someone is a beautiful woman I’ve been crushing on pretty much since the moment I met her.

I banish the thought the second it forms in my mind. When Abby agreed to move in with me, I told myself I needed to stop thinking about how attractive she is. She’s my friend and my housemate now, and I shouldn’t be thinking about her that way anymore.

But it’s pretty damn impossible. She’s beautiful, and every time I see her, it’s a struggle not to stare.

When I walk through the front door, I quietly toe off my running shoes, then make my way to the kitchen.

I strip off my sweat-soaked shirt and tuck the hem into the back pocket of my running shorts.

I open the fridge and smile when I see the top shelf stocked with juice boxes and PB and J lunchables—Emma’s favorite snacks.

Sophie loved those too when she was a little kid.

I grab a pre-made chocolate protein shake, crack it open, and take a long swig as I close the refrigerator door. I step forward and immediately bump into someone.

“Oh! Sorry!” Abby says, stumbling back.

I cough as I swallow my gulp of protein shake. I’m so startled that I jerk my arm back…and splash half my protein shake all over Abby.

“Crap…” I mutter as I gaze down at her. The white tank top she’s wearing is soaked…and practically see-through now that it’s wet.

My eyes go wide as I take in the sight of her. How I can tell that she’s not wearing a bra…How I can tell that her nipples are hard…

Fuck, she looks good when she’s wet…

What the hell is wrong with you, you pervert?

I shake my head and refocus, feeling guilty for having such a gross thought.

“I’m so sorry, Abby. God, I’m a klutz.”

I turn and grab a clean kitchen towel from the counter and hand it to her.

Her cheeks are bright red as she offers a shy smile to me and a quiet, “Thanks. ”

I start apologizing again, but she shakes her head as she pats the towel on her chest.

“It’s my fault,” she says. “I wasn’t paying attention when I walked into the kitchen. I shouldn’t have sneaked up on you behind the fridge door. I’m pretty out of it.” She chuckles.

“What are you doing up so early?”

“It’s Emma’s teacher’s birthday today, so I was going to bake some muffins to drop off with her.”

“Oh. That’s really nice of you.”

She’s frowning down at the front of her tank top as she cleans herself. Crap. I wonder if I’ve ruined it.

“Let me pay to get that drycleaned for you,” I say. “Or hey, I can buy you a new one.”

She looks up and flashes a sweet smile. “It’s okay. It’ll come out in the wash. Besides, this is payback for me getting your suit dirty.”

I can’t help but grin at her teasing tone.

“You wouldn’t believe the stains I’ve had with Emma. Juice. Ketchup. Marker ink. Chalk. Muddy water.”

“Okay, but if your top ends up being ruined, I want you to tell me so I can replace it. I’m serious.”

Her smile turns warm. “Okay.”

That’s when I notice just how adorable Abby looks in the morning. Her long blonde hair is messy as it falls around her shoulders, and her eyes are puffy with sleep.

I clear my throat and force myself to look away while I set my bottle of protein shake on the counter, just so I stop staring at her.

“I should probably change out of this,” she says.

I don’t look at her when she walks off. I down the rest of my protein shake, then grab eggs, bacon, and English muffins from the fridge.

I’m poaching eggs on the stove top and frying up some bacon when Abby comes back down to the kitchen, this time in a hoodie.

“Wow. You’re hungry in the mornings,” she says.

“This is for you and Emma.”

When I look up, her mouth is half-open, like she’s surprised.

“Cooking breakfast for you is the least I can do for throwing my protein shake all over you the second you woke up.”

She chuckles. “Thank you.”

I nod at one of the stools on the kitchen island. “You should sit. Breakfast is almost ready.”

She starts to turn, but her gaze catches on a picture pinned to the fridge. It’s an old family photo of me and Nicole holding Sophie between us when she was a baby.

“That’s so beautiful,” Abby says.

“It’s my favorite photo of the three of us. I have it framed in my office at work too.”

A soft smile appears on Abby’s face. “Your wife was stunning. Sophie looks just like her.”

Warmth gathers in my chest. “Lucky kid took after her mom in the looks department.”

Abby chuckles. “How did you two meet?”

“A photoshoot. When I was a hockey player, my publicist got me this random gig for a fashion magazine, and she was the model I was posing with. When we wrapped, I asked her out for a drink. The rest is history.”

Abby’s smile widens. “That’s so cute. Do you have the photo you two took together?”

I nod. “I framed it and gave it to her as a gift for our first Valentine’s day. It’s in my office now upstairs.”

“That’ s so romantic.”

I rub the back of my neck. “I’m kinda relieved to hear you say that. I always wondered if it’s weird that I still display photos of her when she’s been gone for so long.”

Abby shakes her head. “No way. She’s your wife. You love her and want to remember her forever.”

“Yeah, exactly.” My chest tightens at how she seems to understand how I feel—how easy it is to talk to her about so many things.