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TWENTY-NINE

“Daddy?”

At the sound of Emilia’s frightened voice, I instantly sat up in bed, pulled from a deep sleep. The sky was still dark, so it must have been the middle of the night, but my daughter was curled up at my side, shaking with fear.

I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close. “What’s going on, Em?”

“The storm,” she said. Her voice sounded high, like when she was younger.

While she was only six, there were days when it felt like she was growing up too fast. I loved watching her grow and change—seeing glimpses of the woman she’d become one day.

She was bold, fearless, and kind, a force I hoped would only grow with time.

But time passing pulled at my heartstrings, knowing that, soon enough, she wouldn’t need her dad to be her hero, rushing into the night to slay her dragons.

Time was the ultimate thief. No matter how hard I tried to hold on, the days passed faster and faster each year.

Warmth filled my chest when she snuggled closer, her breathing steadier than it was moments ago. “I don’t like the thunder.” Her words were little more than a shaky whisper in the dark.

“Me either, Em,” I lied, savoring having my daughter safe in my arms. I ran my hand over her hair. “What does Mommy do when you’re scared?”

“She sings me a song.”

I chuckled. “Trust me, little bug, that won’t help much. My voice isn’t nice like Mommy’s.”

“I know. Hadley says it sounds like you’re stepping on Laila’s tail.”

“Oh, does she?” I couldn’t help but smirk. Of course, the woman had to give me grief even when I wasn’t in the room. “What else does Hadley tell you about me?”

“That you’re the best daddy in the world.” Emilia yawned and nuzzled into the pillow. “That you’re strong and kind, and that you’re always there for me, even when I don’t see you.”

Heat rushed through my veins. The words weren’t ones I’d ever thought I’d hear Hadley say about me, which made them matter even more.

She saw me, saw how much love I wanted to give my daughter.

I wasn’t a perfect dad by any stretch of the imagination, but Emilia was my greatest gift—the number one priority in my world.

If she felt safe and loved, I considered my job well done.

Emilia toyed with my arm like she often did with her stuffed animals when she was trying to fall asleep. “Did you know Hadley doesn’t have a daddy?”

My eyes blinked open, searching through all our past conversations.

There had been plenty over the years, mostly with Victoria or Emilia as the glue.

Even so, I knew little about Hadley’s home life.

Shit, I didn’t even know where she was from.

When we first met, she said Massachusetts, which made me picture luxury homes along the coast of Cape Cod.

That could have still been true, but my gut told me it wasn’t.

Hadley rarely talked about her family, and the one time I got the nerve to ask Victoria, she told me I’d have to talk to Hadley, that it was her story to tell.

I glanced toward the window, where a tendril of lightning lit up the backyard with violent hues of violet and silver. It was just enough that I could see the carriage house in the distance, where Hadley slept.

For years, I’d assumed I knew her, that there was nothing hidden under Hadley’s surface. But after the last few weeks, she’d opened up to me, and there was so much I’d missed. Now that I knew what it was like to have her in my arms, there was no erasing the impact Hadley had on me.

Last week, I’d let her push me away, knowing her issues had less to do with me and more to do with her loyalty to Victoria. It was difficult to walk away from her, especially after what we’d just shared. But I was willing to—for a time.

Emilia’s breathing evened out as she laid in my arms, but I just stared out at the storm, watching for those brief glimpses of the house in the distance. When I finally closed my eyes, Hadley was the last thing on my mind, wondering what secrets hid behind her infectious smile.

The next morning, my whole body ached—not just from the grueling practices and games, but from the physical assault my daughter launched in her sleep.

I didn’t know what the fuck she dreamed about, but the girl landed some serious hits in the middle of the night.

There were going to be bruises I didn’t want to explain to the guys.

Rubbing my hand over my face, I sat in bed, finding Emilia laying sideways, her feet resting against my chest. At least it was the weekend, and she could sleep a little longer.

Don’t get me wrong—we’d gotten really lucky with this kid. She was well-tempered and kind most of the time. But mess with her sleep, and she became a grizzly bear no amount of sugar and glitter would soothe. With my game tonight, I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to cage that beast.

After kissing Emilia’s forehead, I headed down the stairs. Fuck, I needed a strong cup of coffee. Give me an injection of the stuff at this point. Nothing else would erase the exhaustion fogging up my brain.

I dug through the cabinets, making myself right at home in Victoria’s kitchen, but there was a voice in the back of my head, reminding me not to get too comfortable.

As much as I appreciated her hospitality, this would all be ending soon.

While I wouldn’t miss the house itself, I would miss seeing Emilia every day.

The last year had been tough, going from seeing my kid every day to having her only on the weekends.

We’d figure something out, especially for the off season. I’d love to have more time with her, and if finding a place in town was what it took, I’d do it without hesitation.

When the coffee machine pumped out my drink, I shifted over to the sink, looking over the damage left by last night’s storm.

It raged into the early morning hours, long after Emilia and I fell back to sleep.

Luckily, the property looked like it was in good shape.

A few trees lost their branches, and water covered the driveway, but everything seemed to be in working order.

At least, until I spotted Hadley rushing up the yard, her pajamas drenched and her cat clutched in her arms. My blood ran cold.

I dropped the cup down on the counter and ran outside.

When I got close enough to touch her, I scanned her over, checking for any injuries, something to make sense of her appearance.

Hadley glared at me, but I couldn’t feel her usual anger in it. It was more like she was internally seething, and I was the closest target.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Her face fell. “The carriage house…not so much.”

“I don’t give a fuck about that,” I said, moving closer to her. “You sure you’re okay? You’re not hurt?”

Her sapphire eyes jumped up to meet mine, and for a moment, I saw a flicker of emotion lurking under the surface.

She might hate that she wanted me, but she wanted me all the same.

But as fast as it came, it faded. “I promise. The storm must have damaged the roof last night. I thought I left a faucet on because there was the annoying dripping sound, but when I got up to check it out, the roof above my bed collapsed.”

“Shit, Hadley!” I ran my hand over my hair. “You could’ve been killed!”

“I’m fine,” she said. “I’m more mad than anything. Not only is Tori and Adam’s hard work ruined, but the leak ruined most of my stuff.”

“It’s just stuff.“ I moved closer and took the pissed-off cat from her arms. “You can replace it.”

“Easy for you to say,” she scoffed under her breath. Hadley’s eyes tracked her cat as she settled in my arms, purring contently, like this was her plan all along. “Okay, seriously. How did you get Laila to like you? She hates everyone except me, and I’m barely tolerated.”

I shrugged, petting the back of Laila’s head. “Might have had something to do with the tuna I fed her last time she came up.” I turned, walking over to the main house. Hadley grumbled as she followed me, muttering traitor or something similar under her breath.