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TWENTY-SIX

GAVIN

Brooks: How are you holding up?

Aiden: Are we having practice today?

Beckett: He’s got one ducking kid, and I have five. How come you never ask how I’m doing?

Aiden: How are you doing, Beckett?

Brooks: LOL. Sara’s grabbing coffee, then we’ll be by to help.

Beckett: That’s so nice of you. The kids would love donuts.

Brooks: Obviously I was talking to Gavin.

Aiden: Gavin?

Beckett: Gav, you okay?

Brooks: I’m coming in.

I groan at the text chain from my brothers. My phone battery is at 2 percent. I fell asleep while obsessing over Millie’s photos like an insane person. Then Vivi was up three times. I feel like a zombie. How do people with babies function daily? It’s torture.

Footsteps sound in the hall, and then I hear Brooks. “I haven’t found him yet. He’s probably still sleeping.” He’s silent for a second. “I don’t know. Black, probably.” Ah, he must be on the phone. “Okay, and get me a protein bar, please. Thanks, crazy girl. I love you.”

I let out a heavy sigh and breathe through the tightness in my chest. Is everyone in love?

I roll to my left side and come face to face with Vivi. She’s still on her back, head turned and brown eyes wide, sucking on her hand.

“You really are a happy baby, aren’t you, Vivi girl?”

She breaks into a gummy smile.

“Oh, you like that name, huh?”

My bedroom door swings open, catching Vivi’s attention, her chubby little body shifting.

“Sleeping in?” Brooks asks.

I heave out a breath and fight the urge to throw a pillow at him. “Make yourself useful and go fix a bottle for her.”

Brooks frowns, running a hand against his cheek. “How do I do that?”

“Ugh, are you really that useless? Mix the powder with warm water, then shake it.”

It only took me two tries to figure it out last night. I tested the temperature on my wrist like Dylan showed me, then stupidly licked at the liquid to make sure it wasn’t too hot. Then I accidentally inhaled the formula powder while I was putting the lid on the container. The powdery taste is still haunting me. But Brooks doesn’t need to know how difficult it’s all been.

“How about I watch the baby and you do that?” Brooks offers, stepping into the room.

“You think I’d trust you to watch my daughter?”

“Considering that you only met her yesterday and you’ve known me my whole life?—”

I growl at him to shut him up, sounding way too much like Beckett for my liking.

He holds up his hands and backs out the door. “Fine. I’ll make a bottle.” Then he’s gone, and a moment later, he’s talking again, probably to Sara. Good, maybe she can talk him through it and keep him from screwing it up.

“Come on, Vivi girl. Let’s get dressed and go to practice.”

“Is that a baby?”

Vivi’s bundled up in her car seat, seemingly soothed by the rocking motion as I lug the thing into the rink.

Fitz, the goalie coach, has been my saving grace since I took over as head coach for the Bolts. He’s been running practices with me and guiding me through this transition. It’s been a month, though, and it’s time to start showing the guys that I can handle this.

“It’s not a puppy,” I retort as War slides to a stop in front of me. I set Vivi down on the bench, keeping my hand on her carrier to keep it from tipping.

“You can’t bring a baby to practice,” Fitz says, giving me a confused frown.

“What would you like me to do with my daughter, then? Can’t leave her at home by herself.”

“You have a daughter?” Fitz pulls the Bolts hat off his head and runs his hands through his hair. “Since when?”

War rests his elbows on the gate and angles over her. “Hey, Vivi. Your uncles haven’t stopped talking about you.” The star left winger grins and straightens. “How you feeling, Coach?”

“Tired,” I mumble. “Hall, come over here and watch Vivi for me while we practice.”

Daniel skates over and leans against the boards. “You don’t want me to watch your kid, I promise.”

I look down at Vivi. She’s all wide eyes as she takes in the guys around her. “And why not?”

“Millie’s the one who’s good with kids. I’ve never even held one.”

The sound of her name in such a casual tone hits me like a slap and steals the breath from my lungs. I blink slowly to keep from wincing, but Daniel gives me a puzzled frown, like maybe I’m not hiding my reaction well.

“Didn’t ask you to hold her, Hall,” I grit out. “Sit your ass down on the bench and don’t take your eyes off her. If you can’t handle that, then I’ll put you in the net and let War take shots at you for the next hour.”

“That would be awesome,” War crows, clapping his gloved hands.

“Hey.” I point at him. “You’re watching her next. You’ll all take ten-minute shifts while I run practice.”

Fitz steps up close and ducks his head. “We’re trying to build trust and respect here, remember?”

I take a step back and holler for the guys to gather around. Most of them have migrated this way, clearly curious about the baby by my side. “Let me make a quick introduction. Guys, this is Vivi, my daughter. Her mother left her on my doorstep last night. Anyone have a problem with me bringing her to practice while I figure shit out? No?” I ask without waiting for a response. “Great. Now let’s play some hockey.”

The guys all nod, and Fitz lets out a heavy sigh and skates off toward Brooks, who’s still at the net.

“’Kay, Vivi girl. Be good for Daniel. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” I bend at the waist and press a kiss to her forehead. When I pull back, she gives me that big gummy smile again. Fuck, she’s cute.

Aiden moves closer to me, his expression more stoic than I think I’ve ever seen. “I can watch her.”

I pat my brother on the shoulder. “As much as I love you for offering, you’re our center. If I sat you on that bench right now, I’d actually not be doing my job.”

War pokes at my brother with his stick. “Yeah, Lep. We need our good luck charm on the ice at all times.”

I head for the ice and blow my whistle. “Line up, boys. I don’t have all day.”

My phone rings just as practice wraps up. When Beckett’s name appears on the screen, I answer quickly. Maybe he’s got news on when all Vivi’s stuff will arrive. Or maybe he wants me to come over and hang out while we stare at our babies. Maybe take turns napping.

“Hey, Beck.”

“Finn is freaking out. He says you promised to take him to the park.”

Wow. No hello . No how are you? He didn’t even ask about Vivi. It’s nice to see Beckett is his usual self today. After that forehead kiss last night, I was concerned he’d been possessed.

“Fuck.” I scoop up Vivi’s seat and hit the light on my way out of my office.

“When he was adamant about it this morning, I told him you were busy,” he says. “But as soon as he got home from school, he brought it up again.”

Standing in the empty hall, I survey Vivi. Could I handle taking her to the park? The old man on the bench yesterday was more than happy to offer advice. Maybe he knows a thing or two about babies. Or maybe some fresh air and time with Finn will do me good.

“Nah, tell him I’ll be there shortly. Any update on Vivi’s stuff?”

“I’ll have Brooks and Aiden go to your apartment to wait for the delivery guys. Once the girls are down for the night, I’ll bring pizza over.”

“Thanks, Beck. I’ll see you shortly.”

With a Wendy’s bag in one hand, my other arm looped through the handle of Vivi’s seat, and Finn at my side, I scan the park for our bench mate from yesterday.

Yesterday.

It feels like I’ve lived an entire life in the twenty-four hours that have passed since we were last here.

“You added another child to the brood. Weren’t getting enough advice from this one?” a voice says from behind us.

I spin and chuckle at the old man shuffling our way. “Shut it. This is—” I take a deep breath; this is going to take some getting used to. “This is Viviane, my daughter.”

He smiles warmly at her. “She’s beautiful.”

My heart expands with pride. She really is a beautiful child. Her cheeks are rosy from the cold, and she’s taking in the scene quietly, as always. I set her seat on the bench and press a kiss to one cheek, making sure her blanket is tucked in around her. “Here,” I say to our friend. “I brought you your burger.”

“All right,” he says, snagging the bag from me with a chuckle. “Let me get settled, and then you can explain how you ended up a dad between today and yesterday.”

I snort. “That obvious I’m new to this?”

He shakes his head. “You told me yesterday Peaches didn’t want kids and you did. I imagine if you already had one, that would have been a discussion long before you broke up.”

I shake my head, ready to brush off the topic. Millie is the last thing I should be talking about. While Finn chases squirrels, I spill every detail of the last twenty-four hours.

“And Peaches isn’t the baby’s mother?” he asks, his tone a little too judgmental for my liking.

I don’t know who the baby’s mother is, but it’s not Millie. Fuck, do I wish she were. Hell, I wish we were both this little girl’s parents. Not that she’d want that. She made it abundantly clear the last time we talked that she was nowhere near ready for that. “No.”

“Seems like you have a lot more on your plate than you did yesterday, huh?”

I rub at my little girl’s foot through the blanket, and when her big brown eyes hold mine, I nod. Before today, I would have told this man that without Millie, the likelihood of me becoming a father was nonexistent. Now this little girl owns my heart.

“Yeah, I think I have to let Peaches go.” I force a deep breath of fresh air into my lungs, willing it to clear my mind. “So tell me, Henry. What do you know about babies?”