Page 71 of Her Hat Trick Daddies
Shane twists to look at us, completely floored, his eyes glassy with emotion. Then he turns his attention back to Luna, his voice thick. “That’s right, baby girl. Dada.”
David clears his throat behind me, and I turn just in time to see Leighton glance his way, smiling. “You want a turn too?” she asks softly.
David hesitates, like he’s afraid to want it too much. But then he nods, steps forward, and Shane gently passes Luna to him.
She fits against him like she was always meant to be there, her little arms curling around his neck. David closes his eyes briefly, and when he opens them again, they’re shining.
“Hey there, Luna,” he whispers, voice thick with emotion. “I’m David. I’ve been waiting a long time to meet you.”
She lets out a tiny giggle, pats his chest like she’s claiming him, then presses a drooly kiss to his jaw before settling against him like she’s known him forever.
And just as he starts to blink back tears, she leans back, grins up at him, and blows the wobbliest, most heart-melting kiss with her chubby little hand.
For a long, perfect moment, no one says a word. The room goes still.
And just like that, the world tilts. Everything shifts. This moment is everything we didn’t know we were missing… until she made us whole.
Chapter 21
Shane
What was I so nervous and scared about?
I can’t believe this sweet little girl is mine.Mine.I’m doing everything I can to hold it together, blinking hard to keep the sting of tears at bay while she snuggles closer, all warm and trusting. I wasn’t prepared for this… this flood of emotion that hits the second you realize you’re looking at your own child. My heart’s already gone, and I know without a doubt she’s going to have me wrapped around her tiny little fingers in no time.
But more than that, there’s this deep, primal need roaring through me, a fierce, unshakable instinct to protect her.My baby.From everything and everyone. There isn’t a force on earth that’ll bring her harm if I’ve got anything to say about it.
And fuck, the way Leighton’s standing there, her eyes a little glassy, her arms crossed like she’s hugging herself, looking so damn sexy it physically hurts to stare. I want her. God, I want to pull her into my arms and hold her close, soak in the way she feels pressed against me. And if it were just the two of usright now? I wouldn’t hesitate. I’d have her up on that kitchen counter in seconds, stripping her bare and making her sing my name until her voice was hoarse. I’d claim her again and again. Fuck, I’d put another baby in her right here and now if I could.
I want her. I want this life. And with every fiber of my being, I swear, they’ll both be mine.
The rest of the afternoon at Sven’s flies by too fast. We sit around the table, talking shop about upcoming games and laughing over the kids playing together like they’ve been best friends forever, which at their age, practicallyisforever. We swap stories about the old days, how Sven and Ava ended up together, and just as they’re weaving in bits about Eric and Levi—right on cue—they stroll through the door.
It’s a little awkward at first, but surprisingly comforting too. They’ve built something solid and keep it mostly out of the spotlight, so why couldn’t we do the same? And now, every time I see those guys at the rink, there’ll be this unspoken bond. We know things, intimate things, about each other’s lives that most people never will.
We thank them for lunch and start gathering up to leave. Luna’s in my arms, already half-asleep, her head resting on my shoulder, her little breaths soft and even. She’s done for the day.
“Can we follow you home, make sure you get there okay?” David asks as we head out.
“I think we’ll be all right,” Leighton smiles, brushing her fingers down Luna’s back. “She’s more than ready for a nap.”
David fixes her with a stare, dead serious. “Uh-uh. That wasn’t a question. We’re following you. And we need to know where you live.”
Leighton lets out a soft chuckle, shaking her head like she knows better than to argue. “Right.”
She straps Lulu into her car seat, and we all watch closely, because let’s face it, we’ve never done this before. She shows us every step, patient and confident. I, of course, have to triple-check that everything’s buckled and fastened tight. Leighton closes the door, but I open it one more time just to make sure. Can’t be too careful when it comes to my little girl.
I throw my cap back on and slide into the passenger seat of David’s SUV. The drive back is quiet, each of us lost in our thoughts. I run my hands through my hair and throw on the baseball cap that I left on the front seat. I wanted Luna to see all of me.
Finally, I say what’s been burning in my chest. “Whatever doubts I had before, gone. I’m one hundred percent in this thing.”
“Right there with you, buddy,” Andy says in an unusually quieter tone.
“Didn’t know what to expect when we went there, but now that we got a taste, there’s no way I’m turning back now,” David adds.
We pull up to Leighton’s place not long after, and the second I step inside, reality hits me like a brick wall. It’s cute, sure,a one-bedroom townhome, but it’s small. Way too small for them. Hell, the three of us can barely move around without bumping into each other.
Yeah, no. This will have to be temporary. No way in hell my girls are going to stay cramped up like this for long.
