Page 11 of Hat Trick
Carter glances back at me. "What do you think? Sixish?"
I give a single nod. I have no idea what time we'll be home. She's not my fucking nanny. If she starts trying to control when we come and go, I'm going to lose my shit.
Carter gives Annie a quick kiss on her blonde curls before Emily takes her home.
Jonesy uses the break as an opportunity to chat up Carter. "Fuck man. Sucks to be you."
Carter's brow furrows in confusion. "Why?"
"Being around that hot piece of ass all day and not being able to touch her? Special kind of torture."
Carter huffs and shakes his head. "Don't talk about her like she's a 'piece of ass'. That woman stepped up and saved my life when it comes to my daughter. Show her more respect."
"Sure will. Right after you give me her number." Carter punches him too but Jonesy just laughs it off. Luca's face has gone stormy, though. Shit. This is all fucked.
"You gotta get rid of her, man." I say, sliding up next to Carter.
"What the hell for?" He replies, shocked.
"She's a distraction. Not just to you but to Luca too. We don't do women. We don't do distractions. How long do you think Luca will be able to keep it in his pants? Then once he's had her, how long before he's fallen in love and following her around the house like a damn puppy?"
"Look, man. I get it. I didn't expect any of this to happen, but we're just going to have to deal. We're adults. We're professionals. We can be in the same house as a beautiful woman andnotjump her the minute we get the chance. She's great with Annie. She saved my ass yesterday. What, do you want me to fire her because she's attractive and find an uglier nanny?" I grumble something non-committal. "We'll tell Luca she's off limits. That's it. He'll respect that."
I skate back to my posts, my forehead wrinkled in worry. I feel out of control. I doubt it'll be as simple as telling Luca she's off-limits. And how long will it be before Carter starts catching feelings? I hit my stick on the ice a few times, snapping my head back in the game as Coach Thompson approaches. If Carter isn't going to fire her, I'm going to make sure she quits.
Chapter six
Carter
Emily sent me a few selfies of herself on the couch with a sleeping Annie on her chest, pouty lips open in sleep. I never knew I could fall in love with someone after knowing them for a day, but I'm in love with Annie. My daughter. Fuck, it still doesn't seem real. But her sweet little face, wide eyes and chubby cheeks. Part of me is furious with Cedar for keeping my daughter from me, but I understand she had gone through some stuff and maybe she thought I wouldn't have been there to help her. Or worse, that I wouldn't have made a good father.
Shit, I still don't know how to be a good father but I'm going to fucking try.
I creep in the front door quietly. Gabe and Luca had gone out for drinks with the guys after practice, but I wanted to rush home and be with my girls. It's only been 24-hours but I've already started seeing Emily as my girl too. It feels like they came as a package and now they both belong to me - to our weird little family.
The boys and I have been together since High School, when Gabe's family moved to our town. We've been thick as thieves since - playing hockey together, living together, even going to the same college together. As three of the best hockey players in the High School division, we had our pick of colleges.
We were the dream team - a goalie, offensive and defensive players who have played together for years. We're so in sync. If it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert at something, we had definitely sharedmore than 10,000 hours together on the ice and are experts in each other.
We are a unit, a mini-team, and that team now includes Emily and Annie. I'm just not sure how they're going to fit in with our little unit yet.
I've been thinking about them all day. Gabe is right, Emily and Annie are a distraction. Yesterday played over and over in my head. How patient Emily was with me, how supportive. I'd been insecure and vulnerable. Panicked. Stressed. She'd simply laid a hand on my bicep and supported me. We made Annie dinner and bathed her together. We read bedtime stories and watched as Annie fell asleep in her new crib.
I replayed the hug I gave her as I thanked her for being amazing. Her soft body fit into my hard one perfectly. Holding her in my arms felt as natural as breathing. Her soft hair tickled my nose as I breathed in her jasmine and lavender shampoo.
Gabe is right. Emily will be a distraction. But I can't imagine any other nanny being as kind and patient with me, or loving Annie as instantly as Emily had. Without reservations or conditions. And I would never take that away from Annie. Not for all the hockey in the world. I'd step down as Team Captain or ride the bench if it starts impacting my gameplay. But I have a daughter now. She takes priority.
Shit, any other nanny could have easily sold my story to the papers for a hefty reward. "Team Captain's surprise baby." "NHL Captain's Shocking Baby Revelation!" or even "Carter Rhodes's Hidden Family Unveiled - Meet His Baby Girl!"
I groan. Fuck, that would have been a disaster. It would invite speculation about Cedar and why I didn't know I had a baby. They'd speculate I didn't want to raise her, or some sort of child-support/custody battle. They'd find where we lived and take pictures of Annie. She wouldn't be able to travel anywhere without the paparazzi following. It would have ruined both of our lives.
Not that Emily couldn't go to the papers later, but why waste time actually being a nanny if you could make money off the story alone? And watching how kind she is with Annie and I? Yeah, that's not an act.
I creep quietly into the living room to see Annie passed out on Emily's chest, covered in a blanket. Emily's arm wraps around Annie's bum while her other hand rests on the back of Annie's head, protectively. Emily twists her head to look at me.
"Hey there," she whispers with a smile. I've never had a woman waiting for me at home, smiling at me because she was glad to see me after a long day and fuck if I didn't like it. "Dinner's in the oven if you're hungry. If you want to take her..." she starts, angling to sit up slowly. I rest my hand on her shoulder, stopping her from getting up, while my other hand wipes a lock of hair off of Annie's forehead. Her cheeks are pink, but she doesn't feel hot.
"No, I got it." I say, heading towards the kitchen. "How's she feeling?"
