Page 32 of Hat Trick
"I'm sorry." I whisper.
"Don't apologize. That was the best kiss of my life."
"Even better than Luca's?"
I open my eyes to watch her reaction. She blushes hard, her smile falling a little.
"He told you about that?"
I chuckle. "Yeah. We tell each other everything. I'm just angry you wore his jersey first. I should have asked you a long time ago. I mean, you aremynanny, not his."
Her smile returns and we stand there for a long moment, my hand still holding her head, her hands playing with the hair on the nape of my neck.
A loud clearing of a throat behind us has us jumping apart. The rookie's approaching my truck, rubbing the back of his neck.
"I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I'm really, really sorry. I should have been watching where I was going."
Emily shoots him a reassuring smile and my chest tightens. I'm a selfish bastard and want all of her smiles. Not this fucking guy.
"It's fine. Really. Don't worry about it. Just a flesh wound."
The rookie chuckles. "Alright, Black Knight. Let me know if I can make it up to you sometime."
This fucking guy. Is he really flirting with her while I'm standing right here?
"She said she was fine." I growl, shooting dagger at him. Emily places her small hand on my shoulder, begging me to calm down. The rookie waves at her before jogging back to the beach.
"Jealousy's a good look on you, Carter." Emily croons next to me. I grumble some half-assed response that causes her to laugh harder.
We finish cleaning up her scrapes before heading to the reception cabin and getting some larger band aids.
"Do you want to go home after that?" I ask her. She wraps her hand around the crook of my arm, leaning on me as she walks.
"Of course not! I'm just a little sore. I'll stick to the chairs. I don't know how you guys do that every night. Get pummeled into the boards and walk the next day?"
I lead her over to the chairs. Luca and Gabe fawn over her, worried, asking how she is.
"You guys worry too much! I'm a little scraped and might have a bruise or two tomorrow, but I'm fine. Really. Ben already apologized and offered to make it up to me." She says, shooting me a lopsided grin. This brat. She's going to rub it in my face every day now, isn't she. Luca and Gabe bristle, too.
"Did he now?" Gabe says, searching the beach for 'Ben'.
"You know his name?" Luca asks, a frown marring his handsome face.
She shrugs. "Of course I do. Fan. Remember?" She says pointing to herself. She laughs before making grabby hands at Annie. "How's myAnnie girl?" She coos as Gabe sets her into Emily's lap. Annie's eyes immediately go to the band aids, and she reaches out to touch one. "Smart girl." She says before looking at me. "She noticed something was different immediately. You're going to have your hands full with this one."
"We. We're going to have our hands full." I reply. I know eventually Annie will go to school, but I can't imagine my life without Emily in it. I'll keep her on as nanny. Or part-time nanny. If I'm still playing, Annie will need Emily while we're at away games. Or we could homeschool. I bet Emily would be great at that.
I'm spiraling. I'm terrified of a future that may not have Emily in it. I can't tie her to her bed, though. I don't own her. But fuck, the day she leaves us will break me. I need to make sure that day never comes.
I'm going to woo her, make her fall in love with me so she never leaves. I need to talk to the boys.
We need a game plan. If one of us fucks this up and she's leave us it'll not only break my heart, but Annie's too. And I'll gnaw off my own arm before I let that little girl down.
Operation make-Emily-stay is on.
Chapter eighteen
Emily
