Page 99 of Cross Check Daddies
“Don’t look away,” he rasps.
I don’t.
He’s the one who comes with a curse, hips jerking, forehead pressed to mine.
After, they wrap around me. Tanner’s fingers on my shoulder. Cam’s mouth on my jaw. Ace, resting a hand on my stomach, whispering something to the baby.
I’m sore. Sated. Safe.
And I’m not alone.
By Friday night, we finish QA on the last level. I go to bed at four and wake up at seven. Today’s the day. The game is launching. And the Icemen are playing the Cubs.
Aaron is in the city. My men are on the ice. I have no room for nerves, but they push in anyway.
At ten, there’s a knock on my office door.
Lisa slips in, bright-eyed, holding a long white garment bag over one arm. “Your dress is ready.”
I blink up from the disaster that is my desk. “You didn’t have to?—”
“I did,” she says. “It’s stunning. Try it.”
I unzip the bag and stare. It’s elegant and ice blue, shimmering with understated crystals, cut to hug every curve and fall gracefully over my belly without drawing attention to it. It’s everything. I don’t have words.
“It’s perfect.”
Lisa smiles, smoothing a wrinkle from the hem. “It’s all going to be okay.”
I nod, trying to believe it.
When I finally head home, Ivy is waiting. She’s dressed already, her hair coiled into a sleek bun, lipstick on, heels kicked off as she helps Jackson finish his sandwich.
“Got the update from Lisa,” she says. “I swear she’s more organized than any PR firm I’ve ever worked with.”
“You’re leaving tomorrow?”
“Court filing in the morning,” she sighs. “But I’m here for this. I wouldn’t miss this for anything.”
Jackson hops off the couch and runs to me, showing off his little jersey. It’s a kid-sized version of the official Icemen one, withKINGemblazoned across the back.
I stare.
I look at Ivy.
“Ivy.”
She shrugs, deadpan. “Let the boy wear what he wants.”
“He’s going to get us murdered.”
“By who? That man? Please. Jackson has better taste.”
Jackson spins around, arms wide. “I look like the team!”
“You look adorable,” I murmur, kissing his forehead.
Ivy stands and hands me a small clutch. “You ready?”
