“Perfect!” I say to her, tapping her nose playfully. The boop sends her into a fit of giggles. “I happen to know for a fact that Alli has been craving that exact kind, so she added some to the order last week,” I tell Nicky conversationally, trying to loop him in beyond the parental comments he’s made. But all I receive is another nod of acknowledgment.
Since taking over a position in the public relations department, I haven’t had much reason to interact with the man the fans call “The Baladin Wall” one-on-one. But he is close friends with all The Midnight boys, who Violet readily adopted when she started working for the team and dating Crosby. Random dinners, game nights, or visits to the beach this summer with the rest of The Midnight crew have led to lots of opportunities to get to know Natalia and quietly observe her protective father. The pair orbit each other like twin stars, and the more time I spend with either of them, the more I feel my curiosity turning into gravity. The time we’ve spent together socially has been enough for me to develop an adoration for his daughter—and to realize his nickname might extend to more than just his ability to keep a rubber puck from hitting the back of a goal. Nikita Baladin is the definition of enigmatic. I can’t get a full read on him, which, as someone who needs that skill in herdaily job, is exceptionally frustrating. It also consistently leaves me wanting more, because in addition to being a mystery, he’s sexy as fuck.
Sensing I won’t get any new insight right now, I shift my attention away from him and back to Natalia. “Would you like to help me put some stuffies on the tables?”
“Real stuffies?” Nat’s eyes, a soft hazel, go comically wide at the mention of the stuffed animals Allison wanted strategically placed among the greenery.
“Just little ones,” I tell her, shrugging. Natalia turns to Nicky, waiting for his approval. He considers before replying to her in Russian. I know he’s fluent, but he was born and raised here. His body language and cadence indicate he’s giving clear instructions for her to follow.
“Da,”Nat agrees, a sharp bounce of her chin showing she understands before turning to me.
“There’s a box at the end of the hearth over there. Let’s grab a few and head over to the tables. We’ll figure out where to put them.” I indicate where I want her to go and give a guiding nudge on her back with my hand when she begins walking. Left with Nicky, I see how closely he keeps his eyes on her. He tracks her with the same intensity as ninety-mile-per-hour slapshots on the ice. I’m caught off guard by how curious I am to know what it would feel like to have that kind of focus on me.
“It was a long morning trying to get her ready.” His words keep me from examining the intrusive thought. I glance back at Natalia, who has successfully extracted a half-dozen fuzzy stuffies of varying types: bears, bunnies, and smaller woodland creatures in pastel colors. She lingers over a pink bunny with floppy ears with a polka dot interior, touching it gently and bringing it close for inspection before stroking its nose with her finger. Then she cuddles the rest tightly against her to keep from dropping any as she makes her way onto the lawn. “WhenI finally managed to get her going, I didn’t want to lose the momentum. So, I just put us in the car and came over. I’m sorry if it interrupted the setup.”
“Not at all.” I wave a hand in the air between us, swiping away his imaginary concerns. “Henri’s somewhere inside if you want to go find him, and other people will start showing up soon. I’m happy to have a helper.” I gesture to Nat and her look of concentration as she sets the small pink bunny on the bed of greens of the closest table, tucking it under a branch as if to anchor it from any searching hands. I make a mental note of its location, planning to slip it inside the Baladin’s thank-you bag.
“She likes you.” Nicky finally locks his eyes with mine, like he’s staring through my soul, dragging the depths of me with three words.
“I like her, too.” The words tumble out. They’re an inadequate way to explain that every time I see Natalia, it heals a little part of me. Instead of growing up as the afterthought of one parent and the byproduct of an absent one, she’s well-loved by a man who makes her his whole world. There’s an envy I carry, but also a desire to bear witness to it.
“Come on, Bea!”
Whatever else could be said dies at her melodic request as Nat bounds onto the patio, waving me over. I look back at Nicky, raising my eyebrows in the direction of the house, expecting he’ll go find his former teammate. Instead, he joins Natalia and me at the box of stuffed creatures. Spreading his large hands wide, he carries the stuffies with ease, following us through the grass.
CHAPTER 2
NICKY
Natalia beams at Bea, pointing eagerly at the fifteenth of September on the massive calendar. Bea hands her the marker, smiling as my daughter writes her name in the square. The letters are different sizes and trail off at the end, but I have the same bloom of pride in my chest that’s on Bea’s face as Natalia concentrates on the task.
“Ever wish you had given her a shorter name?” Charlie “Bones” Kane, right winger for our team, rumbles from my left. His voice is one of the deepest I’ve ever heard, an insecurity he has that keeps his chatting to a minimum around people he doesn’t know. It’s one of the reasons we get along so well. I don’t like talking to people much, either, but when it’s just us, I don’t mind. Charlie is a few years younger than me, but he’s one of my closest friends on the team.
“It never crossed my mind to,” I tell him honestly, one eyebrow raising in question. When Natalia was born, I had never considered names. I had never even consideredchildren. But that changed, courtesy of her mother. A one-night stand whonever told me she was pregnant, then gave birth and signed away all parental rights before leaving the hospital. The staff called me, and I brought home a newborn within twenty-four hours. It was one of the most confusing experiences of my life.
“Fewer letters to write. She’ll probably have one of the longest names in kindergarten when school starts.” He takes a sip from the bottle of beer in his hand, and I weigh his thinking.
“Could be worse. She could have a traditional Russian middle name, too,” I muse. “Natalia Baladinovna Baladin is a lot. Good thing I kept it easy with Reese.”
Charlie barks out a laugh, drawing the attention of the other attendees. He flushes, but the guests quickly go back to their cocktails and conversations, leaving my friend to return to a normal color. The crowd is mostly people we know: other players, staff from the team, but there are also plenty of strangers from Tex and Allison’s families. He clears his throat and points to where Natalia and Bea have finished entering their delivery date predictions. The duo head off to the catering tables, where Bea shakes her head when Nat lifts a cup of juice. She hands my daughter water instead.
“She sure seems to like Bea. Nat didn’t even take to Violet that way, and everyone loves Vi,” Charlie muses.
I offer a grunt of acknowledgment. He’s not wrong. Nat effortlessly adores Bea.
Beatrice Farrow.
Spirited best friend of Violet Cameron: Coach’s daughter and current girlfriend of Crosby, our new team captain and starting center. Bea rolled into town this past season, like the eye of the hurricane the couple found themselves in. She was calm and steady when she arrived to support Violet and Crosby through a publicity nightmare. A reprieve from the damaging onslaught of the press and turmoil in the organization.
She has been nothing short of mesmerizing.
When everything passed, Bea blew back out, returning to London and leaving me to make sense of the infatuation left in her wake.
“You get along with her, don’t you?” Charlie presses. I cross my arms, as if that will keep him from figuring out that my crush has only deepened since Bea showed up in the middle of the playoffs—wearingmyjersey—as The Midnight’s new public relations officer.
“She’s fine.” I keep my arms over my chest. Charlie mirrors me, a smirk spreading slowly, but it dies when I give a firm shake of my head. It doesn’t matter what thoughts or fantasies have floated around in my quiet time about the curly-haired beauty. I have enough going on in my life as a single father and professional hockey player. Better to stop that possibility before it ever starts. Charlie gives an understanding nod. “It’s good for Nat to have a woman she actuallylikesinterested in spending time with her.”
“I thought you settled all that nanny stuff?” he asks.
