Cross-Checked (Boston Rebels #3)

Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

McCabe

“ Y ou gotta stop following her around like a goddamn puppy,” Colt says, turning his head back to me as I follow him onto the plane.

“She shouldn’t be carrying a suitcase with a broken arm.”

Maybe I shouldn’t have rushed over to AJ when she got out of the private car she insisted on taking to the charter jet terminal our plane is leaving from. She can’t drive herself right now, and she said it would be way too suspect if we arrived together, so she wouldn’t let me drive her either.

“Pretty sure she has two arms,” he replies.

There was no way I was letting her roll that big-ass suitcase over to the luggage cart, or lug her carry-on suitcase up those stairs to the plane. Not when she’s injured.

Colt drops his voice lower and says, “Never thought I’d see you go from hating her to hovering like this. Is this all because of the way she protected Abby the other night?”

The silent “Or...?” at the end of the question hangs there heavily.

“Yeah, I feel kind of indebted to her now. And Abby adores her, so that’s kind of softened my stance on her, I guess.” I try to play it off like this is just about Abby, and hope he buys it.

“Good, maybe she’ll renew your contract if you stop being such a dick.”

I laugh, and Colt’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise. “I’m not a dick. She just pisses me off.”

“She gave you your first contract in the NHL a decade ago, and took Abby twice so you could play the first two games of this series. Maybe whatever happened in that time between those two things doesn’t matter that much?”

After eight years of playing with Colt, I don’t know why it still surprises me that there’s more to him than the fuck-boy image he portrayed for so long. He’s so much more perceptive than he wants people to know.

“Maybe,” I grunt out as we take our seats—me in the aisle across from Colt, and him next to Drew.

“So...” Drew leans forward, looking at me. “You got your childcare all worked out?”

“Yeah. Found a manny , actually.”

“Like a guy who’s a nanny?” Colt asks, scratching at the back of his neck like the thought of having to spend four solid days with a baby is making him break out in a rash.

“Yep.”

“How’d that happen?” Drew asks.

“Little brother of a friend. He’s getting his degree in child psychology and loves kids. It’s only working because it’s just a summer gig for him. But at least I think he’ll be reliable through the rest of the season.”

Colt chuckles. “A college guy who’s watching a baby for the summer. Hope he’s not like either of you guys were in college.”

Colt came straight to the NHL, whereas Drew was drafted after his senior year of college, and I left after my junior year for the pros. But he’s right. I was definitely not the kind of guy you’d leave in charge of a baby back then. And after the way Drew accidentally ghosted Audrey post-senior year and missed the first five years of his son’s life as a result, I don’t think he was responsible enough either.

“Stop trying to make him worry,” Drew says, elbowing Colt. “The last thing we need is for our captain to not have his head in the game.”

“Abby’s going to be just fine with Nicholas,” I say, praying I’m right. I have such a better feeling about him than I ever did about Lucy. And the fact that he showed up ten minutes early this morning only confirmed my intuition.

My phone pings with a text, and I glance down quickly, relieved that Hartmann isn’t in his seat next to me yet, because no one needs to see AJ’s name popping up on my screen. I quickly go to her contact and change her name so that I don’t risk one of my teammates seeing that she’s texting me.

Sunshine

Stop treating me like I’m made of glass. I can roll my own damn suitcase.

McCabe

You had two suitcases and one good hand.

Sunshine

And yet you insisted on taking both my bags.

McCabe

What can I say? I’m a gentleman.

I’m pretty sure I hear her scoff from the front of the plane, where she sits twelve rows in front of me.

Sunshine

Sure you are.

McCabe

I was a PERFECT gentleman last night, wasn’t I?

Sunshine

That’s debatable. But you were helpful, so there’s that.

McCabe

I’ll take helpful.

For now.

Sunshine

What do you mean, FOR NOW???

Do I type out a message and delete it five times, simply because I like picturing her biting her lip as she watches those bubbles pop up while she waits for my response? Yes, I sure do.

I quite like the idea of making her squirm a bit...I just wish she was squirming right over the top of my?—

“Dude, who are you texting?” Hartmann’s voice cuts into my thoughts. Glancing up to where he stands looking down at me, I almost fumble my phone in the rush to put it in my pocket before he sees AJ’s name at the top of the screen. Then I remember that I already changed her name.

“Just the new nanny.”

He purposely presses his ass into my face as he steps over me to get to his seat, like an impatient teenager who can’t be bothered to wait two seconds for me to get up and let him pass.

“I can’t fucking wait for Renaud to get back next season,” I grumble. “You’re a shitty seat mate.”

Aidan Renaud has been my closest friend for the past few years, but an injury this past summer sidelined his whole season, and he’s spent most of this past year back in the beach town he grew up in.

Hartmann just laughs. “So, this new nanny. She hot?”

“Relax, Lover Boy,” I use the nickname Walshy gave him when he joined our team earlier this season. “She’s a he.”

“Your nanny is a guy?”

“Yep.”

“None of my nannies growing up were dudes,” he says, his face getting serious, like he’s really considering what it would be like to have a male nanny. “That’s so badass. I bet a guy would have been so much more fun.”

I roll my eyes. “You know Abby’s an infant, right? It’s not like they’re out playing baseball together.”

“Still, it’s cool for him. He can put her in the stroller and walk around the city, and I bet he pulls so many girls that way.”

I never feel older than when I spend time around some of these younger, single players. Was I like this before Abby came into my life? Hopefully, I’d long since grown out of that phase.

“He has a girlfriend.”

“Hmm. What a waste for him. A guy with a kid is a total chick magnet.”

Is that so? Because that hasn’t been my experience. Only one woman in my life has ever seemed at all comfortable with my kid. Of course, it’s the one woman I can’t have.

And. Don’t. Want! I practically scream the reminder in my head, but it’s useless. I’m not delusional enough to believe myself. I do want her. Whether she wants me is an entirely different question.

Sunshine

Any chance you’re free right now?

W hen the text comes through, I’m half asleep on the bed in my hotel room after a particularly heavy pasta dinner with the team put me into a carb coma. The recap of another hockey game is playing on my TV, but the volume is so low that I can’t even hear what the sportscasters are saying. Doesn’t matter, I’m not watching for their commentary. I just want to see what the competition is doing.

McCabe

Depends.

Her reply comes back almost immediately.

Sunshine

On what?

McCabe

On why you’re asking.

I’m not sure why I like to be difficult when it comes to her. I could have just said “yes,” but where’s the fun in that?

Sunshine

I happen to be on FaceTime with Nicholas, and Abby is trying to walk.

I fly off the bed, grabbing a shirt off the chair as I frantically type out my reply.

McCabe

What’s your room number?

Sunshine

Oh, nowwwww you decide to be direct? No leaving me hanging without responding for hours...

Shit. I scroll up on the screen and see that she’s right. I got distracted with my teammates on the plane and I never actually sent a response to her earlier message.

McCabe

Room number.

Now, AJ.

I’m not missing my daughter’s first steps because you’re pissy I didn’t respond to your text.

I’m going to assume she’s just teasing me, because I don’t think she’s actually the type of person who would make me miss a milestone like this out of spite.

Sunshine

407

No. Fucking. Way. What kind of trick is the universe trying to play on us?

McCabe

Open your door so I can slip in without anyone seeing me, please.

Sunshine

How soon?

Grabbing my key card off the dresser, I shove it into the pocket of my shorts as I crack open my door, peeking out into the hallway to make sure no one is around. It’s empty.

McCabe

Now.

Her jaw drops when she swings her door open to find me standing in my open doorway across the hall.

“No fucking way,” she says, and I chuckle as her words mirror the exact thought I just had. “Did you arrange this?”

“Yeah.” Sarcasm drips from my tone as I take two steps across the hall and into her room, quickly shutting the door behind me. “Just like I arranged for you to move in across the hall from me at home.”

Abby’s gurgling baby sounds draw me into the room, where I find AJ’s phone propped up on the dresser against the TV.

“I muted myself because she was getting distracted any time I said something to Nicholas,” she tells me, grabbing the phone off the dresser and handing it to me as we sit on the bed next to each other so we can watch my daughter.

Abby is standing with both hands on the long bench-style ottoman I now use as a coffee table because it’s padded and she can’t hurt herself on it.

“Hey, Abby.” Nicholas must be sitting on the floor below his phone, because I can just see the top of his head at the bottom of the screen.

Abby’s head turns toward him, and he holds up her favorite puppy, making it dance around in the air in front of him. Abby takes a tentative step, still holding on to the ottoman with one hand for balance. I’ve seen her do this a bunch of times, but so far, she’s never let go of whatever she’s holding on to. I know she’ll get the hang of walking soon, and part of me hopes it’s right now on camera so I don’t miss it. The other part of me hopes she waits until I get home.

Nicholas makes pretend barking sounds, and Abby giggles in response. She steps one foot toward him, and her free arm flies up to help balance her. I can tell she’s not ready for multiple steps, but she might actually take one.

The puppy claps his paws together as Nicholas says, “Good job!” And then lets out another little puppy bark.

Abby laughs again, and leans toward him like she’s thinking about taking a step.

We lean toward the phone, both of us holding our breaths as if breathing might cause us to miss one second of this. And when Abby brings her back leg forward to take a step, she teeters a bit but is able to right herself. She’s standing, all by herself. I can feel my eyes filling with tears as I watch her take one more step toward Nicholas.

That’s when AJ’s hand finds mine, our fingers intertwining tightly as we both take a sharp, excited breath. “Oh my god,” she whispers.

I clear my throat. I’m not going to fucking cry in front of her.

As Abby reaches out to try to grab her puppy, she falls forward onto her hands and knees and crawls the rest of the way. Nicholas must pick her up then, because her head pops up next to his and her eyes light up when she sees the phone.

“Da!”

Tapping the button to unmute the video, I say, “Good job, boo!”

“Da!”

This is all happening so fast. A few months ago, she couldn’t even sit up on her own, and now she’s almost walking and talking. There’s a lump in my throat so thick that I’m not sure I can swallow it down.

Then Nicholas is turning and picking up the phone, holding it out so I can see both him and Abby where she stands on his thigh. She’s got one hand on his shoulder, and is holding the top of his head with the other.

“Alright, we need to start getting ready for bed. I let her stay up a little late,” he says, chuckling. “She got this random spurt of energy and was bouncing all over the place.”

“Yeah,” I say, then clear my throat again because it still feels clogged with all the emotions. “That happens sometimes. Reading her a few books while rocking her before giving her a bottle usually calms her down. Her favorites are in the stack I showed you?—”

“On top of the nightstand,” he confirms with a nod.

“But sometimes when she gets worked up, you have to rock her until she falls asleep; otherwise, she just stands up in her crib and yells at you until you come back.”

Nicholas smiles as he looks over at Abby. “Yeah, I could see you doing that, cutie.”

The whole scene...him playing with her on the floor, getting her to take steps, not balking at the idea of rocking her until she’s too tired not to sleep...I’m just so damn relieved that he’s there with her, rather than Lucy.

In the corner of the phone screen, I note how AJ’s turned toward me, watching me closely.

“Alright,” I say, “we’ll let you go.”

He says goodnight and Abby blows some raspberries at the phone, and then the call disconnects.

Unable to look at her when I’m this emotional, I lean sideways, resting my cheek against the crown of her head. “Thank you.”

“For what?” Her voice is quiet, and with the sun low on the horizon, the room is quickly darkening.

“For making sure I got to see my daughter’s first steps.”

“I didn’t know they’d be her first when I texted you.” She pauses for a beat and says, “And I wasn’t threatening to keep you from seeing them when I was like, Oh, nowwww you respond ...”

“I know,” I say.

“Do you? Because I really want to make sure you know that I’m not the kind of person who would do that. That kind of emotional manipulation...” She sighs, the motion deflating her whole body so that I have to sit up or I’ll fall over onto her. In response, she looks away, out the window.

“AJ.” My knuckles graze the underside of her jaw as I turn her toward me. Her dark irises blend in with her enlarged pupils so that her eyes are practically black, but it’s not a look of longing. She looks...sad. “Finish that sentence.”

“I don’t...I’m not really sure what I was going to say.”

Like hell she doesn’t. I stroke her jawline with my thumb. “You know you can tell me, right?”

She closes her eyes, but it does nothing to break the moment. It just gives me a minute to study those pouty, wide lips, the ridge of her cheekbones, and the laugh lines at the corners of her eyes. Her hair is pulled back into some sort of messy bun secured with a clip, and I assume it’s the best she could do with one hand.

When she opens her eyes again, she presses her lips together and shrugs. “I spent basically my whole life being emotionally manipulated. I wouldn’t do that to someone else.”

“Tell me more.” I lean back on one elbow, hoping she’ll get comfortable too. Because this tense posture she’s adopted as she sits there with whatever’s going through her mind has her looking like a statue.

She groans and falls back on the bed, looking straight up at the ceiling like she’s afraid to let her eyes dart over to where I’m poised looking down at her.

Which is just as well, because the last thing she needs to see is the way my eyes burn as they take her in, lying in bed next to me. It’s not a sight I ever let myself believe I’d see.