Chapter 7
seven
. . .
Al
Emmy babbles happily at me as she lies on my chest, her sticky fingers grabbing at my beard. We’re having some daddy-daughter time. Very important business being discussed.
“Am I doing the right thing?” I ask the six-month-old, running my hand over her back. “We just want to protect you.”
She giggles and tugs at my beard.
“I don’t feel like I’m making a bad decision. It might be quick, but we know where we stand. This isn’t an emotional decision. It’s a logical one.”
Normally, I run into everything headfirst, consequences be damned. But this time… the repercussions are pretty damn scary.
I’ve only known Emmy for a few days, but I would already fight tooth and nail to keep her. She’s mine. Nobody can take her away from me.
Not even Riley.
But if marrying a complete stranger is the only way I can keep Emmy… I’ll do it in a heartbeat.
The prenup came in this morning, and even though I encouraged her to find a lawyer of her own to review it, she signed it with the notary a few hours ago. She says she trusts me, and I insisted my lawyers were generous, but we both know what’s at stake if this marriage dissolves.
I may be Emmy’s father, but Riley is all she knows. She shouldn’t be separated from either of us.
No matter what happens between us, we’ll have to find a way to coparent her together.
The front door opens, and I turn, expecting my soon-to-be wife.
But it’s my brother.
“The fuck are you doing here?” I demand, sitting up and clutching Emmy to my chest.
“The fuck are you doing with a baby?” Tony smirks at me.
“Don’t say fuck in front of my baby.” Standing, I bound over to him, and he tugs me into a hug, Emmy crushed between us. She shrieks with delight.
Behind Tony is his partner Viv, who’s a former rugby player—she used to be Cari’s team captain—and even grumpier than my surly brother, which I didn’t think was possible.
They moved to Denver over the summer when Tony enrolled in veterinary school, and Viv is exploring life as a content creator and motivational speaker.
“You look good, Al,” Viv says, giving me a hug as well. “You holding up okay?”
“I’m fucking fantastic. I’ve honestly never been better.”
Tony takes off his leather jacket, hanging it on the hook beside the door, and then hangs Viv’s jacket, too.
“Well, of course. You’re getting everything you ever wanted,” he says. “Just… a little backward.”
“Cari told you, then.” With a sigh, I turn back to the couch, settling again.
“Dude. You’re getting married. Of course I’d be here,” Tony says, like he can’t imagine any other option. “I’m just surprised you didn’t call me yourself.”
“Didn’t know what to say.” I run my hand over Emmy’s wispy hair, trying to tame it a bit. “Knocked up a stranger, didn’t find out until over a year later, and, oh yeah, I’m marrying her sister.”
Viv laughs. “When you commit, you go all in.” Whereas I might be offended if one of my siblings said it, with Viv, I know it’s a compliment. My chest warms with affection. I’m so glad she’s become part of our family.
My brother claps me on the shoulder. “Okay, now introduce me to my niece.”
“Emmy, this is your Tio Tony. He’s an asshole,” I tell her. “Tony, this is… This is Emmy.”
My brother is a surly butt face. He’s shorter than me, stockier, with the body of a professional gymnast rather than a hockey player. The only time I ever see him smile is when he’s talking about Viv or occasionally gymnastics.
But when I hand over my kid, and he wraps his muscular, tattooed arms around her, he fucking melts.
“Hi, baby,” Tony coos. His thumb traces the apple of her cheek, and she grins her gummy smile, and we watch as he falls head over heels for her.
Viv settles on the sofa beside me, resting her head on my shoulder. Her hand falls to mine on the cushion between us, and she squeezes my palm.
“You did good, kid,” she says. Her unwavering support reassures me I’m making the right decision.
“She’s pretty great.”
“She’s beautiful.”
“Makes you think about having one of your own?” I ask.
“Maybe we’ll steal this one,” Tony says.
“Not on your life.” My growl rumbles through the room. “Gimme back my baby.”
My brother laughs, but he places her back into my arms. Viv, still curled beside me, runs her fingers over Emmy’s back, like she’s afraid to break her.
“I love her already,” she says.
“So do I,” I admit.
“Where’s the wife?” Tony asks.
“Not my wife yet. And I’m not sure. She said she had to run some errands.” I check my watch. “Our appointment isn’t for another four hours…”
“An appointment at city hall.” And just like that, my brother’s signature frown is back in place. “You sure you want to do this? We could get Mom and Dad up here, find a church…”
I shake my head. “No. This needs to be quick and efficient. And you know if Mom and Dad get involved, the entire family will be invited, and I just… no. That’s not what I want. Not what we want.”
“Okay,” he says, and that’s that.
“Do you have everything you need?” Viv asks. “Diapers, formula, toys?”
I wave a hand at the toys strewn about the place.
“She has plenty of toys.” I nearly bought out the entire boutique, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
Anything my girl wants, she gets. As soon as she’s old enough, I’ll buy her a fucking pony, if that’s what she desires.
There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for this little girl.
She starts to rustle around, getting antsy, and I force myself to my feet again.
“Come on, Tio Tony. Do you want to feed her?”
My grumpy asshole of a brother lights up. “I can?”
“Yeah, and then it’ll be time for a nap.”
“Me too!” Viv says, raising her hand in the air. “I claim dibs on the couch.”
“Or you could go back to your hotel room,” I mutter.
“Hotel? We’re staying here,” Tony says.
Jerking my head back, I stare at him. “There’s no room.”
“You mean you aren’t sharing a bed with your new wife?”
My glare could burn straight through him. Sadly, he doesn’t spontaneously combust.
“Relax, we’ve got a room,” Viv says. “We’ll be meeting up with some of my teammates tomorrow for brunch while you’re at practice.”
Rolling my eyes, I hand off the baby before getting her bottle ready. I show him how to hold her and angle the bottle so she gets the milk and not air. Before long, she’s kicking her feet and going to town. Her little glugs of delight never fail to bring a smile to my face.
The front door opens, and I turn, expecting Riley again. What I’m not expecting is for my sister to follow her over the threshold.
My future wife freezes in the doorway, her eyes widening. “Uh…”
“Hey. You guys were out together?” My gaze pings between her and my sister, trying to put the pieces together. I’m glad they’re getting along, but it’s weird they’re hanging out without me. Isn’t it?
“I’m going to put this upstairs,” Cari says, and it’s only then that I notice the garment bag in Riley’s hand. My sister eases the hanger free, then drapes it over her arm and all but runs up the stairs.
“Come meet my brother,” I tell Riley, coaxing her closer with an outstretched hand.
I’m gratified when she takes my hand in hers, and I squeeze, trying to reassure her. The hand-holding is not something I anticipated, but she seems to like it, so I’ll keep doing it.
“This is Tony and his girlfriend, Viv.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” Viv says. “We’ve heard nothing but good things about you.”
Riley’s mouth pops open. “Y-you’re Viv Gallagher.”
Tony smirks while staring at his woman. “She’s pretty damn awesome, isn’t she?”
“Are you a rugby fan?” Viv asks.
“Not exactly,” Riley says. “I saw that talk you gave to the women’s soccer federation six months ago, about self-limiting beliefs. It was amazing. I just—wow.”
“You weren’t this starstruck with me,” I pout. “I’m a famous hockey player.”
“There, there,” she says, patting me on the shoulder with a patronizing smile. “I can’t believe I didn’t connect the dots.”
Before anything else can be said, Cari thunders down the stairs, then launches herself at Viv. “You’re here!”
“Like we’d miss this,” she says, hugging her former teammate back.
My sister moves to Tony next, giving him a hug with Emmy trapped between them.
“I’m glad you guys made it,” Cari says. “I’ve missed you since you abandoned me.”
Beside me, Riley stiffens. But Tony laughs. “We didn’t abandon you. We moved to Denver. And you moved out.”
Cari huffs. “Shut up.”
He tugs at her ponytail until she drops the petulant act and grins.
“We have to do something fun while you’re here,” she continues. “Maybe tomorrow we can—”
“We leave tomorrow night,” Tony says, eyes downcast. “I have school.”
“Right.” Cari swallows. “Tonight, then. After the wedding.”
“Definitely,” Viv says. “We’ll celebrate.”
Riley pulls her hand free. “Here, I’ll burp the baby and get her down for her nap.”
I frown at her withdrawal. Does she not want to celebrate?
Does she not want to do this? If she has doubts about this marriage, we need to get to the root of them now.
I certainly don’t think I’m hideous. I’m a decent catch, a nice guy.
Is my family too much for her? We’re a package deal; I couldn’t get rid of them even if I wanted to.
What’s holding her back?