11. Chapter Eleven
Chapter Eleven
Declan
I had known there was a problem when Claire did not answer my call, but when Finn came home to check, he had not exaggerated when he said the house had been trashed. The audacity of Claire to have her friends over for a rager when my child was in the same house. It’s despicable. Finn returns with another bag of trash.
“So you were saying Coach was mad?” he says.
I nod and tell him, “I’ll smooth things over. We just put Lily to bed. She was so excited playing with the puppies that it took a long time for me to get her down.”
“I think that’s all of it,” Finn says. He sighs and looks around.
“What a mess. I’ll take the trash out,” I say.
“Cool,” Finn replies. He washes his hands and then walks to the fridge to get a beer.
“Want to help me carry the trash down?” I ask.
“I already did my part,” he replies.
I scoff, carrying the bags out and down the stairs. Outside, I run into Millie again. She’s in shorts and a crop top, her tiny dog on a leash.
“Twice in one night,” she smiles at me.
I smile back as I toss the bags into the garbage can. “So, Peanut?” I say, pointing to her small dog.
She smiles and says, “Yeah. Peanut, meet Declan.”
I feel a shift inside of me hearing my name roll off her tongue. “What are you doing out right now?”
“Walking Peanut so that hopefully he will let me sleep tonight,” she says.
I look around, not seeing the man she is normally with.
“Why do you have so much trash to throw out?” she asks.
“The babysitter I hired had a party when I was out at practice,” I explain.
“Yikes,” she says.
“The real yikes, is that I don’t have a babysitter now and I have practice in the morning. Plus, Coach is annoyed that I missed out on all interviews today,” I add.
She surprises me by saying, “I can stay with Lily.”
“What?” I ask.
“I can help. Chase is out at the clinic tonight and I will be around tomorrow, so I can hang with her. She loves Peanut anyway,” she says.
I can’t believe my luck. “Are you sure? This is a huge favor you’re doing me.”
She flashes a smile that I somehow feel in my cock. “Hey! I don’t mind at all. Just give me your house number and I’ll come up. I have some videos I need to edit for my job, but I totally don’t mind hanging with Lily.”
“Great,” I say, smiling at her. “My apartment is 402.”
“I’ll see you around eight tomorrow,” she says.
“Cool,” I reply. I watch her walk away, admiring her perky ass that is clearly outlined by her tiny shorts. I smile all the way back to my apartment.
Finn catches on immediately when he sees my smiling face.
“What’s got you grinning like that?” he asks, tossing a half-eaten sandwich into the trash.
“You made a sandwich?”
“Yes, and before you ask, there’s no more lunch meat left. Now tell me, what’s got you so happy?”
“I ran into that woman again,” I tell him, setting my keys on the counter.
Finn’s eyes widen. “Where? Don’t leave me hanging, man! Is she out there? I want to meet her.” He starts heading for the door, but I pull him back in and shove him onto the couch.
“Sit your ass down,” I command.
He raises an eyebrow but sits. “Okay, okay. Spill.”
“She’s coming over in the morning to babysit Lily,” I say, barely containing my excitement.
“No shit?” Finn’s jaw drops. “That’s amazing. What’s her name again?”
“Millie,” I say, savoring the sound of her name.
Finn shakes his head, grinning. “I can’t believe she has the same name as her.”
“ I’m surprised you forgot.”
“You know I don’t like to think about…the past. Anyway, what was I saying? Oh yeah! I was congratulating you on being a lucky bastard.”
I grab a couple of beers from the fridge, handing another to Finn. We plop down on the couch and start watching recorded games, bouncing ideas off each other for plays. Time flies and before we know it, it’s midnight.
Finn stretches and yawns. “All right, man. I’m heading to bed. We’ll talk more tomorrow.”
“Goodnight,” I say, getting up to check on Lily. She’s sleeping soundly, hugging her stuffed bunny. I adjust her blanket and head to my room, my mind drifting back to Millie’s smile and those gorgeous legs. I fall asleep thinking of her, dreaming of the way she looks at me.
The next morning, a knock at the door pulls me from a light sleep. I groan, pulling on a pair of sweatpants and heading to answer it. When I open the door, my breath catches. Millie is standing there in a summer dress and sandals, holding Peanut on a leash.
“Fuck,” I moan under my breath. She’s stunning.
“Hi, Declan. Sorry, I’m a little early. I hope I didn’t wake you,” she says, looking apologetic.
“No, it’s fine. Please, come in,” I say, stepping aside to let her enter.
“Your apartment is gorgeous,” she says, looking around.
“Thanks,” I reply, scratching the back of my neck. “Lily’s still in bed, but I can show you around.”
I lead her through the house, pointing out the kitchen and the bathroom and then explaining Lilly’s routine. She listens attentively, nodding as she takes it all in.
In the kitchen, I start making coffee, watching as she kneels to play with Peanut. Her dress flows around her and I can’t help but admire how beautiful she looks. The way she interacts with Peanut is endearing.
“Do you want some coffee?” I ask, trying to keep my voice steady.
“That would be great, thanks,” she replies, looking up at me with a smile.
I pour two cups, handing one to her. She takes it with a grateful nod, sipping it slowly.
“So, what do you do for work?” I ask, genuinely curious.
“I’m a social media influencer,” she says, shrugging. “I create content, mostly lifestyle stuff.”
“That’s cool,” I say, genuinely impressed. “Must be a lot of work.”
“It is, but I love it,” she replies, smiling up at me.
We chat for a while and I can’t help but feel more and more drawn to her. She’s easy to talk to and there’s a natural chemistry between us.
Suddenly, Lily’s sleepy voice interrupts us. “Daddy?”
I turn to see her standing in the doorway, rubbing her eyes. “Hey, sweetie. Look who’s here. She’s going to hang out with you today.”
Lily’s eyes light up. “Hi, Millie!”
“Hi, Lily! I’m excited to spend the day with you,” Millie says, smiling warmly at her.
Lily runs over to her and Millie kneels down to give her a hug. My heart melts at the sight.
“All right, I should get going to practice,” I say, reluctant to leave but knowing I have to.
“I’ll take good care of her,” Millie assures me.
“Thanks, Millie. I owe you one,” I say, giving her a grateful smile.
She smiles back, and I feel that familiar twinge of attraction. “No problem at all.”
I rush to my bedroom to grab my gear. I decide to shower at Finn’s apartment. I want to get out of Millie’s hair so that she can have fun with Lilly.
I head out the door, glancing back to see Millie and Lily chatting animatedly. I can’t believe my luck. Millie is incredible and I can’t wait to get to know her better
Chase is so fucking lucky, but I don’t think that they were in a committed relationship yet. I can sense that they don’t know each other that well yet. I do wonder why she’s always over at his place, though.
I head over to Finn’s apartment, which is just a few doors down. When he opens the door, he’s standing there in boxers, holding a watering can.
“What the hell are you doing?” I ask, trying not to laugh.
Finn looks down at himself, then back at me. “Watering my plants. What’s up with you?”
“I need to shower here,” I say, pushing past him into the apartment.
“Sure, man. But why?”
“Do I need a reason?”
“You hiding from the hot babysitter?” He’s smirking and I just grumble in response.
“Just let me use your shower,” I say, heading straight for the bathroom.
Inside, I can’t help but laugh at the Ocean Breeze body wash sitting on the shelf. Finn is the most basic of guys. I take a quick shower, then get dressed and head back out.
Finn’s lounging on the couch, still in his boxers. “Feeling better?” he asks, raising an eyebrow.
“Much. Thanks,” I reply, grabbing my keys. “Now get dressed, or we’ll be late and I’ll tell Coach it’s all your fault.”
That worked to get him off his ass and running to his bedroom to put on clothes.
We head out to the rink together. As we’re driving, my phone buzzes with a text. It’s Millie. She says she got my number from Lily and wants to know if Lily has any allergies.
I quickly text back, “Nope, she’s good.”
Millie replies with a simple, “Perfect.” I can’t help but smile. She’s so thoughtful. How is a girl like that single?
Practice is intense, as always. Coach is barking orders, making sure we’re ready for our first friendly match against the Minnesota Frostbites next week. We run drills, practice plays and work on our conditioning. It’s grueling, but it feels good to be back in the groove.
After practice, I check my phone and see a picture message from Millie. It’s Lily playing with Peanut and my heart melts a little. I heart the photo and save it as my screensaver.
“Let’s hit the ice bath before we head back,” Finn suggests, clapping me on the back.
“Good idea,” I say, following him to the locker room.
We settle into the ice baths, the cold water shocking our muscles. “So, you gonna tell me more about Millie?” Finn asks, smirking.
“She’s just helping out with Lily,” I say, trying to downplay it.
“Yeah, sure,” he laughs. “I saw the way you were smiling at her text.”
I roll my eyes. “Just shut up and enjoy the ice bath.”