Chapter 21
ALLY
“Shh, Mommy’s sleeping, baby.” Then he chuckled. “Sorry, princess, my nipples won’t do anything for you.”
Olivia whimpered, but I stayed still, wanting to hear where he was going with this. He needed to hurry up because I wouldn’t be able to feign sleep for much longer since I had to pee again, and my boobs ached. Newborns were very demanding.
“Just a few more minutes, okay? Look how peaceful and pretty Mommy looks in the morning. Wait until she sees what Santa brought her. No, no. Not that grumpy teammate of mine. The real one,” Dom said softly.
My heart squeezed. This man was still wrecking me with how unexpectedly all in he was with our daughter.
“Ooh, I think she’s listening to us, Livi baby. She’s smiling. Oh, maybe she has gas.”
“Hey, rude,” I muttered, cracking my eyes open to glare at him.
Dammit. He looked annoyingly hot and adorable at the same time, with Livi curled up against his bare chest.
He shrugged slightly. “That’s what you tell me when I say she’s smiling at me. It might not be gas, Ally,” he teased.
“Was that your attempt to impersonate me? Stick to hockey, buddy.”
“Ouch. Mom’s got the barbs ready to go this morning. Is she grouchy because you won’t let her sleep, Livi baby? We talked about this,” he said, leaning in to nuzzle her cheek.
Could my ovaries combust this soon after giving birth?
“I’m not grouchy. And you know babies don’t smile this early,” I said, unable to stop my grin. “Because of all the books you read.” I would never stop teasing him about how many baby books he’d consumed, but it was still one of the things that made me love this man.
Yep. I loved him. Our situation was weird, and I’d tried so hard to just do roommates and co-parenting, but he’d gotten to me.
I just had no clue if he felt the same.
“Hey, what was that look?” he asked, stepping up to the edge of the bed and running his finger down my cheek.
On instinct, I turned into his touch.
“Oh, nothing. Probably just gas.” I didn’t want to confess anything to this man right now. I felt too vulnerable.
“Now she’s just teasing us, Livi,” he said to our daughter. “Doesn’t she know that you’re just highly advanced? You’re super smart like Mommy.”
I huffed out a breath. “Daddy is over the top, Livi. Ignore his antics.”
“You love it.” Then he winked.
I did. I did so much, but instead of replying, I rolled my eyes and held my hands out. “Give me my baby.”
“Fine, fine. Mommy needs you, Livi. Eat up so we can go open presents,” he said, setting her in my arms.
It was Christmas morning and we’d gone a touch overboard—mostly Dom, not me—but she was just so easy and fun to buy for.
“Hi, sweet girl,” I said, adjusting my sleep shirt so I could feed her. She latched on easily, for which I was grateful, and stared up at me, her little hands gripping my shirt.
“Good morning, beautiful,” Dom said, leaning in to give me a soft kiss as he ran his finger down my cheek.
These last two weeks had been a mixed bag of everything. I was so happy Olivia was here, and she was a relatively easy baby, but it was a massive change and I was still trying to find my footing. My hormones were bonkers, and I hated crying at the drop of a hat, but motherhood was overwhelming, especially when my body was actively healing.
And Dom had been the rock I could lean on. He wiped my tears, kissed me breathless, and was almost too quick to grab Livi, telling me to take a break.
“I’m going to hop in the shower. Don’t you dare open presents without me,” he said, giving me another quick kiss.
I loved that he couldn’t stop kissing me. Couldn’t stop touching me. There was an ease between us that I hadn’t expected, and I couldn’t get enough of him, either.
“Then I’m making breakfast,” he added, stepping away from the bed.
“How about we not burn down the condo on Christmas morning,” I teased.
He huffed. “I only set off the smoke detector once. And it’s just really close to the kitchen.”
I giggled. “As it should be.” I peered down at Olivia. “Your daddy, Livi. So silly.”
She just stared up at me, her eyes wide as she fed, her fingers curling and opening against my skin. It was a feeling like no other.
“If I wasn’t a nice guy, I would mention that the last thing you cooked in the oven dripped over the pan, and that’s why the oven got smoky so quickly. But I won’t because I’m a gentleman,” he boasted, his hand on his glorious bare chest. I needed to tell him to sleep with a shirt on until we hit the six-week mark.
My whole body shook with laughter, and Livi popped off my breast with a little cry. Dom rushed over and ran his finger down her back.
“I’m sorry, Livi baby. Mommy disrupted your meal.” He leaned down, kissed the top of her head, then sealed his lips to mine, his tongue sweeping into my mouth when I gasped.
Olivia let out a cry, and he finally ended the kiss. I was breathless.
“Sorry, Livi. I had to kiss Mommy. Her boobs were out, and I have no control over my reaction to them.”
“Oh my god. Go shower,” I said between chuckles.
Then I about swallowed my tongue as he spun on his heel and strutted into the bathroom, his stupidly glorious hockey ass on display in his snug boxer briefs. Maybe he should wear pants to bed, too.
He looked over his shoulder and gave me a wink before he disappeared into the hallway.
Olivia started to fuss, and I helped her latch again.
“Sorry, sweetie. Your daddy kills my common sense, but he’s not bad, so we’ll keep him.”
She made a little snuffling noise and closed her eyes as she drank.
***
“Dom, this is too much. You added stuff after I went to bed, didn’t you?” I asked as I sat on the couch, wrapped up in an oversized hoodie blanket thing that he’d given me and that I never planned to take off. Colorado winters were cold and this thing felt like heaven.
Olivia was sleeping in her bassinet next to the couch, and there was wrapping paper everywhere.
He handed me another present. “She needed everything, and I get to spoil both of you as much as I want.”
I quirked a brow at him. “Where are you pulling all these presents out of? I thought we were done.”
“This is from me and Livi,” he said. Then he stood up and moved to sit next to me.
The box was small. Probably jewelry. And my heart raced.
Not that I expected a ring or anything, because that would be completely insane, but it was a small box wrapped in fancy paper.
I gently tore open the wrapping to find a black velvet square box.
“What did you get me?” I asked, opening it. Then I gasped. “It’s beautiful.”
It was an infinity necklace with three stones, one of which looked like my birthstone.
“It’s our birthstones. Amethyst for you, blue topaz for Livi, and an emerald for me,” he said, linking my fingers with his.
“Dom, this—” Tears pricked my eyes. Then one slipped free, sliding down my cheek.
“Ally, don’t cry.” Concern laced his tone. “Why are you crying?”
I looked up at him and smiled. “I have a lot of hormones right now. It’s happy tears. Happy tears, Dom, honest. This is just beautiful. I can’t… I don’t…” I trailed off when he smiled at me, that beautiful smile that I would never get enough of.
“It was going to be your push present, but it wasn’t ready because someone decided to show up early. Do you like it? I know we still have a lot to figure out, but we’re a family, and when I saw this necklace, I had to get it.” He almost looked nervous, and I couldn’t hold back anymore.
I unlinked my hand from his and launched myself into his arms. He fell back on the couch, wrapping his arms around my waist as I pressed against him.
“I love it. I love it so much. And you. Dammit, Dom Tremblay, you’ve made me fall in love with you,” I said, the words flowing out before I could stop them.
His eyes widened, and my breath froze in my chest.
Shit.
“Sorry. That was a lot. It’s okay if you—”
He pressed his lips to mine, stopping my words, then he pulled back.
“I’m glad I made you fall in love with me. Fuck, Ally, I’m so gone for you, and I don’t want you to think this is just because of Livi. She did bring you back into my life, and I’m so fucking grateful for that because I might have let you slip away from me again. Fuck. I’ve had feelings for you since the first time we met.” He paused. “Dammit. I really need to stop cursing around her.”
“Maybe we should just work to curb it by the time she starts talking. That gives you a bit of time,” I said, laughing.
“Best Christmas ever,” he said, and then his lips were on mine again, and I sank into the kiss.
This was my first Christmas without my family, but I wasn’t as sad as I’d thought I’d be. We were making our own memories with our sweet baby daughter and we were in love.
Then his tongue swept against mine, and I let out a soft moan as he slanted his head to deepen the kiss.
And I gave in to him. Into his touch.
I would never get enough of this man.
DOM
“You should not look this sexy wearing a baby,” Ally said with a laugh as we walked toward Sugar on Top two weeks after Christmas.
I shot her a wink, then tugged her into a side hug so I could kiss her cheek. “I look sexy doing everything.” I loved having Livi snuggled up against my chest. I was fully invested in being the best dad possible despite my upbringing, and playing an active role with my daughter as much as I could was important to me. Ally knew that but enjoyed teasing me. Fuck, I couldn’t get enough of it. Through everything we’d been to each other over the years, and especially in the last six months, that teasing and flirting had never faded, and I was here for it.
She rolled her eyes at me, but her smile was still in place. “Your ego is massive. Livi, ignore Daddy.” Then she leaned in and kissed our daughter’s head. “She smells so good.”
“Until she doesn’t.” I grimaced, remembering Livi’s diaper from this morning. How something so small could produce something so rank and abundant was baffling.
“How dare he say that to you. Don’t listen, baby. You are sunshine and roses,” she said, putting her hands over Livi’s ears. Well, over her hat because our little peanut was bundled up like she was ready for an Arctic expedition. January in Denver was fucking cold. Not as cold as winters in Montreal, but it got close.
I barked out a laugh. “Mommy needs to get her nose checked.”
We’d settled into a routine of some sort. Well, as much as one could with a newborn and the NHL’s regular season schedule. I’d gotten home from another road trip yesterday and had missed both of them beyond reason. At least Ally kept me updated with texts and video chats, but part of me was looking forward to the off-season when my schedule would calm down. Not that I wanted to hurry that along, because getting to the playoffs this year looked like a possibility. We were fifth in our division and just outside of our conference’s wild card spot. We’d been playing well, and of course, I wanted that to continue.
“It’s working just fine.” She opened the door to the bakery. “It smells amazing in here. Almost as delightful as our Livi.”
I leaned down, making eye contact with my daughter. “It’s a good thing we love her, right, Livi?”
“Get in here. Oh my god, you look so adorable,” Anna called out from the counter.
I gave her a small bow. “Why, thank you.”
Anna waved her hand at me. “Pssh. I meant Olivia.”
Ally grinned. “Of course you did. It turns out that fatherhood has turned this player into somewhat of a goofball.”
“You love it.” I pulled her in close and gave her a quick kiss.
I was starting to get carried away when she finally broke it.
“Dom,” she whispered, her cheeks pink.
“Looks like everything is going well,” Anna said, smirking. “Now, bring that baby over here and pick out a snack.”
I headed over to the counter. “Yes, she’s the perfect baby.”
Anna leaned in. “Hi, cutie. Ooh, she’s sleeping. She’s just beautiful, you guys,” she whispered.
“Takes after her mother,” I said, glancing over at Ally, whose cheeks were still tinged pink as she rolled her eyes at me.
“Is that little Livi? I picked a great time to swing by,” Cora said from behind me.
I turned to see her and Tally approaching.
Anna laughed. “Like you’re not here all the time.”
Cora huffed. “Not all the time. Sometimes, I’m at home or at the arena for games. And this is a I and I’m a writer, so I’m required to be here, sitting at a table, eating scones, pretending to write. I think I learned that from some of my new writer friends.”
“Seems valid,” Anna teased. “Cinnamon chip scone as usual?”
“Like you have to ask.” Cora turned her attention to my daughter. “Hi, little Livi. You’re getting so big and so cute.”
“She’s always been cute.” I was slightly affronted.
Tally barked out a laugh. “Man, you are so done.”
I shrugged. “Don’t even care.”
“I’m glad we ran into you,” Cora interjected.
Tally quirked a brow. “Like we never see them. Same building. Same hockey team.” He ticked off on his fingers and Cora narrowed her eyes at him.
“Anyway. Ally, I know you’re probably busy with new motherhood and sleep deprivation, but if you want to have a break or even bring Livi along, I’m having a casual lunch with some other WAGs at my place in a few days. Just hanging out and maybe talking about a few events I want to do before the end of the season.”
“That sounds fun, but I don’t know,” Ally said, looking at me.
“You should go. I need some father-daughter bonding time for just the two of us. You get her all the time.” I added a fake whine on the last word.
Ally smiled and it lit up her entire face. My heart clenched. Fuck. She was beautiful.
“And you’ll only be a few floors away from them,” Cora said. “I’ve heard that making plans with a newborn is hard, so just let me know that morning, or you can just show up. We’ll be there.”
Ally smiled. “Thanks. That would be a lot of fun. And I could use a little break.”
“Great. I’ll text you the details. Oh, and any time you both need a break, you have tons of babysitters ready to go,” Cora said.
Tally looked nervous. “Wait. Are you talking about us? I don’t know shit about babies, Cora.”
I chuckled. “Neither did I, man. I’ve got some books if you need them.”
Tally looked stricken, and I bit back a laugh. I’d probably had the same expression when Ally told me she was pregnant. Fuck. I’d fucked up that reveal. I glanced over at her as she chatted with Anna and Cora, grateful that we’d moved so far beyond that point.
I loved that she had become friends with my teammates’ partners and that she was getting involved with the other WAGs. Was it selfish that I needed her to be fully invested in staying in Denver? To have her not even think about moving back to San Francisco?
***
Two nights later, I skated the Stampede half of the ice during warm-ups, periodically scanning the glass to see if I could spot my girls. Ally said they were coming tonight, and the last few home games, she’d stood at the glass during warm-ups so I could say hi to her and Livi, but they weren’t at the glass, and with only three minutes left in warm-ups before I needed to head back to the locker room, a sense of panic hit me.
Were they okay? Was Livi sick or had there been an accident?
“What the hell is that look?” Micah asked, skating up next to me.
I shook my head, pushing aside my spiraling thoughts.
Everything was fine. But what if it wasn’t?
Shit. My phone was in the dressing room. Would someone come get me if something happened? Yeah, of course they would.
I should’ve checked my phone before getting on the ice, just in case.
“Dude.” Micah knocked his stick into my shoulder.
“What? Uh, nothing. It’s stupid. Ally isn’t here yet.”
“And you think something happened to her or Olivia?” he asked.
“Yeah. Wow. Uh, this is intense. I’ve never panicked like this,” I said, knowing he wouldn’t tease me like some of my other teammates.
“Fatherhood. Love like no other is what I’ve heard from some of my friends who have kids.”
My heart raced like I was already out on the ice in the middle of a game. “Yeah, it’s making me paranoid.”
“Well, you can calm down and look over there.” Micah waved at the corner.
I turned and spotted Ally and Livi in front of the glass. Ally looked a bit frazzled as I skated closer. They were standing near one of the holes in the Plexi where the game photographers took pictures, so at least we could hear each other.
“Is everything okay?” I asked. “Hi, sweet girl. And you too, Livi.”
Ally laughed. “We didn’t plan on being late, but of course, right before we were going to leave, Livi had to blow out her entire outfit. So we had to do a quick change. Seriously, how many Tremblay onesies and baby jerseys did you buy? I found another bag of them in her closet.”
I shrugged. “Babies go through a lot of clothes.”
She chuckled. “Not that many. Anyway, we’re here and excited to watch you play. Right, Livi?”
My little girl stared at me with wide eyes, and I wanted to kiss her chubby cheeks.
“You’re going to cheer for me, right, baby?” I asked as Ally shook her head. I didn’t care how many times she called me ridiculous or over the top with our daughter. I was loving every second of it.
The buzzer blared to announce the end of warm-ups and I turned to glance at my teammates leaving the ice.
“Go on. We’ll be cheering for you,” Ally said.
I lifted my hand and gave her the salute I always did when I scored. “Love you, Ally.”
Her cheeks pinked. “Love you, too.”
I would never tire of hearing that.