Chapter 24
ALLY
“Are you ready for this?” I asked a few days later, plumping another pillow on the couch.
Dom chuckled and grabbed my hand, tugging me into his body. “Everything looks perfect. It’s going to be great. I’m not nervous at all.”
I laughed. “You’re not nervous about most of my family descending on us in the next thirty minutes, including my brother?”
I’d held my parents and Darcy off for the last month so Dom and I could settle into new parenthood and so I wouldn’t get overwhelmed with everyone visiting. I probably would’ve said come visit a week or so ago, but the Strikers were in town tonight for another game, so the timing was perfect. Any longer and Mom probably would’ve just appeared on my doorstep. Darren actually said he wanted to come meet her but couldn’t get away from work. He seemed to be trying harder. Penny and Darcy were flying in with my parents, and Ethan had arrived with the team earlier this morning. Bugsy, the Strikers’ coach, was giving Ethan some time to stop by for lunch and meet his niece before he had to head back to the arena for all the pregame stuff the guys did.
“Harty’s going to be on his best behavior. No boards to ram me into here, remember?”
“He better not try to hurt you tonight. Seriously, I’m so over that. If he gives you any trouble, I’m going to kick him or something.”
Dom put his finger under my chin, tilting my head up to meet his gaze. “It’s hot when you want to protect me.”
“Dom,” I scoffed.
But he just flashed me that damn grin that stirred up the heat inside me, and then his lips were on mine. It didn’t take long for him to deepen the kiss or for me to wrap my arms around his body.
He groaned. “We have thirty minutes until they get here, right?”
“Oh my god, no. We are not making out. I will not look freshly tousled when my family arrives.”
He barked out a laugh. “Freshly tousled is my favorite look on you.”
I glared at him. “Hands to yourself, buddy. Did you clean the bathroom?”
“Yes. Everything is cleaned, and the place looks great.” He linked his fingers with mine. “It’s going to be perfect, and I love you more than anything.”
I sucked in a breath, my heart racing. “I love you, too.”
“Enough to get tousled?”
Swatting his chest, I couldn’t stop my grin. “Back off, mister.”
“Fine,” he huffed. “I’ll go hang out with my daughter.” And there was that twinkle in his eyes that I never got enough of.
Forty minutes later, I finished setting out the lunch that we had delivered. I was not going to add the stress of cooking to this meeting. Not that sandwiches were hard, but Dom and Ethan needed a good pregame meal.
“The concierge just let me know that the family is here and on their way up,” Dom said, running his hand down my spine while he held Livi cradled against his chest.
Damn this stupidly hot man turning me on right before my family was about to show up.
I shimmed away from his touch, ignoring his low chuckle.
The doorbell rang, and I rushed to open the door.
“Hi,” I said, swinging the door open.
“Ally, honey!” Mom pulled me into a hug before she even stepped over the threshold. “Oh, you look great. I’ve missed you so much. It’s been way too long. I know, baby and all, but this was too long.”
“Mom, no guilt trips right out of the gate,” Ethan said. “Hi, squirt.”
Tears filled my eyes. “Hi.” My voice was watery.
“See? You’re making her cry,” Ethan said.
“No, no, I’m fine. I just missed you guys,” I said, eyeing Dad over Mom’s shoulder. He was looking a bit choked up, too.
“How about we go inside?” Penny suggested.
I took a step back into the condo with Mom still hugging me.
“There she is. Give me that baby,” Darcy said. “Oh, yeah, hi to you too, Ally.”
I laughed softly and turned to see Dom right behind me, concern in his eyes, as he held our daughter.
“Sorry about that. These hormones.” I released Mom and snaked an arm around Dom’s waist to give him a quick squeeze. “Everyone, come in and meet Livi. And say hi to Dom, of course.”
Penny quirked her brow at me, her eyes drifting down to see me still holding on to Dom. Then she grinned and turned to my brother. “Be good.”
“I’m always good,” he grumbled. “And I should get to hold Olivia first. I’m her uncle.”
“And I’m her grandmother,” Mom retorted.
“Hey, what am I, chopped liver over here,” Dad said, flashing me a wink.
I’d missed them all so much.
Darcy scooted around my parents and pulled me, Dom, and Livi all into a hug at once. “Hi, guys. I’m happy for you, and she’s freaking adorable. So cute. And you look beyond happy, Ally.” Then she kissed me on the cheek and scooped Livi into her arms before we could stop her.
I chuckled. “Dirty trick, bestie.”
Darcy grinned at me and leaned down to coo at my daughter.
“What just happened?” Dom asked, looking adorably befuddled.
“She snagged my granddaughter first, that’s what happened.” Mom pretended to sound put out. “Hello, Domenic. It’s been a while.”
“Uh, yeah. It has. Good to see both of you.”
I worked hard to not snort at how stiff he sounded.
Dad held out his hand, and Dom shook it. “Welcome to the family, Domenic. As long as you make our Ally and Livi happy, that’s all I care about.”
“Thank you, sir. I’m doing my best.”
I bit the inside of my cheek.
“And Ethan will stop being a dick to you on the ice.”
That was the one that made me finally snort out loud.
“Oh, Dad,” I said when he let go of Dom’s hand and hugged me.
“I’m not a dick,” Ethan grumbled. “And he had it coming.”
“And now I’m very happy and in love with Dom, so you’re going to stop trying to injure him with your posturing.”
Mom grinned. “Oh, Ally, I’m so happy for both of you.” Then she turned to Ethan and pointed at him. “You. Behave.”
“It’s hockey, Mom. Hits happen,” he muttered.
“Harty’s right. They’re part of the game. Just stop gunning for me because of your sister,” Dom said.
“Fine. But if you hurt her,” my brother started, and I rolled my eyes. He meant well, but it was annoying as hell.
“I will do everything I can to be the partner she needs and the father our daughter needs.”
I wasn’t the only one who sighed at his statement.
“Great. Now that we have that out of the way, I’m starving, and I need to hold my granddaughter,” Dad said.
“I guess you can hold her now,” Darcy said, still snuggling my girl.
Mom held out her arms. “He can wait.” And Darcy dutifully handed Olivia over to Mom. We all knew who to listen to.
“Oh, hi, sweet girl. You’re just too cute for words. And I brought an extra suitcase just with presents for you. Telling Mommy she can just deal.”
“Mom.”
She ignored me and walked into the living room, whispering to Livi the entire time. She was probably promising my daughter a unicorn or something.
“As long as you’re happy, I’ll be better,” Ethan said.
“I am. Dom is a really great guy, and I’m very much in love with him.”
“Good.” Then he held out his hand to Dom. “I won’t try to drill you into the boards unless you have the puck.”
Dom grinned. “Deal. And right back at you.”
“Great. Now that we have that settled, let’s enjoy lunch, fawn over that gorgeous baby, and have a nice, clean game tonight,” Penny said, tucking her hand into Ethan’s arm.
“Yeah, yeah,” Ethan said, but he was grinning and not grumbling, so I would take that as progress.
“See? Everything is going to be fine,” Dom said, brushing a quick kiss over the top of my head. “You okay? I know having everyone here is a lot.”
My chest warmed at how in tune he was with me. “Yeah. It’s perfect.” I linked my fingers with his and settled into lunch with my family.
***
All too soon, Ethan had to head out to keep to his pregame routine, taking Penny with him. Darcy and my parents hung out a bit longer before they left so Dom could do his own pregame ritual, which just consisted of a nap that Livi and I were always happy to participate in. I snuggled into Dom’s side, his front to my back, and Livi softly snored in her bassinet next to us.
“That went okay, right?” I asked.
He nuzzled my neck, and I fought back the shiver rolling through me.
“Perfect. I told you it would. Your family is amazing.”
I turned to face him and hated the brief look of sadness I caught in his eyes.
“And you are forever a part of that family. My family.”
He sighed, tightening his hold on me. “Fuck, I love you so damn much.”
“I love you, too. Now go to sleep so you can kick my brother’s ass tonight. With legal hits, of course.”
He smirked. “Of course.”
Then he drew me in tight, and we drifted off to sleep.
DOM
“Fuck, she’s cute,” Harty said later that night during warm-ups.
“Adorable. Could do without the Strikers bow though,” I teased.
Harty scoffed. “Fuck no. She’s got to support both of us.”
“Look at you two being all friendly,” Baz said, skating up next to us. “Little Harty needs to bring Livi to our locker room after the game so everyone can meet her. I have a jersey for her in my bag.”
“Oh, fuck no. She’s definitely not wearing yours.”
Baz grinned. “I’m going to be her most favorite uncle.”
“Like hell. I’m her favorite uncle,” Harty replied.
“Nice to see you not trying to maim Dom, Harty,” Flower said, stopping in front of us.
“We’ve come to an understanding. As long as he doesn’t hurt Ally, I won’t hurt him.”
“And since I love your sister more than I thought possible, I would never do anything to hurt her.” Yeah, we were teasing each other, throwing jabs, as usual, but I wanted to make it clear how much I loved Ally and how truly important she was to me. Harty’s nod told me that he heard me. I’d respected this man since I’d started in the league, and I was glad that we were slowly getting back to a space where he didn’t look down at me as just some punk asshole who got his sister pregnant.
“Great. Little Harty, she’s adorable,” Baz called out just before we all reached the glass where Livi, Ally, and her parents were in the front row.
Ally grinned and I echoed it. Livi looked ridiculously cute in her Tremblay jersey and headphones, snuggled up against Ally’s chest. Her eyes were wide open as she took everything in. This wasn’t her first game, but she was getting extra attention tonight.
“She’s smiling at me,” Baz boasted.
“She’s a bit young for a true smile. Probably just gas.” Ally laughed, shaking her head at me.
“How dare you?” Baz tried to sound offended, then turned to talk through the camera hole in the glass. “Little Harty, I was just telling Tremblay that you should come down to the locker room after the game so we can all meet her. She’s super cute, and you look so happy.”
“Thanks, Baz.” She smiled at the burly defenseman.
Then she made Livi wave her hand at me and my heart squeezed in my chest. Fuck, I loved them so damn much.
“Love the bow, Olivia.” Harty smirked at me, and I rolled my eyes.
“The jersey makes a better statement.”
Ally shook her head. “You’re both ridiculous. Now, each of you has to get Livi a goal. Who’s going to do it first?”
I tapped my chest with my stick. “Obviously me.”
“We’ll see,” Harty muttered.
“Go play, boys,” Ally said, grinning.
I blew both of them a kiss and headed back to my side of the ice with a lightness that kept me smiling through the first two periods. Especially after I got Livi her goal, eons before Harty potted his. Damn fucking right, I was first.
***
“Fuck, that was brutal,” Micah said, dropping onto the locker room bench later that night.
We’d held our own through the first two periods, keeping it tied at two as we headed into the third. And then we couldn’t get the puck on our sticks to save our lives. At least Tucks had managed to keep all but one puck out of the net in the third, so we’d only lost four to three. Not that the final score mattered when the night ended with zero points for us, but at least it hadn’t been a blowout.
Tally dropped onto the bench seat on the other side of me. “Fuck. That sucked, but nice to see Harty not gunning for you anymore. Everything all good on that?”
“Yeah. We’re good as long as I don’t do anything stupid. And I have no plans to fuck things up with Ally. She and Livi are my life.”
“That’s so sweet,” Sin said, grinning obnoxiously.
Tally kicked him in the leg. “Don’t be a dick. We’re all happy for Dom and Ally.”
Sin rubbed his shin. “Ouch, man.”
“Oh, please. It’s not like I still had my skates on.” Then he turned back to me. “Glad everything is working out.”
“Thanks, man.” I appreciated the support they’d all given me from day one.
“All right. I’ll make this short and salty.” Millsy’s voice carried across the room, and we all turned our attention to our coach.
“Yeah. Decent play but not the result we wanted. I don’t care if the Strikers are the top team in the league right now, we can beat them when we play the right way. That last period was sloppy. Slow skating, shitty puck bounces. Go home, rest up, and we have late morning skate tomorrow. Winnipeg’s been strong this season, but we can get those two points if we focus harder. Tally, Flower, and uh, yeah, Dom. Media tonight. You know the drill.”
We voiced our agreement, and I headed back to take a quick shower before I had to face any reporters. But first, I made a beeline for the dressing room to grab my phone.
Ally: Sorry about that loss, but it was nice to see Ethan not being a dick to you.
Ally: We love watching you play.
I smiled and scanned through the selfies of her and Livi from tonight, including the one she’d sent after my goal. Someone else had taken the picture because Ally was holding Livi’s arms up like she was cheering. It was fucking adorable.
Ally: I’m going to swing by the visiting locker room once Ethan tells me everyone is showered and dressed so the guys can meet Livi. Let me know where to meet you.
That last message was just sent.
Dom: I got tapped for media because of my goal, so I’ll text as soon as I’m done and just head down to their locker room.
Ally: Perfect. She slept through the last period.
Dom: That’s why we lost.
Ally: Oh, stop it. It’s not Livi’s fault.
Dom: I’m kidding. I’ll find you as soon as I’m done.
I rushed through my shower, answered a handful of questions, and said good night to my teammates, who were still hanging around the locker room before I headed to the visitor’s room. Normally, I wouldn’t be anywhere near the other team, especially after losing, but the Strikers were an exception for obvious reasons.
I nodded to a few different people as I walked down the hallway.
“Dom,” my old coach called out when I turned the last corner.
I gripped Bugsy’s outstretched hand. “Hi, Coach.”
“You looked good out there. Denver is agreeing with you. And I hear congratulations are in order for you and Ally. ’Bout time you two stopped dancing around each other.” He chuckled and patted me on the back with his other hand. “She’s in there with Olivia. Cute as hell baby, Dom.”
“Thanks.” I swallowed past the lump in my throat. Millsy was an excellent coach, but Bugsy had been my first in the NHL, and he was an exceptional coach and mentor. A father figure that I’d needed when my own father was lacking in every way possible.
I pulled open the door to the room and instantly spotted Ally sitting on the bench seat with Penny and Darcy as she carefully watched a few of the guys in the middle of the room.
“Be careful. She’s very tiny,” Harty admonished Baz, who was holding my daughter.
Baz glared at Harty over Livi’s head. “Dude, relax. I have three kids at home.” A few years ago, his sister and her three small children moved in with him, so he definitely had practice. As annoying as the man was, I would trust him to keep my daughter safe and happy.
“You tell Uncle Harty to relax. Livi says relax.” Baz leaned over her, and she stared up at him with her big, beautiful eyes. “She’s mesmerized by me.”
Jake scoffed. “She’s just wondering why her mom let some burly, hairy beast with only a few more teeth than she has hold her.”
Baz glared at Jake. “Don’t be jealous of my looks, pretty boy.” Then he spotted me. “Baby Daddy, get over here. Sorry we kicked your ass tonight. It’s what we do.”
“Fuck off,” I muttered. I walked further into the room, greeting old teammates as I made eye contact. There were a bunch of new guys on the team, but aside from Flower, Timmy, and me, the core group was still around.
“Congratulations on the new baby, Dom. She’s very sweet. Must get that from Ally,” Cheesy said.
“Thanks, man. And yes, all of her good qualities are all Ally.” I made a quick stop in front of Ally and leaned down to kiss her. I didn’t care that so many of the guys in this room had watched our off-on thing for so long. We were definitely on now, and I intended to keep it that way for as long as she’d let me.
And when I heard a few ’bout damn times, I couldn’t stop my smirk. I shouldn’t have been this fucking happy standing in a room with a bunch of guys that had just beaten my team, but with Ally and Olivia in my world, how could I be anything else?