Totally Laced Up (Nashville Outlaws #3)

Chapter 1

Chapter one

Natalie

“Ineed you to marry me.”

I blink at Gabriel Shelly like he just banged on my apartment door and set off a bomb.

There’s no smoke.

No alarm.

Just him. Six-foot-something, broad shoulders blocking my doorway, hair damp like he didn’t bother drying it, eyes too sharp for charm and too controlled to be casual.

And me.

Blazer still on. Heels kicked off. Keys lined up in the tray like soldiers. Because I don’t unravel at the end of the day. I organize.

I don’t know what this is.

But it’s about to wreck something.

“Hi,” I say, because apparently I’m a robot who defaults to professionalism when a man shows up at my door and proposes like it’s an emergency.

Gabriel doesn’t smile.

That’s the first sign something is really wrong.

He usually smiles. Not in a cocky way like Dex. Not in the “I know I’m hot and I’m going to weaponize it” way like Bryce. Gabriel smiles like he’s letting you in on a private joke, like he’s the only one in the room who remembers to breathe.

Right now he looks like he forgot how.

“I’m serious,” he says.

“I can see that.” My voice comes out steadier than I feel. “Are you… okay?”

He drags a hand over his face. The stubble rasp is audible from where I stand. That shouldn’t be sexy in a moment like this. It absolutely is. My brain is useless.

He stares past me into my apartment like he’s looking for exits.

“Can I come in?” he asks.

I should say no.

I should say, This is my home, not the team lounge.

But Gabriel is already here, and something in his eyes is… not panic, exactly.

Desperation.

My hands start to sweat.

“Yeah,” I say, stepping back. “Come in.”

He moves like he’s carrying something heavy and invisible. He barely makes it three steps inside before he turns back to me.

“I need to talk about Maddie,” he says.

The words snap everything into place.

Maddie.

Of course.

Not me.

Not the lingering, stupid, unspoken thing that has hung between us since that end-of-season party two years ago when he’d leaned in too close on the balcony and I’d frozen like I didn’t know what to do with a man who smelled like clean soap, hockey sweat and trouble.

Not the fact that Mason’s sister should never be alone in a room with his teammate.

Not the way Gabriel’s gaze drops to my mouth sometimes like it’s a bad habit.

Maddie is the only thing that can make him show up at my door like this.

“What happened?” I ask.

He swallows. His throat works like the words hurt going down.

“Nothing happened to her,” he says quickly, and I hate myself for the relief that floods me. “She’s fine. She’s… she’s asleep at home. With Jenna. She’s good. But...”

“But what?”

He exhales hard, like the air is too thick.

“My ex,” he says.

That explains everything.

“She moved to L.A. when Maddie was two,” he says. “Chasing acting jobs. I stayed. Court gave me primary.”

I nod once. Clean. Simple.

“And now?” I ask.

“Now she says she’s ‘settled.’ Steady work. Same city. Same place.” His jaw tightens. “She thinks Maddie would love growing up in California.”

“And she wants custody.”

“She says she’s ready to be a full-time mom.” His laugh is sharp. “After all these years.”

My spine stiffens.

“And you said no.”

“I said absolutely not.” His eyes flash. “She doesn’t get to decide she’s a mother on a whim. And now she’s threatening to file.”

“Then this is just a threat.”

His mouth tightens. “And, Jenna’s leaving.”

My stomach drops. “You're losing your nanny?”

“Yup. Leaving in a few weeks,” he says. “Her mom had a stroke. She’s moving back to Ohio to help her family.”

That shifts everything.

“You didn’t tell me that.”

“I just found out,” he says. “Two days ago.”

“So your primary childcare is about to disappear.”

“Yes.”

“So this is about showing stability.”

“Yes.”

“You talked to a lawyer.”

“I did. He said if she files, she’ll argue instability. That perception matters.”

“Optics,” I say.

“Yeah.” His laugh is short. “Like I’m a headline instead of a dad.”

He meets my eyes. “I’m a dad. That’s all that matters.”

I believe him.

That’s the terrifying part.

Because believing Gabriel makes it harder to keep the boundaries that have always been there.

My brother’s teammate and friend.

Off-limits.

A man who can make me forget I’m the kind of woman who doesn’t do reckless things.

He watches me like he can see the war in my head.

“What did the lawyer actually suggest?” I ask.

His jaw tightens.

Then he says it again.

“I need you to marry me.”

Silence slams into the room.

My brain tries to reboot.

“Gabriel.”

“Don’t say my name like that.”

“Like what?”

“Like I’ve lost my mind.”

“You have.”

“Maybe.” He steps closer. “But I’m not wrong.”

“You’re desperate.”

“Yes.”

“And I’m a solution.”

“You’re more than that.”

My pulse jumps. “Explain.”

“Because I trust you,” he says. “Because Maddie likes you and trusts you.”

“That’s not a reason to legally bind yourself to someone.”

“It is when the alternative is losing my kid.”

That shuts me up.

“She talks about you,” he adds quietly. “She asks if you’re coming to things. She feels safe with you.”

I look away.

“I brought apple slices once,” I mutter.

“You cut them into stars.”

“I’m artistic.”

“You stayed with her that weekend Jenna was off,” he says. “You helped her practice reading for her spelling test.”

I roll my eyes. “I bribed her with rainbow popsicles.”

“She told her teacher you’re the only grown-up who does character voices properly.”

“I’m talented.”

He nods, but his eyes stay on me. “Because you’re the only person I can imagine doing this with.”

That honesty lands hard.

I inhale slowly. “Has she filed?”

“No.”

“Then we’re dealing with optics and threats.”

“Yes.”

“And marriage fixes optics.”

“It helps. That's why I’m asking you to help me protect her.”

That’s the pivot.

Maddie.

Always Maddie.

“I’m not looking to get married right now,” I say carefully. “And certainly not like this. But if I even consider it, there are conditions.”

“Name them.”

“I keep my apartment.”

“Okay.”

“I keep my career. I’m not your assistant.”

“Never.”

“And I still live my life,” I continue. “I have a business. I go out with my friends. I have my own schedule. I’m not stepping in as a replacement nanny.”

He doesn’t bristle. He nods. Slow. Respectful.

“I don’t want you to be a nanny,” he says quietly. “I want a partner. There’s a difference.”

That lands harder than it should.

“Good,” I say, keeping my voice even. “Because you’ll still need additional help. This doesn’t magically solve childcare.”

“It won’t,” he agrees. “We’ll hire someone. Properly. Together.”

I study him for a second, making sure he means that.

“And Daisy,” I add.

His forehead creases. “Daisy?”

“My dog,” I say. “She’s part of the deal. She comes with me.”

“Where is she right now?” he asks.

“Out with the dog walker,” I say. “Unlike some people, she keeps a predictable schedule.”

Then the corner of his mouth lifts, just slightly.

“Does she bite?”

“Only men who propose in my doorway.”

His almost-smile grows. “Then I’ll risk it.”

“And most of all, Maddie comes first. This is about protecting her, not proving anything.”

“I know.”

“And there's my brother. We tell Mason together.”

His face goes still. “He’s going to kill me.”

“He’ll try.”

“And finally,” I say, forcing myself to meet his eyes. “We don’t complicate this.”

His expression shifts. He goes still, like he’s made up his mind and is willing to live with it.

“This is about Maddie,” I add. “Not… anything else.”

He exhales slowly, like he’s choosing his next words carefully.

“Natalie,” he says, and this time my name isn’t a warning. It isn’t playful. It isn’t anything we’ve ever done before.

It’s steady.

“Please.”

No charm.

No strategy.

Just a man who is out of options.

“If she files,” he adds quietly, “I need to be able to say Maddie has a stable home.”

His eyes don’t leave mine.

“And right now,” he says, “you’re the only future I can see that gives her one.”

My pulse pounds in my ears.

Because the terrifying part isn’t that he asked.

It’s that I haven’t said no.