Skater (Seattle Sharks 6)

It only seemed to fair seeing as she got to me without even trying.

“Ten minute warning!” Pepper called out. I threw the cuffs in the box and snapped the lid shut. “Everybody clear out!”

I took a deep breath, grateful for the momentary distraction I’d had in Ivy.

“I’ll take your box of debauchery,” she told me, bracing the box on her hip. “As soon as you’re clear, I’ll bring it back. I hate to think you couldn’t push your boundaries,” she said with that bright, sweet smile she gave when she was dishing out a little sass.

I held open the bedroom door, and she walked through it.

“Like I said,” I called out to her back. “The wrong people.”

She looked over her shoulder, all hint of teasing gone. “Isn’t that what I’m known for?”

Ouch.

But...well, yeah.

Everyone met in the living room, and Hannah skipped out, her hair in a braided crown around her head. Damn, Ivy was good.

“Thank you all,” I told them, emotion clogging my voice.

“It’s what family is for,” Gage answered, his arm around his wife. “Come on over after, and we’ll fire up the grill for a little impromptu Sharks’ barbecue.”

“Seems only right considering you just provided all the liquor,” Warren added with a nod.

I gave everyone my thanks again, feeling lighter as they made their way down the stairs.

“Are you ready for this?” I asked Hannah as we waited for the woman who would decide our fate.

“Yep.”

“Nervous?” I sure as hell was. I’d never been one to leave my fate in someone else’s hands.

“Nope. You’re Uncle Connor. It will be okay.” She slipped her little hand in mine, and I swore I grew on a cellular level, filling into all the hollow places I’d yet to mature into.

For her, I would grow. I would say goodbye to any semblance of my bachelor life and welcome the responsibility that came with being Hannah’s.

For her, I would move the world.

For her...I would answer the damn doorbell that just rang.

Because of her...Shea Lansing, I was in desperate need of a beer. Or six.

I took the bottle of water Pepper offered me as I entered Gage’s backyard. Hannah kissed me on the cheek and ran off to play with the other Shark kids, leaving me solo with my shell-shock.

“Everything go okay?” Eric asked, walking over with his little sister, Faith.

She’d just transferred to UW and wasn’t even legally able to drink the beer her brother was holding.

“Yeah,” I answered. The conversation was on repeat in my head. Could I support her? Could I raise a child in the NHL lifestyle? Was I ready to take on the responsibility of parenting? How had I been raised? What were my thoughts on discipline? How often did I drink? Date? Would Hannah be put in daycare since she’d already been held back a year from Kindergarten since Jessica simply hadn’t gone to the effort of enrolling her?

“I think he’s in shock,” Lukas muttered from where he’d appeared at my side.

“What happened with your niece?” Porter asked, walking over with Ivy.

“I filled him in,” she explained, her face tense with worry. “What did she say? Is Hannah ok?”

My first impulse was to snap at Ivy, push her away so she didn’t wear me down with her sweetness only to turn her back when it was convenient. But she adored Hannah, and that was genuine panic in her eyes.

“She’s mine for now,” I told them.

There was a collective sigh of relief.

“Thank God!” Pepper exclaimed.

“What does ‘for now’ mean?” Ivy asked, her gaze darting to where Hannah played on the giant wooden castle.

“It means the initial interview and homestudy passed, and now we have to go through the legalities. They have to try to find Jessica, but in the meantime, I have guardianship.”

“But not custody?” Ivy clarified.

“Nope. She’s officially a ward of the state until they can clear everything up,” I seethed, more than a little bitter that the process was a long one. “But, she isn’t at some random foster home, so I’ll take it as a victory.”

“What do you need? How can we help?” Gage asked.

“I don’t even know,” I answered truthfully. It hadn’t quite sunk in just how much I’d changed my life in the last ten days. “I know I don’t want her with strangers, but there’s practices and games.”

“I’ll fill in,” Ivy immediately offered. “I’m a writer, so my schedule is super flexible. Whatever you need. Whenever you need it.”

Damn, there she went, making me like her again. If I wasn’t careful, I’d be just as enamored with her personality as I was her body. Now if only she were trustworthy—

“Me, too,” Faith offered, nodding her head and sending a tangle of red curls bouncing. “I’ll check my school schedule, but I bet between Ivy and me, we can cover it.”

“Agreed,” Ivy chimed in. “She’ll never be with a stranger, and you’ll never be alone in this.”

A murmur of agreement went through our little group, but I couldn’t seem to pry my eyes away from Ivy. Had I underestimated her? Wrongly judged her? How could someone so good with Hannah, so open and honest with her emotions hurt the people she loved most?

How could someone like her fall for Crosby’s bullshit?

Gage announced that dinner was done, and we shuffled off toward the buffet Bailey had set up.

I looked over at Lukas and followed his line of sight...straight to Faith’s ass.

Oh, fuck me. That guy was a wheeler, just as smooth on the ice as he was off. He fucked anything in a skirt, and sure, left them with a smile, but never more than once.

“Not a good idea,” Porter chimed in, obviously noting the same thing I had.

“What?” Lukas asked with an exaggerated shrug. “She’s a beautiful girl.”

“Girl being the keyword. She’s barely twenty. No,” I told him in as stern a voice as I could manage.

“You never hook up with a teammate’s sister.” Porter enunciated every word.

“But if she’s—”

“No!” We both snapped at the same time.

“Fine. Don’t shop where you eat. Got it.”

“Oh for fuck’s sake,” Porter mumbled before walking off.

“What? Did I get it wrong again?” Lukas asked.

“You know what? Not even going there...and neither are you.”

“Jesus, you’ve been a guardian for all of two hours and you already sound like a damned father.” He rolled his eyes.

I grinned at his unintended compliment.

“Hell yes, I do.”

Chapter 4

Ivy

I snagged my press pass from the top drawer of my desk and slipped it into my clutch.

“You coming, Zach?” I tried to keep the impatience out of my tone, but seriously I’d been waiting on the dude for ten minutes. We were already running late.

“Just grabbing the goods,” he said, shoving another piece of equipment into the black camera bag he never went anywhere without.

I took a steadying breath. I shouldn’t be this nervous, but we were about to hit up my second major celebrity event, and I knew a killer story would seal my fate as a columnist for the Chronicle.

“Thanks,” I said as we headed toward the elevators that would take us down to the parking garage.

“For what?” He asked, shifting from one foot to the other. He was the same age as me, but his shaggy black hair, light blue eyes, and boyish smile made him seem so much younger. That and he tended to hunch when he should strut, mumble when he should be assertive, and look away when he should maintain eye contact. To be fair, not everyone was meant to be a reporter.

“For sticking with me,” I said, my moto boots clicking against the concrete as we hit the parking garage. I tugged at the red silk shorts I donned, hoping they and the black lace top I wore were just rockstar e

nough to make me blend into the crowd. “You could’ve easily begged for another partner.”

He shrugged, shoving his hands into his well-worn jeans. “No one is like you,” he said, then cleared his throat. “No one has your tenacity.”

I smiled, standing up a bit straighter as we waited for the company limo to pull around. I used the few seconds of silence to gather every wit I had in my arsenal.

Today is the day.