Dean (Face-Off 6)

“Yes, and you must be Dean’s girlfriend.” Kennedy glances over at my dad and waves, and he returns the gesture. “And Nick’s daughter. You’ve gained a lot of attention over the last few months.”

Yeah, because of my baby daddy.

Kennedy owns an independent online sports newspaper called Sports Buzz. Her story on Tyler Kane not only made her career but also landed her one of the hottest players in the NHL.

“Tyler talks about Dean all the time,” she says. “He’s adapting well to the league.”

“He is,” my dad says. “Most players can’t hack it their first year, but Dean is proving me right. I knew he had what it takes.”

My dad constantly vouches for Dean on NHL TV. He’s even gotten into fights with some of his co-hosts on-air over him.

Dad glances down the row at Kennedy. “Any chance you have room for someone on your staff?”

Kennedy gives him a curious look. “What do you have in mind?”

He grips my shoulder. “My daughter had an internship with The Locker Room in Chicago.”

“Great paper,” Kennedy says. “They get a lot of good stories.”

“She had to give up her internship when she moved to Philly. So, if you happen to have an opening—”

“Dad,” I interject.

“What?” He rolls his shoulders. “If you want a job, you have to put yourself out there.”

“I’m as big as a house and ready to pop. I have to wait until after Noah’s born to look for a job. No one wants to hire some gigantic pregnant lady.”

“I would,” Kennedy says.

I turn to meet her gaze, shocked. “You would?”

Tyler Kane gave Dean so much hell when he first started with the Flyers. Over time, Dean earned his respect and he eased up. But a job at Sports Buzz is the last thing I expected from his wife.

Kennedy flicks her dark hair over her shoulder with a smile. “Your dad’s thrown me a bone quite a few times. I’d love to repay the favor.” She reaches into her bag and hands me a business card. “When you’re ready to get back to work, give me a call.”

I rub a hand over my stomach. “Should be any day now. Noah’s dying to get out.”

“Ava,” she says, pointing at the little girl next to her, “wanted out so bad I almost delivered her at Alex and Charlotte’s wedding.”

“No way.” I laugh. “That’s crazy.”

“Yeah, you should’ve seen Tyler. I thought he was going to lose it. He’s so paranoid when it comes to his children. He practically drove us off the road to get to the hospital, and I ended up being in labor for over fifteen hours.”

“That’s my biggest fear,” I admit. “I’m terrified of the delivery.”

She waves off my concern with her hand. “Nothing to it. The first time, you’re freaked out because you don’t know what to expect. But honestly, the next two times were much easier, and I have twins.”

“What are their names?”

“This little gem,” she says, hooking her arm around the girl, “is Ava.”

“Hi,” Ava says with a wave.

I wave back. “Hi, Ava.”

She’s so adorable with her long blonde hair, pale skin, and crystal blue eyes. Tyler’s children are the spitting image of him, not a single trace of Kennedy anywhere in them.

Kennedy tips her head toward the stroller. “My oldest boy is Tyler Jr. but we call him either TJ or Tye. He seems to respond better to Tye, so we’ve been sticking to that. The middle baby right there is Tucker,” she says, pointing a finger. “He’s the oldest of the twins and the one who gives me the most trouble. I bet he’s going to be a handful when he gets older. And the one in the back, my little sleeping beauty, is Trent. He’s my youngest and the best behaved. He always does what his mommy tells him.”