by Maren Moore
I open my mouth to speak, but he stops me, "Not yet, baby. Listen. Then I realized that, while this psycho is the reason this happened, there was more. There are things that we never worked through, never talked about, lurking beneath the surface, and it's truly what made you doubt me. The way I treated you in the past…the person that I used to be. I'm not at all proud of that, and I wish that I could take it back, but I can't. All I can do is prove to you from this day forward that you and Ava are my life, my entire fucking life, and I will never ever do anything to jeopardize what we have."
He stands, bringing me with him, his hands laced with mine, still gentle and hesitant.
"I believe you, Hayes."
"You do?" His eyes widen.
"I do. While it was a complete shock to come face to face with someone from your past throwing out these crazy scenarios, part of me was waiting for the other shoe to drop. I shouldn't have thrown accusations at you. I should've given you a chance to explain, but I was so blinded by the familiar betrayal that I just had to get out and get away. It was too much. I’m sorry too, I’m sorry I let my own insecurities win."
"I understand. I gave you space because I didn't want to push you so far that I'd never get you back. My life is nothing without the two of you, Soph. You're it for me. We never got to dance at prom…so I want to dance with you now—dance with you and Ava forever."
He puts his hand in his pocket and pulls out my ring that I foolishly gave back to him out of hurt and anger. Regret flashes in my heart seeing the look on his face.
"This is yours, and I hope that with it, we can start fresh—that we can let go of the past and not let those mistakes and hurtful things define our future. I love you, Sophia, and I want to be your husband. I want to be the man that heals your heart, no matter who breaks it."
The tears finally break free, and I hold my shaking hand out for him to slide the ring back on my hand. Once it's secure, I launch myself into his arm and kiss him. He takes my mouth roughly, with all of the frustration that he's likely been holding in since our fight.
Breaking free, he says, "Please don't ever fucking leave me again. I can't handle it, St. James."
I nod and seal my lips over his again, whispering my promises against his lips until his tongue teases the seam of my lips, slipping inside my mouth and dancing to the familiar dance that we once did right here on this boat.
"I'm yours, forever. Unless you threaten to hide my Toaster Strudel again, then...I'm not responsible."
He laughs and pulls me closer against him until Ava's cry breaks us apart.
Our life isn’t going to always be easy, and neither will our marriage. Love isn't easy. Love is a journey. It must be fought for, sacrificed for, and handled with care. Sometimes you have to compromise on the things you swore you never would. Sometimes you have to change into the person you said you'd never become. And sometimes you fall for your number one enemy, who turns out to be the very best thing that ever happened to you.
Hayes Davis is the country's number one hockey player and America's sweetheart, but he's also my best friend, my real husband to be, and the best daddy on the planet.
Suck it, puck bunnies. He's mine.
Epilogue
Hayes
Eight months later
* * *
BEEP BEEEEEEEP BEEEEEEP.
The shrill sound of the smoke alarm is sounding as thick, dark smoke billows out from inside the oven—sure sign that the dinner I've been working on for the past two hours is ruined.
“Fuck," I curse, grabbing the oven mitts from the island and using them to waft away the thick smoke as I make my way over to the smoking oven. I'm racking my brain trying to figure out where I went wrong. Did she say an hour or thirty minutes?
Does it really matter now? Damnit, what in the hell am I doing? The closest I've come to cooking is ramen noodles in the microwave or a TV dinner, if I'm feeling fancy. This is Sophia's area of expertise, but I wanted to do something nice for her since she’s been working so hard in class.
I look over at Ava, who's covered in pureed fruit, sucking on her fist in her high chair.
My beauty is cute as ever, even covered head to toe in sweet potatoes.
"My sweet potato, did you actually get any of that in your mouth?" I ask, scratching my head, grinning when she gives me a belly laugh.
“Da Da, Da, Da, Da,” she squeals.
The two of us are a complete mess, yet somehow perfect together.
Sophia decided when Rook turned four months old that she wanted to go back to school to become a kindergarten teacher, and of course I told her that I support any and every dream that she will ever have. Which means, when I'm not at the rink, it's just me and Rook.
I'm like the six-foot-four version of Mrs. Doubtfire, except I'm a helluva lot more handsome, if you ask me.
"Call me Mr. Mom, Rook." I grin when she talks back to me in baby gibberish that I won't even begin to attempt to decipher. I'm just happy to see her toothless grin.
The front door opens and slams just as I've turned the oven off and tossed the blackened, charred lasagna into the sink.
"Hayes?"
Sophia's standing by the island, squinting at me through the smoke.
"St. James. Perfect timing," I grunt.
She laughs before walking closer, and I sigh, then pull her in for a kiss that leaves us both breathless. When she pulls back, she looks at me, "Did you...cook?" Her nose squints in distaste.
"Don't sound so surprised. You see how it turned out."
"Umm...what was it?" She giggles, gesturing to the charred mess in the sink that is still smoking.
"Lasagna."
"Ah, the Gordon Ramsey go-to."
She sees right past my bullshit, "That obvious?"
"No, but Holly called me after you called her and said I might want to get home before you burned our house down."
"Well, at least I tried. I wanted to take a load off of you since you have so much to study for. If it counts, Rook helped me make the sauce."
"Did she?"
She walks over to Ava and picks her up from the high chair, laughing when she sees just how much sweet potato she's covered in.
"Straight to the bath for you, missy. Thank you for trying, handsome." She gives me a sweet kiss before brushing past me to Ava's bathroom for a much-needed bath.
"Take out it is Mademoiselle. Chinese? Greek? Italian? Take your pick." I call down the hallway and pull out the stacks of takeout menus I have in the drawer next to the oven—the most logical place for a man who hasn't cooked anything that wasn't processed in his entire life.
"Mmm, Fun Shu chicken is calling my name. I think I've been craving it," I hear her voice float down the hallway.
Never fails. Sophia is a Chinese girl through and through. I should've known before I asked. One of these days, she was going to surprise me though.
After I call in the food, I quickly pick up the living room, genuinely wondering how an eight-month-old is able to create this much mess. There are tiny toys scattered on every surface of the living room…and under the couch, and behind the couch, and on top of the entertainment center...
I laugh when I pick the block up and put it back in her toy box.
"Mmm, do you know how hot it is to see you pick up toys? Honestly, it's so damn hot." Sophia walks into the living room and flops onto the couch. Her blonde hair is piled high on her head, and she's got dark bags under her eyes. She looks exhausted, and I want more than anything to take some of it away. If that means picking up toys and taking care of Rook while she studies...consider it done.
"There's more where that came from, St. James," I tease, putting the boxes back away in Ava’s play center. "Today we went to the rink, and the guys spent an hour passing her around, blowing raspberries and doting on her like a bunch of saps. I got lots of pictures for blackmail.”
She laughs and gestures me over to her.
"Thank you. Seriously, Hayes, for picking up my slack and being th
e best partner and daddy around. It means the world to me to have your support."
I bring her hand to my lips and kiss her ring on her left finger, “For better or worse, baby. I promised to stand by your side."
"I cherish these moments. The moments of peace and quiet, where I can just breathe."
Christmas is right around the corner, and I plan to surprise her with a getaway to the mountains for her and Ava since she'll be on break for school, but it feels so far away, even though it’s just over a month away. With school and wedding planning, she’s beyond exhausted. She deserves a week in the mountain to catch up on sleep and feel rejuvenated.
I take her feet in my hands and rub circles on the bottoms, telling my dick to chill when she starts to moan in pleasure.
Not that he ever listens but…
“Hey, I forgot to ask, I have a friend who’s just been hired as the head coach in Chicago, and he’s looking for a nanny. You wouldn’t happen to know of anyone? You know, in that giant-ass group text all of you have?”
She laughs, “Just because I’ve made friends with all of the hockey wives doesn’t mean I keep up with their nannies, Hayes. But I’ll ask Jessica. I think her husband plays for Chicago now.”
“You’re the best,” I grin and drop my lips to hers. “He’s having hard time. His wife passed away a few years ago, and he can’t pass this job up, so he needs someone for his daughter. I just think about Rook and what would happen in a situation like that.”
“You have the biggest heart. You’re much more of a giant teddy bear than I imagined.”
“C’mon on, St. James, can you not compare me to a damn teddy bear? My masculinity can’t handle it.” I wince.
“How about we go work on making you feel better then. I’ve been reading this new book….” Her eyebrows raise, and she gives me a smile that tells me everything I need to know.
“I think there’s going to be a lot of kissing and making me feel better involved in this.”
“Oh, you have no idea.”
“I love you, Sophia St. James.”
“And I love you. Is it the right time to mention that I want a brother for Rook? We had a long talk last week. You know…me and Ava.”
I throw my head back and laugh, “Oh is that so?”
She nods and gives me a nonchalant shrug, “We’ve got lots of time to practice.”
And that’s exactly what we did.
Practice.
Thank you SO much for reading The Enemy Trap! I hope you loved these two as much as I did. And guess what… they came a cameo in my next release, The Newspaper Nanny!
Hayes’s friend Liam is in desperate need of a new nanny after he takes the job as Chicago’s head coach.
What happens when the grumpiest coach in the NHL needs a new nanny?
The playoff of a lifetime.
Join my reader group and be the first to know! Give Me Moore
Acknowledgments
Maren’s first book was more of a success than I could’ve ever hoped for! Thank you so much.
* * *
When I decided to create my Maren pen name, I was nervous. I wasn’t sure if there was a market for it, I wasn’t sure if any of my other readers would come over to the light side with me. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to write Romcom the way that I do my dark stuff.
But, I decided to do it anyway.
And I am so glad that I didn’t let fear stop me.
As always, I want to thank my team for going above and beyond. I truly believe that without them, I wouldn’t be able to function.
Jac, you are a ray of light in my life, and quite honestly the best PA on the planet, even if I am a bit bias. You run my life seamlessly, and make everything so easy. Thank you for all of your hard work, and dedication to making my books what they are. I love you!
Katie, my plot fairy. You know how dire you are to my process. I can’t live without you. Love you!
Haley, my beta and the sweetest friend on the planet. I appreciate you so very much. Thank you for helping me make this book what it is!
Alexandria, my spicy little Canadian. I just adore you. Your feedback is so vital to making sure my books are what they are and I can’t imagine my team without you on it. ILY!
Jos, my hype girl, so much love to you babe! For inspiring me for a future book you have no idea about yet ;)
Elijah, my best babe, for inspiring me ENDLESSLY with your graphics, even when I tell you literally nothing about an idea, and you help me bring it to life. You are my sounding board, and I love you!
Karen & Mia, my girls forever. I’m not sure what I would do without either of you. I love you both so much.
Rach, Britt, Shawna, Jes, Kristina - I found my tribe with you, and I’m keeping you.
* * *
To my street team, and to my Facebook group Give Me Moore. Thank you for all of the hard work that you do. You share, repost, comment and hype my books and it is so very much appreciated.
And as always, thank you to the readers who pick this up and take a chance on me. Whether you loved or hated it, the fact that you took the chance means everything. Without you, our world wouldn’t turn.
About the Author
Maren Moore is the alter ego of R. Holmes, author of dark, angsty and forbidden romance. Desperate to let the lighter, fluffier side reign free, she created Maren.
You can always expect alphas and HEA’s that are dripping of sweetness from her.