by Toni Aleo
Erik nodded again, and smiled.
“I am.”
“Well, come on, let’s get back to the ice. The Titov boys need to step it up a bit, slowing up the rest of the team,” Shea joked as he put his helmet back on.
Jakob laughed as he strapped his helmet after Shea skated off, then pinned Erik with a look.
“When you’re ready to tell me what’s going on, I’m here, but I’m not going to beg for the truth. Eventually it will all blow up. Remember, this is my family you’re screwing with. Don’t fuck her over; leave before you do anything stupid.”
With that, Jakob skated off as Erik stood there, buckling his helmet. He didn’t intend on doing anything stupid. He was going to do his best to keep this marriage with Piper until the baby was born. If only Jakob knew that he was doing this to avoid a trade and keep the family together, maybe he wouldn’t be such a jerk. Erik had always idolized his older brother, but at that moment, all he wanted to do was check him into the boards.
Erik loved his brother but growing up in Russia while Jakob was off in the United States playing hockey took a toll on their relationship. Jakob was fortunate to have been absent from Jasha’s abuse, which Erik took the brunt of. Even though Jakob was great at keeping in touch with him during those years, it wasn’t the same, and now that Erik had the chance to be near his brother, he didn’t want to lose it.
With another squirt of Gatorade, Erik threw his bottle down and then skated back out onto the ice for the rest of the Assassins’ torturous practice.
* * *
Erik was a little slow moving; his body ached from the tip of his toes to the top of his head. He was pretty sure he was going to have a huge-ass bruise on his ribs from where Lucas Brooks knocked him into the boards.
He made his way to his locker room and sat down on the bench to rest before removing all his gear. As he undressed for the showers he noticed Phillip coming back with his towel swung low. Curious as to what Phillip had planned for the night, Erik asked, “Want to get lunch at Dave and Buster’s? Play some games, drink some beer?”
Phillip shook his head.
“Sorry, man, I got two hot babes coming to the house.”
Erik’s libido kicked in; he and Phillip had the same taste when it came to women, so if Phillip thought they were hot, then they were.
“Must be nice.”
“It is. You can have one if you’d like.”
Yes was on the tip of his tongue, but he shook his head.
“Nah, I’m good.”
“Good man, Erik, I’m proud of you,” Phillip said, pulling his jeans up. “You have a gorgeously hot wife at home; go bang her.”
“No banging, remember?” Erik said sadly.
“Well, that’s not cool; you need to change that rule. Someone as gorgeous as Piper needs some lovin’ and if you aren’t going to do the deed, pass her over to me.”
For some reason that statement bothered Erik, igniting an unbelievable need to knock Phillip’s teeth to the back of his throat.
“Not going to happen,” Erik muttered as he stood and made his way to the shower.
Over his shoulder he called, “See ya later.”
“Later.”
Erik let his towel drop before he stepped under the stream of hot water. Steam filled the shower and Erik found himself leaning against the tile as the water ran over his tired body. Like always, his mind went to her, and he wondered what she was doing. In the last two days of being around Piper he noticed that she drew a lot, and also liked to read and sleep. She was in bed by eight and woke at six each morning. She had a weird routine, compared to his, anyway, and he found himself wondering what she was thinking about most of the time. Most of the women he knew did not care for Stanley; they told him his dog was disgusting looking and loud. Piper seemed to adore him and would take him out to play with his ball. When she sat on the couch to read she’d bury her feet underneath Stanley’s fat as Erik would try to play his game, which was practically impossible to do when Piper was anywhere near him.
Moving his hands through his hair, he closed his eyes and let the water hit him in his face. It was going to be another couple of hours until they had to go to Audrey’s thing, and going home to that small house of Piper’s that smelled like apple blossoms was unbearable. He needed to stay away, even if he didn’t have anything to do. Usually he enjoyed being home, but being in the same space with Piper was getting to be really hard. His body wanted hers bad.
After washing up, he wrapped a towel around his waist and headed back to his locker. It looked like the guys had already cleared out, except for Shea, who was still there tying up his shoes. Erik tossed the towel aside and pulled on a pair of boxers, then jeans, just as Shea cleared his throat.
“Wanna come over for lunch? Elli’s cooking.”
Erik turned and looked over at his captain, his friend. It wasn’t what he really wanted to do, but it was better than going home.
“Yeah. Thanks, man.”
* * *
The Adler house was insane.
Kids were running, babies were screaming, and the most unbelievable thing was that Elli and Shea acted as if it were normal! When Erik entered the house, he first noticed that it was a wreck, with toys, clothes, and bottles strewn everywhere, and then he was attacked by Shelli and Posey, two of the cutest little girls in the world. They both had beautiful eyes and little round faces, like Elli, although they favored Shea completely. They were dolls, and even Erik couldn’t help but smile when they came running at him. After untangling himself from the girls, he made his way into the living room. Portraits of the family covered the walls, beginning with the day that Elli and Shea got married.
Erik heard a little hiccup and looked over to where the bassinet was sitting, holding the newest Adler additions, Owen and Evan. The boys looked exactly like Elli, with big brown eyes, dark brown hair, or fuzz; Erik wasn’t sure if you’d call what they had hair. They each had on some one-piece thing, embroidered with “cut” on one of the boys’ outfits, and “paste” on the other. He had no clue which kid was which, but man were they small; he was feeling nervous just being around them. Geez, how was he going to be around his own? What if his baby was that small? Would he even be able to hold it without hurting him? Panic filled him, and he wished he had never come over. He should have just gone home and dealt with Piper rather than scare himself shitless with thoughts of fatherhood.
“Shea had that look on his face the first time he saw Shelli. It’s not a big deal, they don’t break, you’ll do great,” Elli said with a laugh before she placed a hand on the small of his back.
He turned to see his boss in simple lounge clothes. It was different to see her dressed so casually, but he had to admit, she was breathtaking either way.
“Yeah, I don’t know if you are right on that one. I’m pretty sure I won’t touch mine for weeks.”
Elli giggled as she shook her head.
“No, we’ll get you in shape, here,” she said as she reached down and picked up one of the boys. She ignored Erik’s protest and placed the baby in his arms. He fumbled but her hands were right there, helping him hold the baby right.
“This is Owen. He is the biggest of the two.”
“He looks little to me.”
Elli laughed as she moved Owen’s hand out of his face.
“That’s ’cause Uncle Erik is so big,” she said in a cute little baby voice.
Erik looked down at the little guy as a small smile formed on his face. Owen was cute, and so alert. Erik felt something crack in his chest. He could do this, or at least at the moment he thought he could.
“Now,” Elli said, taking Owen from him and exchanging him for Evan, “this is Evan, my little guy. He doesn’t eat as much as Owen, and he is more relaxed like Shea. He is a watcher and analyzes everything. Shea says he is making awesome hockey plays in his head, and that’s why he is so quiet. I think he thinks we all are crazy!”
Erik laughed as he looked down at Evan. The baby
was looking straight at Erik, which was a little unnerving. If anything, the kid had great eye contact, and Erik felt like the little guy was trying to figure him out. He flared out his little nose and Erik smiled. It had been a long time since Ally, Jakob’s daughter, was this little, and truth be told, he purposely avoided holding her when she was a baby; now he wasn’t sure why. This was kind of nice, and they smelled good, too.
“He’s cute.”
“Thank you, and yours will be gorgeous.”
A goofy grin spread over his face.
“Well, I am kind of hot.”
Elli giggled.
“And Piper is a beautiful girl.”
Just hearing her name had him fighting a stiff dick. He nodded slowly, the goofy grin falling from his lips as a strained one replaced it.
“That’s for sure.”
“I’m glad you did the right thing,” she said softly.
Erik nodded as he glanced back down at Owen. He smiled and said, “I hope it was the right thing.”
“It was, and I have a feeling y’all are gonna have a great life together.”
“I can only hope.”
Elli pinned him with a threatening look.
“Just don’t hurt her,” she said.
Erik nodded again, not looking at her as he said, “I don’t plan on it, I can promise you that.”
Elli smiled.
“Good.”
She placed her hand on his shoulder and said, “You look good with a baby in your arms.”
Erik laughed, nervousness filling him from his head to his toes.
“Naw, it’s Evan; he accentuates my good looks because he is cute as hell.”
“Damn right he is. He’s my kid!” Shea hollered from across the room.
Erik turned to see Posey on Shea’s shoulders, while Shelli held on to his leg. It was still weird to see hockey all-star Shea Adler as a doting father, but it gave Erik hope. Maybe he could do this; maybe he could be like Shea and Jakob. They were both so happy with their lives, and maybe Erik would be, too.
Or maybe not.
Because even after spending the afternoon with the Adlers and their babies, Erik still felt the need to escape.
* * *
Piper stood in front of her full-length mirror and scrunched up her face.
“Dress, you might be a little short,” she muttered, and she turned to see the back.
The dress was one of her favorites and also part of her skinny closet. She hadn’t had the nerve to break down and buy maternity clothes yet. She figured if she wore loose things, she’d be fine. However, she was finding not only that her stomach was growing, but that her ass was expanding, too.
The dress was a masterpiece, but when she turned, she wasn’t sure if her butt was hanging out or not. The teal chiffon material was flowy against her thighs but she was feeling one hell of a breeze on her backside. She loved this dress; it was a razorback top that was covered in pearls, and in the middle was a large white bow that hung down to the hem. Twisting her feet about she admired the white heels Elli had gotten her for Christmas. Piper was pleased with the look. She had curled her hair, which always made her look sexy, and did something a little bit different with her makeup that really seemed to work.
Oh well, she’d wait until Erik got there, and ask him if her ass was hanging out.
Indecision plaguing her, she left her room when she heard Stanley barking his head off. Erik was walking down the hall while Stanley was hopping around him. Erik bent down to calm the dog down and when he looked up, his mouth dropped as his eyes went wide.
Shit, the dress was too short.
“Hey,” she said with an awkward wave.
“Is this dress too short—is that food?” she asked, pointing to the bag that he held, completely forgetting about the dress.
She could tell that it was from Elli because of the “Adler” bag, and that meant there was something yummy in it.
“Yeah, Elli sent it for you.”
“Ooh,” she moaned as she went up to him and took the bag.
Going to the kitchen, she unloaded a hoagie that was smothered in gravy. Reaching into the fridge, she got out her cream cheese and mayo and then slathered them on the hoagie, too. With a pleased smile, she bit into the hoagie and swore she came. She had been so hungry lately, and this was hitting the spot. After completely devouring the hoagie, she went to the fridge for a tall glass of apple juice. Gulping her drink, she looked back into the bag to find a container of fried pickles. Grabbing those, she quickly inhaled them. Then, looking up, she saw Erik staring at her with wide eyes.
“I think the last person I saw eat like that was Shea, and that was before a game, trying to pump up on carbs.”
She smiled sheepishly and wiped the side of her mouth. “I was hungry. Thank you for bringing it to me.”
Erik chuckled. “No problem. But Elli deserves the thanks.”
She looked down at the ground and then back up as she asked, “So you went to Elli’s?”
“Yeah, for lunch.”
She nodded. “That’s nice.”
He nodded back, a smile on his face.
“Yeah, Shelli and Posey used me as a play gym and then Owen spit up on me.”
Piper giggled. “Owen eats too much; his belly can’t handle it.”
Erik smiled. “Yeah, that’s what Elli said.”
Silence filled the room as relief filled her. She had thought he was out fucking anything with tits, but knowing he went to Elli’s and hung out with the kids made her feel better. Maybe he was changing and maybe he wanted her and the baby? It was a long shot, but she believed a person could change if they wanted. All Erik had to do was realize that he was worth the love of a child and a woman.
Looking up at him, she found that he was looking down at his phone.
Clearing her throat, she asked, “Is my dress too short in the back?”
Erik’s head popped up and shook his head. “Not from what I saw.”
She came out from the back of the bar and turned, moving her hands down her butt to flatten the flowy material. “Are you sure? You can’t see my bows, right?”
Looking over her shoulders, she found him shaking his head slowly.
“No,” he said, and then she swore she heard him mutter, “unfortunately.”
With a smile, she started for the kitchen and another drink. She liked that he liked her body still. It made her feel good, even if it made her yearn for him more.
“I’m going to jump in the shower and get ready; we’ll leave in twenty!” he called over his shoulder.
Piper watched as he made his way down the hall and when he disappeared into the bathroom she said, “Okay.”
Man, how she wished she could join him in there. Forget that she had spent an hour getting ready; she just wanted to get naked with him. The feeling didn’t subside, either, when he came into the living room twenty minutes later. He wore a pair of khakis that hugged every muscle in his legs and his ass. He wore a light blue shirt under a brown sport coat. His hair was brushed out of his face and he must have trimmed his beard because it looked thinner and sexier. He looked yummy and when he glanced back at her, he smiled.
“We match.”
“Do we?” she asked, looking back at him to find they did.
“Yeah, it’s a good match, too.”
She nodded and wished that he would see that not only their clothes but they were a perfect match for each other. When he wasn’t being a complete ass, he could be really sweet. Time would tell, and right now she was glad that she was his date for the night.
That she was his wife.
Chapter 9
“So we need to be convincing tonight.”
Piper looked over at Erik and shrugged her shoulders.
“I thought that was the plan every night?”
“Yes, but more so tonight. Elli will really be watching, especially after lunch today. She informed me not to hurt you and then gave me the Shea look of death. And my brother is on me
about us being fake, so we need to be believable.”
She nodded as she played with the hem of her dress. Erik was nervous, and that made her nervous, too. His main worry was Elli, and it was understandable. Elli was fiercely protective of the people she cared about, and Piper was the little sister Elli never had. But surely Elli wouldn’t go as far as to fire Erik when he was one of the best players on the team. Why would she want to do that? Yeah, it would hurt him, but what about her team? Then again, Elli acquired some of the greatest players in the NHL to play for the Assassins, so she obviously knew what she was doing. Maybe there was more to Elli’s threats to Erik than she knew about.…
What was interesting, though, was Jakob doubting their relationship. Piper was sure they pulled off their act perfectly at the last family gathering, with their stolen glances, sweet smiles, and soft touches. It was torture for Piper, but she was sure that her family believed that this was a real marriage. So what did Jakob see? And, oh God, did Harper see it, too?
“Okay, that’s fine.”
“Thanks.”
She closed her eyes and leaned her head against the window as he drove to Audrey Jane’s, Audrey’s cupcakery. All of Piper’s friends would be at the grand-opening party, and she couldn’t wait to see them, though a part of her wished she was safe at home, with her sketches in her lap. She was nervous to see everyone, and having to explain—no, lie—to everyone about her new marriage … and baby, too. Would they be shocked, happy for her, or think she was crazy? She really shouldn’t care, but she did; it was important to her that her friends agreed with her decisions.
Glancing over at Erik, admiring the thick dark hair on his chin, she couldn’t help but think she had made the right choice. Even if it would be over in a matter of months, she finally felt like she wouldn’t regret this. Tonight was the first night he really looked at her, and she felt something shift between them. As though he was starting to care for her.
Pulling into the busy parking lot of Audrey Jane’s, Erik stopped by the valet.