4 & Counting

The Assassins Series

By Toni Aleo

TONI ALEO is the author of the Nashville Assassins series: Taking Shots, Trying to Score, Empty Net, and Blue Lines. When not rooting for her beloved Nashville Predators, she’s probably going to her husband’s and son’s hockey games and her daughter’s dance competitions, taking pictures, scrapbooking, or reading the latest romance novel. She lives in the Nashville area with her husband, two children, and a bulldog.

Even though her feet were killing her, Elli Adler refused to wear anything but heels when she walked through the halls of the Assassins Headquarters. Her momma always said that if you want to be beautiful you got to be able to stand the pain that comes with it, and her bright yellow Jimmy Choos were proving just that. Her husband said she looked great and was adamant her black maternity dress was not too tight. Even though Shea was the love of her life, she didn’t believe him. There wasn’t a thing in her closet that fit right now except for a ratty T-shirt and sweats, and coming to work wearing those would be totally unacceptable. Thank God it wouldn’t be much longer. She knew, in her heart, that her boys were coming any day now.

Elli’s C-section wasn’t planned for two more weeks but her intuition told her differently. The boys had dropped into position and she felt their intense pressure all the time. One more month and Elli would be full term, but she was sure she was going to deliver early, possibly within the next week. She was sure of that. When she told her new doctor, he all but waved her off, saying she would deliver close to full term.

She was convinced he was an idiot.

Walking past her desk, she glanced over at her new assistant. Tabitha was on her phone, like always, tweeting and doing whatever else she always did on that thing. Unfortunately, the best assistant she ever had turned out to be a crook. Janet had been smuggling money from Elli’s close friends, Lucas and Fallon Brooks, and that was just totally wrong on so many levels. After Janet’s dismissal, Elli didn’t have a lot of time to find a replacement, so when the employment agency sent Tabitha over, she really didn’t have much of a choice.

“Tabitha, do I have any messages?”

Her assistant’s eyes were still glued to her phone, not sparing Elli a glance, as she muttered, “Nope.”

Elli glared, “Any emails?”

“Nope.”

She wanted to wring the girl’s neck, but instead she calmly said, “Tabitha.”

“Mmm hmm?”

Elli waited until finally Tabitha looked up. She was a pretty girl, young, big brown eyes, blonde hair and nicely tanned skin, but Elli was convinced she was dumber than a rock.

“Pack up your stuff and please leave my office, you are fired.”

With that, Elli ignored her stunned expression and went back into her office, slamming the door. She went immediately to her phone and called security to escort Tabitha out of the building then fell into her chair, letting out a long breath. Her heart was racing. She hated firing people, but for the last three months, that girl had driven her half past mad. Reaching for her phone again, she called the only person that could make it all better.

“Hey baby.”

Shea’s voice was like butter and it still curled her toes.

“Hey, I fired Tabitha.”

“Thank God, I was wondering how long she would last, she’s an idiot.”

“Right? Blah, I’m so tired.”

“Come home,” he suggested, “I’ll make you feel better.”

Elli giggled as she closed her eyes. “As much as I would love that, I have to work. Trades are happening, and I have two players that if they don’t get their crap together I’m gonna castrate them.”

He took in a sharp breath. “Don’t castrate my teammates, sweetheart, it will affect how they play.”

“Well I don’t care, ‘cause if Phillip and Erik don’t stop parading all over town making me look bad, making the team look bad, they won’t be playing for me anyway.”

“Okay, so you’re a little angry right now, I think you need to take a deep breath.”

“Fuck a deep breath, I need a new assistant and I need to call and yell at agents, and look for a couple new forwards and maybe a new defenseman so my husband can stay home and help me raise our four children.”

Shea let out a groan. “Elli baby, I’m not having this argument with you again. I’m not ready to retire.”

“Whatever,” she pouted as she leaned against the desk while her boys played hockey in her belly. She didn’t really want him to retire; he loved hockey and she wanted him to do what he loved.

“Don’t be mad, you’re too beautiful to have your face all scrunched up.”

God, he knew her so well.

“Why did I even call you?” she said angrily.

“’Cause you love me.” She made a face as he continued, “Come on, say it, you know you do.”

A little grin pulled at her lips before she finally gave in. “Yeah I do.”

“Told you. Now calm down, take a breath and do what you need to do at the office and then come home. I’ll massage every inch of you before I slowly make love to you. Once I’m done with you, all your frustrations will be gone.”

Her body heated as he described what he was going to do to her as she leaned back into her chair. “You make it so tempting.”

“I know, now hurry up. I’ll get everything ready here and I’ll even wait to put the girls down for their naps so we’ll have the afternoon all to ourselves.”

She let out another deep breath and smiled. “Okay. I’ll be home in a couple hours.”

“Text me before you come, and Elli,” he said in the low voice that made her squirm.

“Yes?”

“I love you.”

Her heart exploded in her chest as she smiled. “I love you more.”

“Good, see you soon.”

She hung up her phone feeling a heck of a lot better, which really was the reason she called. He always calmed her. He always made things better. He was her everything. Shea knew how to handle her, and lately she had been a lot to handle. That’s what happens when you have forty more pounds of babies weighing you down. But Shea seemed to understand that. He was such a good man.

When she looked down, her phone stared back at her and she groaned. She didn’t want to work. She wanted to go home and be with her husband, but that wasn’t an option at that moment. With another disgruntled noise, she reached for her phone and called Phillip Anderson and Erik Titov’s agent.

“How is my favorite owner?”

Elli glared at the phone. She despised Koey Lefeber; he was the slickest agent she dealt with and he always set her on edge. “I have a big problem with your clients and if you don’t get them in line, Mr. Lefeber, we will have even bigger problems.”

Squiggling around in her chair Elli tried to get the boys comfortable as she listened to Koey’s excuses. He was going to fix everything. She had nothing to worry about. Blah, blah, blah. It was the same thing he had been saying for months. She wished that instead of calling him, she had just gone home as Shea suggested.

***

A few hours later Elli was ready to leave the office and sent a quick text to Shea letting him know she was on her way. Shea texted back asking if she would go to Fallon Brooks’ Cellar and pick up a basket she had waiting for him. Exhausted and anxious to get home, Elli sent a quick text back advising him payment for that little errand was that he’d better rock her world. For a tired pregnant woman the trek down to Fallon’s wine shop was not a quick one. Elli was feeling huge and did not feel like making this detour. She was feeling hippo-huge and, on top of it all, being in these heels was killing her. She stopped in the hall to lean against the wall and slide the Choos off her feet. She felt guilty taking them off, like she had given up and allowed the shoes to claim their victory. But once her swollen feet touched the cool linoleum floor she didn’t have any cares in the world. Her phone dinged and upon first glance Elli had to laugh; Shea’s response to her last text was that he’d rock her universe.

Adding a little more spunk to her walk, Elli continued down the hall to the escalator that took her to Fallon’s cellar. Who would have thought that wine and hockey would mix? Fallon did an amazing job marketing her business, and as proud as Elli was of Fallon and all she’d accomplished, Elli was still a beer girl. Not that anyone would know, because of the back-to-back pregnancies she hadn’t had a drink in years. As she entered the store, Fallon turned from the counter, grinning ear to ear. Tall and beautiful as ever, Fallon stood to greet her with her own protruding belly. She looked gorgeous and at that moment Elli found herself very jealous of her friend. She missed that time when you first find out you’re pregnant and glow from the inside out. Now all she felt was fat.

“I don’t even want to look at you,” she teased.

Fallon let out a hearty laugh, holding her tummy between her hands. “Whatever. I look like a massive cow. You’re pregnant with twins and still look better than me.”

“You’re on something,” Elli laughed with a shake of her head.

Fallon rolled her eyes. “No, you are. Leaving work early?”

Elli nodded. “Yeah, I fired my assistant and my back is killing me. I am done.”

Fallon smiled. “I wish I could leave.”

Before Elli could state the obvious, that she could because this was her store, Fallon’s sister, Audrey, came out from the backroom. “You can. You own the place so stop bitching. I’m doing more work than you are anyway.”

Elli smiled as Audrey came over, hugging her tightly. She still had a little limp in her walk, but other than that, no one would ever know that Audrey was recovering from a brutal attack from her ex. There was no question her swift recovery was a result of all the love she was receiving from her fiancé and Elli’s goalie, Tate. They were perfect together. Audrey was glowing too, with a belly twice the size of her sister’s. It was a joy to be pregnant, most of the time, but being pregnant with your sister was a blessing. At least Elli thought it would be, but she would never know. Elli’s sister, Victoria, would never have kids, but then again, even if she did, Elli doubted she would tell her. They weren’t speaking to one another. At times, it really bothered her, but then she had Shea, and what else did she really need when she had him?

“How are you?” Audrey asked.

“Fine, my back is hurting so bad, I gotta get home.”

“I bet, carrying those two little guys can’t be easy. They’re probably built like their daddy.”

Elli nodded with a grin. “More than likely. I am so ready to pop them out.”

“Only a month left,” Fallon sang.

“I don’t know, I feel like they are coming any day now,” Elli said, hugging Audrey again before reaching for Shea’s wine basket.

“Yay! I can’t wait to see their sweet little faces!” Audrey gushed as Fallon hugged Elli goodbye.

“Me neither. Thanks for the basket, looks like there’s some good stuff in here,” Elli said before walking towards the door, “See y’all later.”

“Bye,” they both sang as Elli waddled away. Slowly she went down the stairs juggling all of her belongings, wishing that Shea was there to help.

“This having a baby business is over after these two,” she muttered as she reached her car. Opening the door, she placed everything in Shelli’s car seat before climbing into the car. Once seated she let out an exhausted breath and then stilled as warmth filled her seat. Grabbing her phone she dialed Shea’s number.

Answering the phone almost immediately, he asked, “Hey sweetheart, you on your way?”

Taking in deep breaths, all she could think was that she couldn’t believe this was happening this soon. She wanted it and was ready, but still, this was a month early. Would the little bits be okay? Tears gathered in her eyes from fear as her hands started to shake.

“No, my water broke, meet me at the hospital.”

***

She was exquisite.

Even with sweat dripping down her brow, her face pale from the delivery, and looking so tired, Elli was gorgeous and Shea was surprised she was still awake. He couldn’t seem to catch his breath as he watched his amazing wife hold their two bundles of blue.

His boys.

Shea knew the moment he set eyes on Elli, four years ago, that things would never be the same. He wasn’t prepared for her in the least, but it didn’t matter, because when he fell, he fell hard. He knew he would never love another woman the way he loved Elli. When she finally realized this and gave him her heart, he had stayed true to only her.

Shea already felt like the luckiest man on earth when he married Elli. But then Elli quickly became pregnant and shortly thereafter, Shelli, his princess, was born. Shelli was so sweet and so beautiful like her mama. Elli didn’t see their likeness but all Shea saw was Elli when he looked at his sweet baby girl. Shelli was almost three now, with bright blue eyes and dark brown hair that curled around her face. Elli always put crazy bows in her hair to match Shelli’s cute little outfits. Shea swore that as each day passed by there was something different about Shelli as she grew into her own little person. God she was a doll.

Shelli loved to dance and sing along with Shea when he played his guitar. He was convinced that she was going to be a star on Broadway, but Elli thought Shelli was going to be a hockey player since she had such a little temper. Just like her dad. Shelli was the light in his day. All she had to do was grin and he was a goner.

Then nine months later Posey came along and captured Shea’s heart in much the same way Shelli did. She was almost two and looked exactly like her older sister, with the same blue eyes and brown hair. Elli often tied up Posey’s hair in a cute little pony tail on top of her head like a unicorn horn. Posey had Shea wrapped around her finger, she had so much personality in such a little body. She made the same scrunched up faces like her mama, and man, did he love her.

Just like Shelli, Posey loved to dance and had been into everything since she began to walk. Shelli didn’t like her little sister in her room because she chewed on everything, but for the most part, they got along well and loved each other. He missed them both, but he knew that Grace was bringing them to the hospital later that day to meet their new baby brothers, Owen and Evan. He hoped they were being good for their Auntie Grace. The girls were a handful, and adding two more to the family was probably psychotic, but he was so excited he couldn’t see straight. He wanted this. A big, beautiful family, with the most gorgeous woman on the planet. Elli.

Shea had to admit that one of his proudest moments was when Elli told him they were having twin boys. It was a blessing and he couldn’t have thanked God enough for all the blessings he was given. First the woman that completed him, and then four gorgeous, healthy babies, all while making a living playing the greatest sport imaginable. Who gets that lucky? Glancing up at Elli, he met her gaze and she smiled. He made his way to her side, kissing her temple.

“I love you,” he whispered and kissed her again.

“I love you more,” she answered before turning to look up at him. “Aren’t they perfect?”

Shea had tears in his eyes as he nodded, looking down at his twin boys. They were identical with moss green eyes like Elli and thick dark brown hair. They had Shea’s chin and maybe the shape of his eyes, but for the most part they looked like their momma. Owen was the bigger of the two, at almost 5 pounds. Evan was only a couple ounces smaller, and the doctors had said they were glad Elli delivered early. At only 33 weeks the boys were healthy. Elli was a trooper, and Shea couldn’t thank her enough. Four babies in three years?

That was some woman.

Swallowing past the lump in his throat, he croaked out, “Handsome little fellas, they must take after their dad.”

Elli laughed, “Whatever, you can’t take full claim of these guys, they totally look like me. Look at those lips, girls are gonna go wild when these two get older.”

Shea couldn’t disagree. He went wild for Elli’s lips on a daily basis. Leaning in for a kiss, Elli met his lips expectantly, grinning as they parted.

“I’m so tired.”

“I bet, that was a rough go. I admire your strength, babe, you did amazing,” Shea reassured. Elli nodded as she glanced back down at the boys.

He liked that. His boys and his girls. In a way, he felt like he might be complete.

Maybe.

“Aww, honey, I love you. That was tough although totally worth it,” she said looking back up at him with love in her eyes. “Look at our two perfect little guys. Future hockey players, I swear they were hip checking each other in my belly.”

Shea chuckled as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer. “You got that right,” he paused as Owen moved a little, bringing his little fist into his mouth. “I only need one more for a hockey team, you know.”

“You better hope they’ll let you play with four because sorry, buddy, this baby making factory will be closed down before I leave this hospital.”

Damn it.

“Come on, Elli, let’s keep the shop open for another year.”

“For what? I told you, I’m done. Four babies is enough, Shea, you gotta admit that, babe,” she glanced up and saw that he didn’t think that was enough at all. “Great balls of fire,” she muttered before placing a kiss on Evan’s head.

He chose his words carefully and said, “Maybe, after the boys are a year, we could have another one?”

“No.”

“Elli,” Shea said softly. She looked up at him. “Just one more, and I promise, you can close up shop and I’ll close up shop, and there will be no other babies until all ours bring home their own.”

“How in the world can you expect me to even think of having any more children, when I just went through the fiery depths of hell to have these two? I am tore in ways that women should not be torn in, Shea. Please.”

Shea felt horrible, and nodded quickly. “You’re right, I’m sorry.”

“No,” Elli said shaking her head, “I’m just in a crappy mood, my cooter hurts and I feel so overwhelmed. Even though I’m supposed to be having babies and not worrying about my job, I can’t help but think of all the crap surrounding Erik and Phillip. I’m just tired, and I swear, I could sleep for a year.”

“I know, baby,” he said, kissing her cheek, moving to the side of her mouth. “I’m sorry. Do you want me to beat the crap out of Erik and Phillip?”

Elli smiled, which was what he wanted, “No, I love those knuckleheads, even if they are giving the Assassins a bad name. I just want to enjoy the kids for the rest of my maternity leave. I want to be a mommy, not worry about anything but these little miracles.”

Shea nodded as he moved his nose along her temple, taking in her scent. Mangos, his favorite.

“We did good. Four beautiful kids, two little girls that favor their daddy and two boys that favor their momma. What more could we ask for?”

“For our shops to get shut down,” she laughed. Shea shook his head, he didn’t want that, but if it was really something Elli wanted, he would agree. She wanted the kids just as much as he did. She put on a front that he was knocking her up left and right, which he was, but she wanted it too. They wanted this life. Even if it was hectic and crazy, it was their life. One day he would retire and be the father his dad was to him. It wasn’t that he was not a good father now, but for almost nine months of the year he was working, which included a lot of travel and being away from home. Shelli noticed, and didn’t like it, but there was nothing he could do. He could quit, of course, but he wasn’t ready. One day he would be, and he couldn’t wait for that moment, but that was later in life.

When a knock came at the door, they both looked up to see Grace, Shea’s sister, enter the room with Shelli and Posey on each hip. The girls were decked out in their ‘Big Sister’ shirts and had big bright pink bows in their hair. Shea rolled his eyes at the sight since Posey’s bow was bigger than her head, but he soon smiled when she reached for him. Standing up, he closed the distance between them, and wrapped both girls up in his arms. Posey in all her excitement smacked him in the face, knocking his glasses askew, not that he cared. He was happy to see them.

“I just want to peek and then I’ll leave, you guys need your family time. Mom and Dad are in the waiting room along with Elli’s dad and uncle. Let us know when you guys are ready for us, K?” Grace said in a rush. She ran over to Elli’s side without waiting for Shea’s answer, and kissed Elli’s cheek before looking down at the boys. “Oh my gosh, they are gorgeous!”

“Aren’t they? I just wanna gobble them up, they are so sweet!” Elli gushed as she grinned down at them.

“You guys make the most beautiful babies, I swear,” Grace said admirably as she touched Owen’s cheek, “So sweet.”

“Thank you. You didn’t do such a bad job yourself, you know. Ryan and Amelia are beautiful children,” Elli said with a smile.

“They are, this is true. I just want to stay and look at your babies forever, but you guys need your time, so I’m leaving.”

She stood up with one last glance at the boys before walking towards Shea and kissing his cheek on her way out, closing the door behind her. Shea loved his twin sister with everything he had. He was glad that their relationship had not suffered with his marriage and family. Grace was always there for him as he was there for her.

Shea nuzzled Posey’s cheek then Shelli’s, asking them, “Ready to meet your brothers?

Shelli nodded her head as Posey started screaming for Elli. “Mama!”

“Hi, buttercup, come on over here. You too, sunshine,” she said, sitting up and moving the boys so that she could hold them better. Shea had always loved the nicknames that Elli had for the girls, ‘buttercup’ for Posey and ‘sunshine’ for Shelli. The girls wiggled in his arms as he made his way over to Elli. When they reached her, Posey reached out for Elli as Shelli said, “Aww, babies.”

“Mamama,” Posey rambled as she continued to reach.

“No honey, Daddy will hold you. Momma has boo boos,” Shea said, but Posey continued to reach for Elli.

“Give her here, “Elli said scooting over, making room on the bed for the girls. Shea hesitated, but when Elli looked up at him expectantly, Shea placed Posey carefully beside her, then Shelli. Shelli knew to be cautious and leaned more on Shea than she did on Elli.

“My babies?” Shelli asked, before smiling up at Shea.

“Our babies,” Shea corrected as Posey moved her fingers softly on Evan’s face.

“Ba,” Posey said slowly, with a little grin on her face, “Mama,” she said looking up at Elli.

“Yup, I love you, Posey, so much. I love you too, Shelli.”

“I love you, Mama,” Shelli said. She then leaned her head on Elli’s. “Baby name, Mama?”

Elli said, “Owen and Evan.”

Shelli giggled, “No Mama, names.”

Shea had no clue what Shelli was asking but obviously Elli did, because she answered, “Oh, I don’t know. How about mac and cheese?”

Shelli’s giggles practically shook the bed. “Noooo!”

“Okay. Hmm, rice and crispy?”

“Noooooo, Mama,” Shelli laughed.

“Well honey, they gotta go together.”

“Yeah, lightning and bug,” Shelli said just like her mom, with a little bit of country drawl. She was just like Elli and he couldn’t have loved her any more. Shelli was smart as hell, because he sure didn’t remember his niece and nephew talking this well at two.

Elli smiled lovingly at her daughter before she nodded and said, “That’s perfect, my little lightnin’ and my little bug.”

“Yay! Lightnin’ and lug, and luttercup,” Shelli said pointing at Owen, Evan, and then Posey, “My family.”

Shea nodded, placing a kiss to Shelli’s head, “Yup, one big happy family.”

There was another knock at the door, and Shea turned to see who it was. “Hello, all,” a nurse said as she entered the room, “How are the boys?”

“Great,” Elli answered, kissing Posey’s head, “So are the girls. I think they love their brothers.”

Shea agreed. Posey was smiling down at the boys as Shelli touched her finger along Owen’s cheek. The nurse gave them a bright grin as she came over to the little table that was beside Elli’s bed.

Something caught Shea’s eye as he leaned in closer to look at the shape of Owen’s lips.

Was it okay that his boy had a cupid’s bow mouth?

Hopefully, he’d grow out of that mouth.

“Okay, well I’m here to give you the paperwork for your tubal ligation that will be performed tomorrow at 4:00, P.M., with Dr. Resitra.”

Shea looked up quickly, glancing at Elli, then the nurse before looking back at Elli. “What?”

The nurse looked up from her paperwork, then glanced at Elli before answering, “I have paperwork for Mrs. Adler’s tubal ligation, also known as getting her tubes tied. I just need a few signatures.”

Shea kept staring at Elli until she looked at him. When she did, Shea could see the nervousness in her eyes. She hadn’t even discussed this with him; he thought he had more time to convince her to have another baby. Surely she wouldn’t do this without discussing it with him.

“Elli?”

Elli turned to look up at the nurse, and then smiled, “I’m sorry, I need to discuss this with my husband first. Is there any way, you can put the boys back in their beds, and I’ll call you back when I’m ready to sign them?”

“Sure,” the nurse said with a nod, “Do you want me to take them to the nursery?”

“No ma’am,” Elli answered quickly. The kids never stayed in the nursery; they always slept with Elli and Shea. Grace, on the other hand, had insisted her kids sleep in the nursery. She said it gave her time to sleep as well. When he asked Elli why she preferred the kids in their bedroom, she said she felt safer with them close-by where she could see them. Even when they worked, the kids were always with one of their parents. Grace helped a lot too, which was good, but only when there was no other option.

Shea watched as the nurse moved the boys to their little crib and then made her way out of the room. He then took the girls and settled them in a chair, giving Shelli his phone to play with so he and Elli could talk. As he passed by his boys he couldn’t help but smile, knowing he was about to get into it with Elli. Leaning against the table, he pushed the tubal litigation papers to the side and looked directly at Elli.

“Were you going to tell me?”

She nodded, “Of course. I didn’t think they’d be able to get me in so quickly.”

“So that’s it?”

Elli looked up at him, “I told you, baby, I’m done. Four kids in three years? Come on. My body is tired, I’m tired. I’m already taking the summer off, when really I want to take the year. I’m tired, Shea.”

“I understand that, and if you want to take the year off, please do, whatever makes you happy. But baby, I really wish you would consider having one more. Just one.”

“Shea,” she whined, “I don’t want to get pregnant so soon aga—”

“One year, give me one year before you do it. We’ll discuss having another one when the boys turn one. That would actually give us almost 2 years with the kids before we add another one into the mix.”

“I don’t know.”

“Please, I just want one more.”

“I know,” she said with a laugh, “but I also know that you‘ll have me pregnant again in a month.”

“I promise, a year. If we decide then that we are done, we’re done, I promise. We’ll both get our shops closed, I promise.”

Elli looked down at her hands resting on her swollen stomach. He loved the way she looked pregnant, all plump and voluptuous. But he could give her a year to get back to normal before he asked her to go through hell again. He just wasn’t done yet. One more and he’d be happy.

He’d have a whole hockey team minus the goalie.

But if she was done, he’d respect that. She’d given him the moon and the stars in the sky. If he hadn’t known that deep down she wanted the same thing, he would’ve thought he was being selfish. But he knew Elli, and they both wanted a large family. Soon the day would come when the kids would be bringing their children over for them to gush over.

Glancing back at Shea, Elli shook her head. “I’m gonna be fat forever.”

He smiled. “I’m gonna love you for forever. You’re beautiful to me.”

Elli smiled as she glanced over to where the kids sat. “One more.”

“One more, unless for some reason we have another set of twins, but I doubt that.”

Elli glared and Shea smiled. “I can’t control what God wants.”

Elli scoffed as she closed her eyes before letting out a long breath. “One year, then we’ll discuss it.”

“Yup. I promise.”

Elli’s shoulder’s fell and she gave him a look so full of love it took his breath away. “You’re lucky I love you, Shea Adler.”

Shea knew he won. With a bright grin, he wrapped his arms around Elli, kissing her deeply. When they parted, he kissed her nose, and then the side of her mouth. “Damn right I am, and I love you more than anything in this world.”

“I hope you love my expanding waistline.”

“I do,” Shea laughed, “Every sexy, delectable, yummy, single inch of you.”

***

“Let’s see if you left something in here for Daddy.”

Elli smiled as she got up and waddled into the kitchen. She was still in a bit of pain. C-sections sucked. Pouring a glass of tea, she leaned against the counter, sipping it as she thought about everything going on. The boys were healthy, and perfect, so were the girls. Shea was amazing and sweet as always. Life at home was good. But her work life was another story.

Elli had a lot on her mind; first and foremost, other teams were looking at the Assassins players that were now free agents. On top of that, Elli was still having problems with two of her players and their ongoing shenanigans. And then of course the usual with money hungry agents that thought their players were the best and needed the best. Which they were, but still, there was only so much money in the bank.

But Erik and Phillip were the biggest headache. They were going crazy and causing all kinds of trouble. She never expected this; they were good men but they just could not keep their dicks in their pants. Unfortunately, it had all gotten out of control and something needed to be done.

In the past couple months, five girls accused the guys that they were the father of their children. All allegations were unproven, but it created bad press for the Assassins. The tabloids had the boys featured everywhere, getting trashed and sleeping with just about anything that walked. When Elli had joined the company she had been given a team that was full of good strong men with morals, professionals. If they were out of line, the captains took care of them. But there was no taking care of Phillip and Erik, and Shea was also at wits end. Elli had never had this problem before so she didn’t know what to do. Their agent promised they would behave, but apparently only Phillip took that to heart, because Erik was still driving her bonkers.

Leaning against the counter she listened to the commotion in the other room.

“SCORE! Nothing! Okay, Owen, let’s see.”

Elli listened as Shea groaned, and instantly knew that Owen had pooped in his diaper. With a smile she grabbed a water bottle pausing mid swig when the doorbell sounded.

“Hey babe, can you get that?” Shea asked, sounding a bit frantic.

Taking it kind of slow she grumbled as she walked through the house to the living room on her way to the front door and saw Shea covered with baby wipes. Shea had been amazing and so helpful with the kids; she wasn’t sure what she would have done without him. Even though she was sad that they hadn’t won the Stanley Cup, she was thankful because the Assassins would’ve still been in the playoffs and Shea wouldn’t have been home to help out. Although he was still bitter and a little touchy about losing, Elli was grateful to have her husband home. They’ll win next year, Elli was sure of it. This just wasn’t their year to win. Next year would be.

Reaching the door, she pulled it open and a huge grin came over her face.

“Hey you!” she gushed wrapping her arms around her ‘little sister’ Piper. She was actually Harper’s sister, but Elli and Piper had always been very close.

“Hey, gosh, you’re always so beautiful,” Piper said with a smile as they parted.

“Liar,” she teased as they walked through the house with their arms slung through one another. “But thanks. Come to see my little men?”

“I did, and to see you, I need to talk to you about something.”

“Awesome, come on, the boys are in here,” Elli said with a big grin as they entered the living room. Shea had his arms full of dirty diapers while Shelli and Posey ran around the living room. The boys lay all clean in their bassinets. Shea shot her a grin as Piper leaned over for a kiss on the cheek.

“Hey Shea,” she said in greeting as she attempted to grab the girls for a big hug and kiss.

“Hey, good to see you,” he replied as he got up and made his way into the kitchen. Elli watched as Piper chatted with the girls before making her way over to the boys. Something was different. She had known Piper almost her whole life and something seemed off. She thought maybe it was her hair, but it was still long and beautiful, down to the middle of her back. Piper looked as if she may have put on some weight, but that wasn’t it either. She just couldn’t put her finger on it, but before she could ask, Piper looked back at Elli with tears in her eyes and Elli’s heart stopped.

“What’s wrong?” she asked immediately, taking Piper’s hand in hers.

She shook her head, taking in a deep breath, and then she looked up, her beautiful blue eyes shining with tears. When one slowly dripped down her cheek, Elli began to panic. Piper never cried. She was the carefree one. Nothing ever bothered her, and it freaked Elli out to see her so worked up. Things had been good for Piper. She was working hard doing freelance work drawing illustrations for an author’s children’s book and she had seemed really happy, or at least Elli thought she was.

Shit, she was a horrible friend. She should know what is bothering her.

“I’m pregnant.”

Taken by surprise, Elli sputtered, “Excuse me?”

“I’m pregnant and I have no clue what I am going to do.”

Elli was speechless. She didn’t know what to say, she didn’t know how to respond and she sure as hell didn’t know what to think. This was Piper. The sweet, carefree girl that never could decide on one thing, and she was pregnant. Surely she was hearing her wrong, but when she glanced down, it was then that Elli realized the extra weight she thought Piper had gained was actually the beginnings of a round belly.

“Holy shit,” she gasped.

Piper nodded, tears rolling down her sweet cheeks. “I know, my thoughts exactly.”

Shea came back in the room and Piper’s eyes darted to him before looking down. Elli wasn’t one to hide things from Shea, but Piper looked as if it had taken everything she had just to tell her the news. Glancing over to Shea, offering him a shoulder shrug, Elli reached for Piper’s hand as they walked into the kitchen where they could talk alone.

“How far along?”

Piper’s lips wobbled before looking away. “Six months.”

“Holy shit, Piper! Six months!”

She nodded slowly. “No one knows and I, I, I, don’t know how I kept it quiet for this long.”

Elli didn’t know how to feel. Was she that busy with her life that she didn’t notice that her friend was carrying a child? Things had been nuts for her—playoffs, pregnancy, kids, and stupid players—but for goodness sakes, she saw Piper at least once a week . . . How did she not notice this?

“I’m sorry, I am completely stunned here.”

Piper wiped her face. “I know and I’m sorry—”

“Don’t you dare apologize, I should have noticed something was off, but at the same time, why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

“I was scared.”

Elli nodded. She could understand that. Piper’s family was hard on her. She was always the failure in her parents’ eyes. The one that never knew what she wanted. She was always moving, never settled in a career; stability was not her strong point. And having a baby meant you needed to have some sort of consistency in your life. Racking her brain for a solution, she watched as the girl she loved like a little sister sobbed. It was easy to see that Piper was scared out of her mind. Elli wanted to help her; after all, she was a fixer, and even though she suspected the father was not in the picture, she had to ask, “Who’s the father?”

Piper shook her head, covering her face as she wiped away the tears. When she looked at Elli, Elli knew then that this wasn’t going to be good. She could read Piper like a book. She could tell when Piper was lying and she could usually tell when Piper was hurting. But then again, maybe that’s not true anymore. Piper hid her pregnancy for six months and Elli had no damn clue. Putting all that aside, what mattered now was to help Piper.

“Who, Piper?”

She inhaled another shuttered breath, her blue eyes flooding in tears and her chest began to heave. “I love him, Elli, I do, but he doesn’t love me.”

She was stalling, and dread filled Elli. She knew instantly who it was. It was someone she knew. It was someone she consider family. It was the same person that was causing a whole bunch of stress in Elli’s life, but before she could say his name, Piper did.

“Erik, Erik Titov, Jakob’s brother.”

Fucking Erik, she thought as her nails bit into her palms. She breathed deeply to calm herself, then slowly exhaled through her nose before she nodded in understanding.

“Does he know?”

She shook her head no and Elli wanted to shake her. Didn’t she realize that she was doing nothing but hurting herself? She wouldn’t tell her that, though; she was going to get it tenfold from her family, and Elli wouldn’t do that to her too.

As calmly as she could she told her, “Go to my house in Sweetbriar and pull yourself together. You need to tell Erik; he needs to know. It will hurt everyone in the long run if you don’t. Don’t do this to yourself, or him, and more importantly to your unborn baby.”

Piper looked up at her through her damp eyes. “What?”

Yes, this was the best thing for her. She’d figure things out, finish the book she was illustrating and maybe even prepare to be a mother. Being a first-time mother is hard enough, but doing it alone has to be ten times more difficult. Elli was going to do everything she could to help, but Erik Titov was a whole different story. That man had so many issues off the ice it was insane, but something was going to have to change. He needed help and, no matter what anyone says, maybe this could be his wake-up call.

Piper was a flighty girl but she loved with everything inside her. Elli truly believed that was what Erik needed.

He needed Piper.

“You heard me. No rent, no bills, nothing; go live there and just figure things out. Work on your sketches and figure out what to do next. My house is yours until you don’t need it any longer.”

“I can’t—”

“Yes you can,” Elli said, reaching for the canister on the kitchen countertop that held their extra keys. Pulling out her Sweetbriar house keys, she handed them to Piper and smiled. “Go. If you need anything, call us, we’ll help you, but the house is the same as when I lived there. All you need is your personal things.”

Piper moved the keys around in her shaking hands. “How do I thank you?”

“By telling him and figuring out everything. You are going to be an amazing mother, Piper, you just have to figure out what your future holds. First, though, you need to tell Erik.”

She nodded slowly before reaching for Elli and hugging her fiercely. Elli could feel Piper’s little belly pressing into her and it brought tears to her eyes. Her baby sister was having a baby.

And by the grace of God, Elli would make sure that Piper was happy.

Hopefully that would include Erik too.

***

After walking Piper out to her car, Elli waddled back into the house, physically and emotionally exhausted. She had no clue what she was going to do about Erik and Piper but she knew she had to do something. When she reached the foyer, she paused and smiled when she heard the music. Shea’s deep beautiful voice sang as he played his guitar; it gave her goose bumps. She loved when he sang, and this was one of her favorite songs. Walking into the living room, she found Shea with Shelli sitting beside him watching him in awe as Posey, Owen and Evan lay on the floor. She wasn’t sure if the babies knew what was going on but they seemed calm while Posey looked up at her daddy like he hung the moon and stars.

Which in all reality, he did.

Softly he sang the chorus to Dierks Bentley’s “Thinking of You,”and Shelli’s smile was unstoppable. When her sweet little voice started singing along with him, Elli couldn’t hold back the tears.

Damn hormones!

Shea encouraged Shelli to sing, and together they sang the song like pros as Elli’s heart expanded with love. Coming closer, Elli kneeled and gathered Posey in her arms as they listened to Shea and Shelli finish their song. Shea flashed her a grin that set her on fire and she knew that nothing could ever live up to this moment. She sat with her babies, watched her husband and daughter as they sang, and realized nothing in the world was better than this.

She was happy. So freaking happy, tears rolled down her cheeks.

When the song ended, Shelli threw her hands up and let out a cheer.

“I did it!”

Shea leaned over, kissing his daughter loudly on the lips. “You sure did and it was beautiful.”

Shelli smiled proudly at her daddy as Elli said, “So beautiful, Shelli.”

She jumped off the couch and climbed into Elli’s arms, kissing her on the cheek. Elli closed her eyes, holding her two girls as her boys lay beside her, sleeping.

“Smile, guys.”

Elli looked up to find Shea with his phone focused and ready to take a picture. Shelli and Posey smiled like the pros they were while Elli shook her head. “Shea, I look horrible.”

“Never. Smile, gorgeous,” he said with a wink.

Elli did as he asked, and as soon as the flash went off Shelli and Posey jumped up to see the picture. Elli leaned over to check on her little guys and listened as the girls gushed over their photo.

“Alright, why don’t you guys go play in your room? I’ll be in there in a few.”

“Okay, Daddy,” Shelli said, running off with Posey right behind her. Shea laid his guitar down and came over to help Elli up from the floor. She smiled as she took his hands and let him help her swiftly to her feet. He then smiled as he gathered her in his arms, kissing her softly on the lips.

“I love you,” he whispered.

“I love you more,” she said, eyes closed as she ran her nose along the hair on his jaw.

He hadn’t shaved since the playoffs, and man, did she love his beard. Hell, she loved this man no matter what. As long as he was hers.

“Is Piper okay?”

Elli shook her head, leaning against Shea’s chest. “No, but she will be.”

“Anything I can do?”

She shook her head again. “Just hold me.”

“I can do that.”

He led her to the couch, holding her close beside him as he dusted her temple with his lips. “Jordan called while you were talking with Piper.”

She smiled at the mention of her ex-backup goalie. She loved Jordan, but with Tate being her main goalie, Jordan wasn’t getting the play he needed and she knew he needed more than what the team could offer him. She wanted Jordan to be happy, and thankfully, he met a fiery redhead, Aynslee, before he left for South Carolina to play with the IceCats.

“How are they?”

“Good. Still not settled but they found their house. He plans to ask her to marry him after the IceCats’ opening game.”

“Awesome, I’m so glad.”

“Yeah, he says he wants us all to visit sometime, the whole crew.”

Elli laughed. “Goodness, the whole crew? That’s what we are, you know? A crew.”

Shea laughed as he kissed her temple softly. “Damn right and I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

“Me neither.”

“Except maybe one more though,” he said with a wink.

“Ugh! Don’t start!”

He laughed before turning her to face him. Elli placed her lips on his, kissing him slowly, making the butterflies go nuts in her stomach. Every time they kissed it was like the very first time. She loved this man completely and nothing could ever change that. Now all she needed to do was fix what was going on between Piper and Erik and life would be great. It wasn’t going to be easy, but most of the good things in life were not.

Especially love.

Table of Contents

Start