“We get in, and we get out. No one, especially Graham, touches anything.”
Graham rolls his eyes, but still nods.
Today’s the day Reed should be here, but he’s taking Evan on a guys’ trip to go fishing for the first time, so I’m left alone to deal with these guys.
The four of us stroll through the entrance of the furniture store, and quickly follow the signs to the nursery furniture. Surprisingly, it takes less than twenty minutes to pick out a set, pay for it and arrange for it to be delivered to the house.
“Wow, that was quick,” Hudson says. He’s been surprisingly quiet lately, and I make a mental note to see what’s up whenever we’re alone again.
“Way easier than I thought it would be,” I agree.
“That means we get to head to the rink so coach and the rest of the staff can meet Olive,” I say, pulling my phone out and shooting a quick text to Maddison, letting her know that we’ve finished up earlier than anticipated, and I’ll see her at the rink.
Making our way to my truck, we take Olive out of the carrier, then get her into her car seat and are on our way to the rink. Traffic is light, so we pull into the parking lot, just as Olive has fallen asleep in her car seat.
Look, I’m not saying I've gone soft, because I haven’t. I’m still manly, and in control of my emotions.
Seeing my best friends, my brothers by choice, love my daughter the same way that I do… it’s a feeling I’ve never known and when I glance back in the rearview, I see Olive’s fallen asleep with her tiny hand wrapped around Graham’s finger as he rests his hand on her car seat.
It’s fucking cute.
Not that I’ll tell him that, but I can’t help but think it.
I pull into my designated spot then hop out, walking around to get Olive’s carrier off of the base, like a pro might I add.
You know, when I first found out I was going to be a father, I was overwhelmed and happy as fuck, of course, but I was also terrified. I found out in the span of five minutes. But I also knew that kids weren’t easy, but they were forgiving.
Olive doesn’t need me to be perfect, she just needs me to be a good daddy to her, and each day we spend together is a learning curve. She teaches me things I never knew every single day.
Starting with how complicated it can be to unhook an infant carrier from a car seat base. Thankfully, we’ve had a few months of practice, and now it’s second-nature.
Inside the rink, we find Coach Evans in his office, having a heated phone conversation that he promptly ends when he sees us walk in with an infant carrier.
“Well, I’ll be damned, I didn’t think I’d ever meet her, Wilson.”
I smirk. “She’s a hard girl to nail down. Ask Graham.”
Graham grumbles at my comment, then looks down at his phone and says something about having to take care of something then walks out of the room.
Coach Evans is the guy who replaced Liam, and he couldn’t be any more different. Tall, wide chest and shoulders, he looks like he belongs on a football field. He’s around sixty, with balding gray hair and a slightly crooked nose.
He’s also one of the best coaches we’ve ever had. He’s loyal, determined, and patient. Pushes all of us to our limits because he knows what we’re capable of. I hated to see Liam go, since we’d formed a friendship, and he was there for me during my most trying time, but his family comes first.
"She looks like an angel, Wilson, a little baby doll. Sure you made something so perfect?” He grins cheekily, teasing me.
I scoff. “Trust me, she looks every bit like her mother.”
“Nah, I think she definitely has your nose and chin, but the eyes are Maddison’s,” Hudson interjects.
We talk with Coach for a few more minutes before walking back out to the rink. Hudson and Asher go off to find Graham, while I look around for Maddison.
I find her standing near the ice, talking with one of the guys on the maintenance crew. She’s listening intently to whatever he’s saying then throws her head back and laughs. He reaches out and places his arm on her hand, and it makes a bubble of jealousy well inside me.
It’s the first time I can ever remember feeling like this. Jealous.
Even when I found out about Beau… and… I wasn’t jealous. Truthfully, I didn't even care that she was leaving me for my brother. Our relationship was stale at best, and something to pass the time for both of us. We were comfortable, and when you’re comfortable, you think, why change things?
I didn’t want to rip my brother’s throat out because he was actually sleeping with her; I wanted to rip it out because he betrayed the trust between us. He broke a lifelong bond that cannot be repaired.
That’s the reason I hate Beau and have no intention of ever forgiving him.
“Hey babe,” I say with a wide smile when I walk up.
Devons’s eyes meet mine, and he shrinks slightly, then his eyes dart back to Maddison.
“Oh what’s up, Wilson? I was just talking to Maddison about Olive. She’s cute. Congratulations.”
I grunt a thank you and nod, relieved when he walks the other fucking way.
Maddison lifts a brow. “What was that?”
“What was what?”
“You were rude to him.” She crosses her arms over her chest and narrows her eyes, “Wait, are you jealous? Briggs… jealous?”
There’s a teasing tone in her voice, but I just shrug. “You’re mine.”
I say it simply, because that’s it. No one else will ever touch what’s mine. I set Olive gently down on the ground in her carrier, then pull Maddison to me and smash my lips against hers in a demanding kiss that I know will show Devon that he stands no fucking chance, ever.
And I'll break all his limbs if he even looks at her again.
Maddison pulls back, breathless, and looks up at me, her hands caressing my shoulders.
“You’re insane, you know that?”
"Maybe. Maybe not. Listen, I wanna introduce you to a few people and then I have a surprise for you at my house. I was thinking maybe we could go by there and spend the night?”
She’s silent for a few beats, but then nods her head yes. “I’d love to.”
Sliding my hand in hers, I pick Olive up with my free hand then take her around the rink, introducing her to various staff members and to coach’s wife who's come to meet him for lunch. Finally, we put Olive back into her car seat and drive the thirty-minutes to my house.
The entire drive she’s quiet, but I simply give her the time to process. There's a lot changing at once and even if she’s okay with things happening, I know how hard it can be to adjust.
When we pull up to the house, I open the garage door and pull inside.
“You ready?”
She nods, looking apprehensive. “I’m nervous.”
I laugh. “Let’s get Olive settled and then I’ll show you.”
Maddison hops down from the truck and gets Olive from her carrier. I grab the diaper bag, and together, we go inside the door that leads into the kitchen.
“Sweet girl is awake,” she coos, running her hand over Olive’s curly blondish hair. I think it’ll get darker; it already has since she was born.
“Perfect, she can come and see Mommy’s surprise.”