Dean (Face-Off Series Book 6)

by Jillian Quinn

  Dad tilts his head back and laughs. “You don’t have to be so hard on Duke. He tries. He did the best he could with the circumstances he was given. He holds a lot of things inside. I think he feels like he could have saved your mother if he hadn’t left her side that night.”

  “There was nothing he could do.”

  “I know. But he’s never seen it that way. In some ways, his suspension was a good thing for him. Your brother has needed therapy for years, but he would never talk to anyone. I took all of you after your mother died. You, Austin, and the twins talked to the doctors. Duke just sat there with his arms crossed and wasted the doctor’s time and my money.”

  I smile at the thought of him getting better. Duke might be an ass sometimes, but I love him and want what’s best for him.

  A few minutes pass before the crowd amps up again. Players skate down the ice, most of them one giant blur. But I can spot number twenty-seven from miles away. Dean’s flying down the ice with the puck, faster than I’ve ever seen him skate before. I lean forward, digging my elbows into my thighs. My belly is so damn big now this position is uncomfortable.

  “C’mon, Dean.” I stand to watch him take the shot.

  The entire arena goes wild as the goal horn sounds. My eyes fill with tears that spill down my cheeks. I turn to hug my dad, who’s in an awkward position with his future son-in-law playing against his son.

  Dad hugs me back and kisses me on the forehead. “You picked a good one, Kat.”

  I smile up at him. “I know.”

  Noah kicks so hard my eyes slam shut from the pain. I clutch my stomach with one hand, the other rested on my dad’s shoulder.

  “You okay, honey?”

  I grab his hand and press his palm to where Noah is kicking. His eyes widen, a giant smile stretching across his lips.

  “Your grandson is trying to dig his way out of me, or at least that’s how it feels.”

  My dad’s smile grows each time Noah kicks. “I wasn’t around much when my kids were growing up, but I want to be around more for Noah.”

  “He’d like that,” I say. “So would I.”

  After the second period, the Flyers are tied 2-2 with the Capitals. We’ve had the box mostly to ourselves up until this point. A few of the players’ wives and girlfriends shuffle into the box with their children, all of them blonde except for one brunette. The brunette rolls a stroller into the room with two sleeping twin baby boys, a boy about three years old, and a little blonde girl that’s holding her hand.

  She sits next to me, the little girl on her left, the stroller in front of her. Upon better inspection, I realize I know her. Tyler Kane has four kids, all blonde like him. This must be his wife.

  “Kennedy Kane, right?”

  “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.”

  “You guys like your T names, huh?”

  She chuckles. “Yeah, that’s Tyler for you. He wanted to name Ava Thea, but I said no way. I wanted at least one of my kids to have a name that didn’t start with a T.”

  After another goal horn sounds, my head snaps back to the game.

  “No,” I yell, my hand balled into a fist at my side. “They’re in the lead now.”

  Dad crosses his arms over his chest and smiles. Of course, he wants Duke to win. I would want the same for Noah if he were on the ice.

  No matter the outcome of this game or playoff series, I’m proud of Dean. He made it to the playoffs his first year in the league. He did so well in the regular season he was named as a finalist for the Calder Memorial Trophy for his outstanding performance. It’s the equivalent of the Rookie of the Year trophy awarded in other sports. Noah will be here by the time Dean finds out if he won.

  Everything is finally falling into place. I just scored a job sitting in this box. Dean is crushing it with the Flyers. Duke has a girlfriend. I’m still shocked by that news. And Noah is on his way.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Dean

  In the middle of the night, I hear Kat get out of bed. She’s so close to her due date that I’m constantly worried about her. Of course, I find her in the kitchen. Her giant baby bump is illuminated by the refrigerator light as she drinks milk from the plastic jug. I can’t help but laugh, and she hears me.

  �
��Don’t judge me,” she groans with a sly grin on her face.

  I step into the room and take the milk from her hand, pulling her into my arms. “How are you feeling?”

  “Hungry. Tired. Scared.”

  “It’ll be okay, Kitten. Noah will be here any day now. Fear is just a lack of preparation, and we’re ready for Noah to come. So, don’t worry.”

  Her lips crash into mine, and her tongue slips into my mouth. She grips my hair between her fingers, tugging hard as she pulls me closer to deepen the kiss. Our passion for one another intensifies with each second that passes… until I feel a gush of liquid on my feet.

  Eyes wide, I peel my lips from hers. “What was that?”

  Kat raises her hand to her mouth. “That was my water.” She speaks between her fingers before lowering her hand to her side. “At least I think my water broke.”

  I smile and rest my forehead against hers for a few seconds. “Either that or you pissed on my feet.”

  “I was supposed to have a few more days.” She waves her hand in front of her face to fan herself. “I’m not ready for him.”

  “Listen to me, Kitten. You can do this, okay? I’ll be there with you the entire time.”

  “Right,” she breathes. “I can do this.”

  “I’m here if you need an assist.” I wink, and she returns my smile.

  “There’s no one else I would rather do this with than you, Dean.”

  “I would hope not.”

  She kisses my cheek. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too. We need to get you to the hospital.”

  “I have to take a shower first.”

  “Of course, you do,” I deadpan.

  “I don’t want to be all gross. I’m covered in fluid.”

  A mixture of panic and excitement stirs in my chest as I walk Kat to the bathroom. My son is almost here. Having a baby at twenty-three was the last thing I’d ever planned, but now that I’m about to become a father, all the missing pieces in my life are falling into place.

  After spending months preparing for Noah, his birth is the complete opposite of what I had imagined. Standing at Kat’s side, she squeezes my hand for dear life. I tell her to breathe. She glances up at me, her teeth clenched in either pain or anger. It’s hard to tell with all the yelling she’s done since the doctor told her to start pushing.

  A few more minutes pass with the curses flying out of her mouth like a sailor.

  “Push,” the doctor says, and Kat squeezes my hand with superhuman strength.

  A few seconds later, Noah’s screams fill the room. I smile like a fool as my gaze travels between Noah and Kat. The doctor holds Noah up to show him to us before passing him to the nurse, who asks me if I want to cut the umbilical cord. I nod, somewhat nervous. What if I screw this up?

  Noah is tiny and beautiful. He looks like a mini version of me with his dark hair and blue eyes. When I look at him, my eyes fill with tears that I blink away. Cutting into the cord is weird, sort of like slicing through a thick, wet rope. But I feel more bonded to Noah. His mother got to carry and nurture him, but this is something I get to do.

  After I finish, the nurse takes Noah to clean him up. I stand next to Kat, my hands still trembling, and sweep the hair off her forehead.

  “We make cute kids, huh?”

  I follow her line of sight to the nurse who is holding our baby. “He takes after his dad.”

  She looks up at me with watery blue eyes that have tears of joy in them. “He sure does. I can’t wait to take Noah home and start my family with you.”

  I kiss her hand. “Me, too, Kitten.”

  “You should let everyone know that we’re okay.”

  “Not yet. I’m not leaving your side.”

  She tips her head toward the door. “Go ahead.”

  Hesitant, I release her hand. “I’ll be right back.”

  When I walk into the waiting area, the entire Baldwin clan stands. Nick helps my mom up from the chair and hooks his arm through hers.

  “Did Kat have the baby?” Austin says with a hopeful smile.

  I nod. “The nurse is cleaning him up now.”

  Austin slaps me on the back and pulls me into a one-arm hug. “Congratulations.”

  I hug him back. “Thanks, Aus.”

  “How’s Kat and Noah?”

  “They’re both good. Kat’s tired from being in labor for ten hours.”

  “I guess this makes you an official member of the family,” Duke says, interrupting my conversation with Austin.

  “Yeah, I guess it does.”

  Our relationship is still strained, to say the least, but I’m trying to hate Duke a little less every day for Kat and Noah’s sake.

  Theo pulls me into a tight hug. “Congrats, bro.”

  Travis takes my other side, sandwiching me between them.

  “Welcome to the fam,” Travis says.

  Theo and Travis have finally forgiven me for having sex with their sister. They didn’t believe me when I told them the truth. Even though they still swear we were hooking-up behind their backs for years, the twins are over the betrayal. We’re not as close as we were before, but I have faith they’ll get over themselves and everything will return to normal.

  “Do you guys want to see Noah?”

  “Yes,” the Baldwin brothers say in unison.

  My mom is a sobbing mess, held up by Nick. She hugs me and chokes out, “Congrats, baby.”

  I kiss her on the cheek. “Thanks, Mom. You’re an amazing mother. You’ll be an even better grandmother. Noah will love you as much as I do.”

  She smiles. “I guess it’s about time I leave Florida. My boys need me.”

  I nod. “We do.”

  When Nick welcomes me into the family, the feeling is surreal. I’m officially a father and one of the Baldwins.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Kat

  After dinner, Dean offers to watch Noah. I’m so exhausted from the lack of sleep that I sink into the couch cushions and close my eyes. Dean takes Noah into his bedroom to play on the floor with some of his new toys, giving Mommy a much-needed break. Sleep has been non-existent since Noah was born. I love him to death, but I had no idea I would never sit down or get a decent night of sleep ever again.

  Maybe in a few years, I had told myself—until the doctor confirmed my second pregnancy. Now that we have another baby on the way, I’m looking forward to Dean’s mother coming to live with us.

  I doze off for what I swear is only five minutes before I hear Dean talking to Noah in his baby voice. Dean is so adorable when he speaks to him in the tone he reserves only for our child. Pretending to sleep, I keep my eyes shut, but Dean has other plans. He drops to the floor next to me and places Noah on my stomach.

  I turn my head to look at him. “Dean, c’mon. I need a few more minutes.”

  With a good grip on the baby, he holds him in place and leans in closer. “Noah has something he wants to show you.”

  “What do you want to show me, sweetie?” He has no idea what I’m saying but giggles at the sound of my voice. I grab Noah’s little fingers. A silk pouch falls from his hand and onto my chest.

  I look at Dean, with a curious smile on my face. “Did you get me that hockey charm we saw at the mall?”

  “Nope, I got you something better.”

  I tug at the strings and turn the pouch over. A diamond engagement ring falls into my hand. My mouth widens in shock as Dean takes the ring from me.

  “I…” I have trouble getting out the words. “Are we? Are you?”

  He nods. “I had the perfect engagement all planned out before you told me you’re pregnant again. But I don’t think we need a grand gesture to show each other how much we love each other. Plus, Noah should be here when I ask you the most important question I will ever ask you.”

  “I couldn’t agree more.” I wipe away the tears that slide down my cheeks.

  Dean holds Noah with one hand and the ring in the other, staring into my eyes. He clears h
is throat and sits up straighter. “Okay, here goes. Why am I so nervous?”

  “Don’t be,” I say. “It’s just me. I’m still the same girl you stalked freshman year.”

  He laughs. “I did not stalk you. I observed you from a distance. There’s a difference.”

  “Observing. Stalking. Same difference.” I flash a wicked grin at him. “I’m glad you found me. It was one of the best days of my life.”

  “Mine too.” Dean takes a deep breath. “Kitten,” he says, his tone serious. “You’re my best friend, the love of my life, and the mother of my children. I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?”

  I nod, the tears streaming down my face and onto my shirt. “Yes, of course, I’ll marry you, Dean.” I hold out my hand for him to slip the ring on my finger.

  Noah raises his arm in the air and then slaps it down on Dean’s forearm.

  “Does that mean you approve, little man?”

  Noah giggles.

  “He can be our ring bearer,” I say. “We should wait until the baby is born, so they can both be part of the wedding.”

  “You want to wait that long?”

  “Yeah, I think so. Why? What were you planning?”

  “I would marry you in this apartment in sweatpants if you would let me.”

  “Well, that’s not gonna happen. You’re cute, but not that cute.” I pinch his cheek. “Our families would kill us if they’re not included in our wedding.”

  “No, you’re right. They have to be there.”

  “My dad will spare no expense. Prepare yourself for every NHL Hall of Famer to be at our wedding.”

  Dean grins like an idiot. “That alone makes me want to speed up this wedding.”

  I roll my eyes at him. “I’m sure it does. When are you going to start acting like you’re a big deal? You won the Calder trophy. How many people can say that? One day, you’ll be up there with my dad and his friends.”

  “That would be nice. I hope so.”

  “I know so,” I say, confident. “I knew that after the first time I watched you play.”