Ignoring Dean's grumbled protests, Landon threw the other man's arm over his shoulder and helped him into the locker room. Silver bit back a smile. The men didn't seem to notice that they were both still naked, but she certainly did. She took a minute to enjoy the view, her mind wondering to all kinds of naughty things that would probably never happen.
"What was that look?" Landon asked as he took three towels from a table by the lockers. He handed one to Dean and brought the other to her.
"Oh, nothing." She batted her eyelashes, then yelped when Dean grabbed her wrist. She tried to look innocent as he studied her face, but let out a sigh at his I-don't-buy-it look. "Fine. You sure you want to know?"
"Yes," Landon said.
Dean rolled his eyes and shook his head. "No."
Scrubbing his face with his towel, Landon arched a brow at Dean. "Why not?"
"Trust me. You don't want to know."
Since her clothes were drenched—you thought that out real well, Silver—she had to borrow a spare jogging suit and t-shirt from Landon. Her heels hurt her waterlogged feet as they made their way to their cars, but his smelly old runners would have looked like big old clown shoes on her. They all drove to her place so she could change, then decided to take Dean's car to the harbor.
Sipping a decaf iced latte, Silver rested her elbow on the railing and absorbed the peaceful darkness of the dark ocean, spread out endlessly before her. Dean stood at one side with his arm around her shoulders, Landon at the other with his arm around her waist. Utter perfection.
Dean gave her a little squeeze. "We have a lot to discuss, love."
"Yeah, but do we have to do it now?" Discussing anything might ruin the moment. "There's nothing that can't wait until tomorrow."
"There's one thing." Landon stepped back and squared his shoulders. "I'd like to marry you."
Her heart skipped a beat. Her stomach flipped. And all her blood washed cool as the ocean below. Marriage? A baby freaked her out less. Marriage meant living together, which meant seeing each other all the time, which meant he'd see her at her worst. Grumpy in the morning, probably moody from hormones . . .
"Breathe, Silver." Dean squeezed her again. "Marrying Landon isn't the only decision you have to make. I want you both to move in with me."
Breathe. Yeah, it would be swell if I could. She covered her mouth with her hand. "Move in with you? But . . . ." There were a million excellent reasons why it was a bad idea. No doubt about it. But she could only think of one. "Jami—"
"Will be living with her grandmother. My house is bigger than either of yours. There's an extra room that can be fixed up as a nursery." Dean massaged her shoulder. "I can help you while Landon's away on road games."
Away . . . her bottom lip quivered. Hell, one second, she was panicking about the thought of living with Landon, and the next she was ready to cry because he would be gone. If this was how the baby was affecting her already, she was seriously not looking forward to the next nine months.
Calm down. Use your brain woman! Your condo is no place for a baby.
True. But was she ready to give up her independence? To live full time with a man who made her want to hand over control with a great big bow on top? And another who would find whatever she held back? Did she want to make a life with them?
The answer to the latter came without a second thought. Absolutely. But the rest? It was too much, too fast.
She put her hand on her stomach and looked from Dean to Landon. "Do I have to answer now?"
Dean grinned. "I'd rather you didn't. There's no rush."
"Right." Landon brushed her still damp hair away from her face. "I want you to be sure when you give your answer. And I want to do this right. I didn't mean to blurt it out like that. Next time I'll have a ring, and take a knee—"
"Good things usually happen when you're on your knees." Silver giggled when he tugged her hair. Then she leaned into him as he took his place at her side. "Let me get used to the idea of the baby first. Then we'll talk some more. I've just got to warn you, I'm not easy to live with."
Landon grinned and glanced over at Dean. "Neither am I."
"I am well aware of that." Dean smirked. "I'm thinking of putting a lock on the kitchen door."
They all laughed and went back to staring out at the ocean. Like her, the men were probably thinking of the future. But did they see what she did? Something vast as all that water, filled with the unknown? Children hadn't been in her short term—or long term plans. She had no idea what a normal family was supposed to be like. Not that they'd have one, exactly . . .
But they'd be able to give her baby something she'd never had from the adults in her life. And damn it, as much as both men drove her crazy, she loved them. They made her happy, made her feel like she was worth something.
What more do you need?
Time. Just a bit of time to make sure this was real.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
February
Landon dropped his suitcase by the door and rolled his shoulders, still sore from the long plane ride from Florida. The sound of meat sizzling came from the kitchen and his stomach growled. After three weeks of room service and takeout, he could use some of Dean's cooking.
"Don't leave your shit by the door, Silver's liable to trip over it when she comes in." Dean called out.
Frowning, Landon left his things and went to the kitchen, resting his shoulder on the doorframe and folding his arms over his chest. He smothered a grin as he took in the sight of Dean, bent over the stove with an apron covering his suit.
"Need some help?"
"Thanks, I'm good," Dean said, dryly. "And not a fucking word. I got back late. Ford fired the new PR and I had to find a replacement. Silver won't be happy when she finds out. She liked the woman."
"Ford's still making trouble?"
"Of course he is. The old man is still hanging on, which means all Ford can do is make life difficult for the rest of us. I get a pile of folders on my desk every day for players the team doesn't need, who he's approached with crazy offers." Dean slammed a wooden spoon down on the table and a glob of gravy soaked into the soft yellow placemat beside it. "Which means I'll have a hard time getting anyone to take any offers I make seriously when the deadline comes. We need defensemen, Mason's injured and Ramos is playing hurt. The rookies won't carry us to the playoffs."
"Why don't you talk to Delgado?" Landon took a bun from the bread basket in the center of the table and took a big bite. He chewed, swallowed, then gestured vaguely with his empty hand. "He'd stop the little shit if he knew what he was doing."
"If only." Dean shook his head and went back to the stove to turn the steaks. "Last time I tried to talk to him, he went on about how his son is the future of the team. How he's a true Delgado."
"He still won't acknowledge Oriana, even after the DNA test?"
"No." Dean's brow furrowed. "It makes me sick that she had to do that. That she agreed to do that. She still wants him to accept her. Silver hasn't told her what he said . . . ." His face broke into a smile. "But she gave the old man hell the last time she visited. Told him if she had to put up with Ford, then he better let Oriana get involved with the team. He finally gave in. And damn, Oriana is a fucking godsend. She's gotten Silver to back off some of her more . . . ambitious projects. And she's the only one Ford listens to. Not always, mind you, but she's gotten him to put more Kingsley money into the team. Silver would have had to cancel the last renovations otherwise and she'd worked so hard on them—"
Landon went still. "She's not stressing too much, is she?"
"No. I got her to cut down on her work hours. She's good."
Yeah, I'll believe that when I see it. Remembering what Dean had said about his bags, he went back to the hallway and brought them up to the room he shared with Silver and Dean. Took some time to put everything away so Dean wouldn't nag, then returned to the kitchen and grabbed a beer from the fridge. He checked his watch and thrummed his fingers on the table.
&n
bsp; Where is she?
Finally, he heard her at the door and practically knocked his chair over as he shoved away from the table. He froze in the hall as she came in, her arms full of bags, Oriana right behind her with more.
All he could see was her stomach, straining against the buttons of her long, pale pink coat. She'd hardly had a belly when he'd left, but now . . .
"What were you thinking?" He strode towards her and snatched the bags from her hands. "I asked you to be careful!"
Silver sighed and looked back at her sister. "I told you. He's lost his mind."
"This is why I'm waiting." Oriana moved around them and went to drop the rest of the bags on the sofa in the living room. "I am not looking forward to dealing with either Sloan or Dominik when I decide to have a baby." She sidled past Landon and rubbed her sister's stomach. "But I'm looking forward to spoiling this one."
"You staying for super, Oriana?" Dean asked, joining them. "I can put on another steak."
Oriana shook her head. "Thank you, but no. Sloan told me he has . . . plans for tonight."
Dean grinned. "I'm sure he does. Enjoy your evening."
"You too!" Oriana kissed Silver's cheek, then gave Landon a hard look. "Pregnant, not disabled. Can you remember that?"
"Oriana . . . ." Landon took a deep breath. She was right, of course, but it irked him that any sub would speak to him that way. Even though he should be used to it. Silver was worse.
Slapping his shoulder, Dean moved between him and Oriana. "I do believe Dominik planned to speak with you about meddling. Maybe he and I should have another chat."
Oriana paled. "No, Sir. I remember the last one."
"Very good." Dean inclined his head. "Good night, Oriana."
"Good night." Oriana shot her sister an apologetic look, then darted out.
Silver shook her head at Dean. "You're horrible. Do you have any idea what Dominik did to her last time?"
Dean removed his apron and gave her a slow smile. "No. Why don't you tell me? The man is quite creative and I'm always looking for new ideas."
"Umm, no. That's okay." Silver bit her lip and reached out to grab Landon's hand. "Come on, I got something for you."
Halfway to the living room, Silver stopped and gasped. Her hand went to her stomach.
Landon's throat locked. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing! Shit!" Silver laughed and put his hand on her stomach. "Can you feel that?"
He couldn't feel anything, but he almost sagged with relief. "Is she moving?"
"He's kicking!"
"He?"
"I don't know! You can't feel it?" She giggled. "It feels weird. Uck, just trust me on this. The baby is fine. I'm fine. But you drive me nuts every time you come home. Like I said, I've got something for you."
Dean sat on the arm of the sofa as Silver dug into a bag, but Landon stayed where he was. What more could she give him? What more would she want to give him considering he was 'driving her nuts'? He tried not to crowd her too much, but it happened, far too often.
She took out a box and bent down to one knee.
His eyes widened. He glanced over at Dean, who shrugged.
"Give me your hand." Silver's whole body trembled as she opened the box. She waved away his right hand and reached for his left. Then slipped a solid gold ring on his finger. "I couldn't think of a better way to tell you. But I'm ready."
"Ready?" It wasn't supposed to go like this. He should be the one kneeling. But . . . he shook his head and knelt in front of her. "Are you sure?"
"Absolutely." She held up her hand and drew Dean down beside them. "This . . . this is real."
After staring at the ring, at Dean, then at Silver, Landon nodded and pulled her in for a kiss. "Oui, mon amour. It doesn't get any more real than this."
Epilogue
Celebrity Dish
by Hayley Turner
Dartmouth Cobras are making headlines again! Are they serious cup contenders? Who knows or cares! So, ok, they have four players among the top scorers in the league, and their goalie clenched the #3 spot, but that doesn't really matter to most of us. What we care about is the dirt!!
Scott Demyan's antics on and off the ice have made him a household name. There's even a fan website where puck bunnies can submit pictures they've taken in his hotel room to see who can get the biggest bragging rights. My question is, what bragging rights? Obviously, he's not too picky, but he is hot.
When you're on a team full of headline makers, perhaps the biggest surprise is the lack of news from Sebastian Ramos. Over the past few years, several starlets have been seen on his arm but the most anyone is willing to dish is that he's a perfect gentleman! Now rumor has it that the Dartmouth Cobras are known for being open minded about 'alternative lifestyles', but what secret is Sebastian really hiding up there in the frozen north? I suspect there will be some significant melting when I finally find out and you can believe I will!
But we cannot forget about my favorite ex-starlet Silver Delgado! Is she really off the market? Rumor has it that the aforementioned star goalie, Landon Bower, is her baby daddy. The couple will be tying the knot this summer so all signs point to that being the winning bet. However, she's been seen acting awfully friendly with General Manager, Dean Richter. They did have a relationship before Silver hooked up with Landon. Perhaps she's just following in big sisters footsteps. The more the merrier!
Cross-legged on the living room sofa, Silver read over the article Asher had scanned, emailed, and texted her about. A slight fluttering in her belly drew her attention. She rubbed the small bump over the top of her pale pink pyjama pants and chewed on the inside of her cheek trying to decide if the article bothered her as much as Asher had warned it would.
It really didn't. She knew who her baby's biological father was. And who his daddies would be.
The stuff about Scott wasn't news, but the stuff about Sebastian . . . He was a good guy. Now that she wasn't scared of him anymore, she could actually kinda call him a friend. She didn't like Hayley digging into his personal life.
Unfortunately, she hadn't said anything that counted as slander. So Silver couldn't sic Asher on her. Yet.
Silver closed the laptop and set it aside. Time to sneak back in bed before Dean or Landon noticed her missing. She didn't need to be reminded again that her butt wasn't pregnant. Landon still fussed about her lifting anything heavier than her purse, but he had no problem picking up the tawse when she got mouthy. And Dean had been brainstorming on new punishments that would be safe for the baby.
Half an hour kneeling on uncooked rice had her thinking twice before insulting him ever.
Tiptoeing into the bedroom, she took in the both of them, sprawled over the bed. Landon, facedown, his arm draped over Dean's chest. Dean flat on his back, hands under his head, looking more like he was lounging in the sun than sleeping.
The light from the hallway made his open eyes shimmer. He smiled at her, gently moved Landon's arm, then shifted over to give her some space between them. "I hope you weren't up working, my little dragonfly."
Careful not to disturb Landon—though with the way he slept she could jump on the bed without waking him—Silver crawled up to Dean and snuggled against his side. "I wasn't working—just reading something."
"Hmm." Dean studied her face in the dark, then nodded and adjusted her so he could cover her belly with his hand. "Anything interesting?"
"Not really." Reaching down, she fingered the gold ring on his left hand, given to him only days after Landon got his.
"I know I can't legally marry you two, and I know I already wear your collar at the club, but . . . ." She'd almost dropped the ring twice before getting it on his finger. "The whole ''til death do us part' . . . it goes for both of you, okay?"
Dean had lifted her up off her knees and held her tight. "Yes, my love." He'd clasped her face between his hands and whispered against her lips. "And he won't be the only one saying 'I do'."
Another fluttering within—more like a birds wing
s than the tiny one's she'd felt the first few times—made her giggle. Dean chuckled and sat up.
"He's a lively one, just like his mother." Dean considered Landon for a moment. His hand remained on her stomach as he reached behind him to grab a glass of water off the night table. "He'll probably keep the three of us up all night for the first few months."
Winking at her, he tossed the water right over Landon's head.
"Fuck!" Landon shot up and Silver winced as he hit the floor with a thud. He rebounded to his feet quick as he did between the pipes and shot her a panicked look. "What is it? Is it the baby? Is something wrong?"
"It's the baby," Dean said, dryly, shaking his head. "But there's nothing wrong. He's wide awake and I thought you should be too."
Landon shook the water from his hair and climbed onto the bed so carefully it looked like he was avoiding land mines. His hand hovered over her stomach. His throat worked as he swallowed.
Silver bit her lip and looked at Dean. They both knew it bothered Landon that he hadn't been able to feel the baby yet. What if he didn't this time either?
Sighing, Dean put his hand over Landon's and lightly pushed it down. "Trust me. You can't miss this. I think he's getting ready to take your place on the blue ice."
A nice hard kick. Silver watched Landon and . . . there. His eyes widened with wonder and he lowered to kiss right over the spot where their baby was still doing his 'stretches' as Dean called it. He whispered something she couldn't make out. She could feel him trembling a little—he was still scared. But in just a few more months, he wouldn't have to be anymore. He would look into his son's eyes—she hoped they would be grey just like his—and he'd be able to let himself picture the life they'd have together.
Dean kissed her cheek and held her hand. And damn, he made everything perfect. He dealt with Landon's fear—and hers—with the same steady calm he dealt with everything else. He was with her when Landon couldn't be, and that slowly eased away the shadows of guilt she saw on Landon's face every time he had to miss a checkup.
Defensive Zone (The Dartmouth Cobras #2) Page 44
