Page 35 of Power Play

The doorbell rings again, and I open it to find a woman I don’t recognize. She’s not accompanied by any of my teammates, and I stare at her, trying to figure out who she is and why she’s here. She’s carrying a canvas grocery tote with wine bottles sticking out the top. Did someone order more alcohol? The metric fuck-ton we already have should be enough.

“Can I help you?” I finally ask.

“I’m here for the baby shower,” she says. Her wavy red hair glints in the late-afternoon sunlight. Dressed in a simple sweater and jeans, she’s not glammed up like some of the WAGs are. She seems down-to-earth. Normal. But what’s she doing here? “Vanessa invited me.”

“Right…”

“I promise I’m not a stranger,” she says. “I’m Bex Whitney. My brother Wyatt plays for Austin. Van brought me to meet Riley a few weeks ago.”

I’ve played against Whitney over the years, and her having Vanessa’s seal of approval is enough to assure me she’s not a puck bunny trying to manipulate access to my teammates.

“In that case, come on in.”

She passes by me, and to my surprise, Riley hugs her. Good. She could use some friends.

Taking a lap of the party, I check on everyone. The guys are enjoying the onesie decorating station, and although a few designs are definitely inappropriate for a seven-month-old baby to wear, I’m touched they’re putting an effort in.

Inside, Emmy starts to fuss, and I scoop her out of Lewis’s wife’s arms. Rachel is nice enough, but I don’t know her well. She’s wicked smart, a nuclear physicist. That doesn’t mean she can take care of my girl.

“My turn,” I announce. “We’ll be right back.”

Sneaking upstairs, I change Emmy’s diaper, but she’s still cranky, so I sit in the glider and hold her close.

“Are you done with all the people in your house?” I murmur, running my finger over her downy-soft cheek. She turns her head, drawing my finger into her mouth, and then she chomps down on it. “Fuck.”

“What did we say about saying fuck around the baby?” Riley stands in the doorway with her arms crossed over her chest, looking equal parts amused and peeved.

“She bit me!”

“Your fault for putting your finger in her mouth.” She laughs. “She’s still fussy?”

“Her mouth probably hurts. I know my finger does.”

She smirks. “Bet you won’t do that again.”

The pinprick of her razor-sharp tooth presses into my skin again, and I wince. “If it makes her feel better…”

Riley rolls her eyes, picking up a teething toy. Warmth shoots up my arm as her hand covers mine and slowly pulls my finger out of Emmy’s mouth. My angry little tooth-growing princess throws her head back, ready to scream, before Riley slips the toy into her mouth.

Emmy lets out a grunt, her teeth gnashing into the toy.

“I’m in awe,” I confess as Riley lifts her into her arms.

“Had a lot of practice the last few weeks. You done hiding up here?”

“Whose idea was this?” I ask rhetorically.

Her bright blue eyes narrow into slits, and a chill runs down my spine. Happy wife, happy life, I remind myself.

“Right. Mine. Sorry.”

“You know, if you’d told me about this, we could have gone somewhere else to host a party. Somewhere that isn’t our house, so we’d have somewhere to escape to,” she says. “Why’d they bring so much stuff?”

“Because they’re idiots with more money than brains.” I force myself out of the glider, otherwise I’ll be in it all night. That thing is comfortable. “Anything we don’t want or need, we’ll donate. The only rule I gave them was no Grizzlies merch. The team already gave me everything she’ll ever need.”

She rolls her eyes, before turning to go down the stairs. “Should I expect a baby hockey toy, then?”

“Oh, like, four of them. And about a thousand stuffed animals.”