Jakob laughs as I smile. He drops a kiss on her head and then gets up. “We’ll always be here for you.”
I cup her face, brushing my thumb along her cherubic cheeks. “And we’ll always love you. No matter what.”
Ally leans into my hand and smiles sweetly. “I love you both.”
My heart can’t take it, and I need to get out of there. As I shut her door behind me, Jakob wraps his arms around me, kissing me hard on the lips. I squeeze my arms around his neck, and when he pulls back, I smile. “She’s gonna make the right decision.”
My heart skips a beat. “I hope you’re right.”
He grins. “I was right about us.”
I lean my head into his nose. He was and I’m thankful he was, but I just pray he’s right about this.
Because I want nothing more than for my daughter to live the life she deserves.
With a man who loves her as much as her daddy loves me.
It’s Yours. You Just Gotta Take It.
Jakob
When I took the job as special teams coach, I didn’t realize I would love it as much as I do. I always loved special teams; I was one badass power play scorer. But I never thought this was what I would do when my hockey playing career ended. I thought I’d sit at home and be a stay-at-home dad, but I realized very quickly, I get bored. So, Elli offered me this job, and I jumped at the chance. Not only do I get to coach, but I get a nifty office. I never saw myself as an office guy, but I have to admit, I love it.
On my desk is a picture of Harper and me on our wedding day. We didn’t have a full-on wedding; we went down to the courthouse with Shea and Elli and our families when Harper was seven months pregnant. She’s exquisite, glowing and perfect in her flowy purple dress. I’ll never forget that day. It was one for the highlight reels. There are also pictures of us with the kids when they were born, but the picture that really has me in my feelings is the one of Ally the day she graduated high school. Harper and I are looking at her with such pride in our eyes, and it kills me to think she might throw it all away. I don’t think she will, but she is really in love with this Taco fuck.
I look back at the picture of Harper and me. I wasn’t kidding when I said love is an addiction when it comes to her. Nothing comes close to the way she makes me feel. I yearn for it, and I understand where Ally is coming from. She’s a romantic, just like me. I just hope she realizes this guy won’t love her the way she needs to be loved. Some would have said the same about Harper when I was chasing her, but I always knew she was the one. I don’t think Ally genuinely believes Taco is for her.
A knock at the door pulls my attention, and a grin comes over my face. “Posey, I see you got my message.”
Posey Adler, Shea and Elli’s second daughter, smiles timidly at me. While everyone is usually so blown away by their eldest daughter, Shelli, Posey has always been my favorite. She’s a quiet but spunky little thing and smart as a whip when it comes to hockey. She looks just like her mom, auburn hair and curvy. Some say she isn’t as pretty as Shelli, but I disagree. She reminds me a lot of Elli. A timeless beauty.
“Did you see the plays I had the boys running?”
She grins as she sits down. “I saw Boon mess it all up.”
I shrug, a little guilty. “Yeah. I don’t think I explained it right.”
“Probably not. I mean, it is my play.”
I nod as I tap my knuckles to my desk. “You got a job yet?”
She makes a face. She just graduated from Bellevue—a year early, of course, given her drive—with a degree in Information Technology. She once told me she didn’t see herself actually going into the field, but there isn’t a college degree for coaching in the NHL. She played in college and could have gone all the way, but she doesn’t love playing as much as she loves making plays. She’s a smart cookie. “No. Still figuring things out. I’ve had offers, but I don’t know.”
Just what I want to hear. When I say this girl is hockey smart, I’m not kidding. It’s like all the knowledge from Shea and Elli morphed into one and made Posey. Shelli and the boys are smart, but Posey is able to read things no one else can. I wished she had played professionally for the WNHL, but it wasn’t her passion. She wanted to be on the play-making side of things, and after discussing it with her mom for hours on end, I believe I have her dream job.
“Listen, the reason I asked you here is because I want you to be my assistant coach for special teams.”
Her face is like stone, her blue eyes blazing as she holds my gaze. “Really?”
“Really. I talked to your mom and sister, and they agree. We need you.”
She licks her lips as she looks down at her hands. “So, Shelli actually said she wanted me?”
“She was insistent,” I confirm.
Posey looks surprised as she glances at her nails, making a disgruntled noise. I’m not sure why, but before I can ask that, she says, “But what about the coach you have now?”
“He’s out. His plays aren’t readable or teachable, and he’s not giving us what we need. We think you could be what we need.”
Her eyes bore into mine. “I don’t know.”
Not what I was expecting. I raise my brow. “You don’t know?”
She looks up then. “I think I might go to Colorado for a bit.”
“Colorado? What’s there?”
Her expression changes, and her face fills with color. Then I realize it’s not what, but who.
“You’re going after Maxim?”
She shrugs, and I let my head hang. Maxim was the billet boy who lived with Shea’s family for four years until he was finally called up to the farm team for the Avalanche.
“I still can’t believe Daddy shipped him off. And I don’t know… I feel like things can happen.”
I make a face. What is up with girls these days? These boys don’t care about them. We all know about her crush on Maxim, but he was too busy fucking Lucas Brooks’s daughter. It was the main reason Shea shipped him off; he was saving Posey from making a fool of herself. The guy had no feelings for her whatsoever. He only saw her as a friend. I bet Shea never saw this Colorado trip coming.
“Do your parents know?”
She shakes her head. “No.”
“You going to tell them?”
She smiles. “When I get there.”
“Jesus,” I groan, shaking my head.
“Please don’t tell them.”
I think about it for a second. The thing is, I know she’ll be back. “I will keep your secret as long as—if you do come back—you’ll take the job.”
She swallows hard. “I don’t know that I will be back. I love him.”
If I hear one more child tell me she loves some shit dude, I’m going to scream. “Just say you will if you do.”
She doesn’t even hesitate. “I will.”
“Great,” I say with a smile. “Now, come give your uncle a hug, and may the force be with you.”
She laughs as we get up and embrace. I kiss her temple and hug her tightly. “Don’t settle for anything less than perfection, you hear me?”
“I do.”
“And the job is yours. You just gotta take it.”
She nods, holding me tightly. “I hear you.”
Man, I hope she does.
As we part, another knock comes to my door. I look up to see Ally grinning. “Posey!”
Posey lets me go, and the girls embrace tightly. “You didn’t call me when you got back in town!”
Posey shakes her head. “Dude, I made such a fool of myself at Amelia’s wedding,” she says, covering her face. “Wanna go to dinner?”
“Heck yeah. Let me talk to my dad, and I’ll meet you at Brooks House.”
Posey hugs her once more. “Cool. We have a lot to talk about.”
“We sure do,” Ally says as Posey waves to me.
“Bye, Jakob.”
“Bye, honey. Be careful.”
She grins back at me and waves once more. I want to call Shea right then and tell him, but I know it won’t work out for her. She’ll be back. Plus, we all know Shea will lose his ever-loving mind. He doesn’t even believe his kids are sexually active. He lives in some kind of fantasyland. I know, and while I hate it, it’s a part of life. Lord knows Harper and I do it all the time. Even with my shit arm, I’m still able to hold her ass up and get it.
Ally closes the door and then sits down in one of the chairs in front of my desk.
“What brings you by?” I ask as I sit on my desk. “Didn’t you have practice?”
“It ended an hour ago, Daddy,” she says with a roll of her eyes. She acts like I can keep up with her life; she’s always busy. “I just had coffee with Taco.”
I find that I’m holding my breath. “Coffee? I thought you guys would have gone for tacos.”
Her eyes darken. “Daddy.”
“Sorry. How did it go?”
“Yeah, I told him I wasn’t going with him,” she says slowly, not looking at me. “He broke up with me.”
Fucker. I stand up, taking her hand and bringing her out of the chair and into my chest. “Oh, svet, I’m sorry.”
She holds me tightly, her tears soaking my dress shirt. “I couldn’t believe it. He didn’t even pause or anything. He just said, ‘Fine. We’re done, then.’”