“Wanna come over for lunch? Elli’s cooking.”

Erik turned and looked over at his captain, his friend. It wasn’t what he really wanted to do, but it was better than going home.

“Yeah. Thanks, man.”

* * *

The Adler house was insane.

Kids were running, babies were screaming, and the most unbelievable thing was that Elli and Shea acted as if it were normal! When Erik entered the house, he first noticed that it was a wreck, with toys, clothes, and bottles strewn everywhere, and then he was attacked by Shelli and Posey, two of the cutest little girls in the world. They both had beautiful eyes and little round faces, like Elli, although they favored Shea completely. They were dolls, and even Erik couldn’t help but smile when they came running at him. After untangling himself from the girls, he made his way into the living room. Portraits of the family covered the walls, beginning with the day that Elli and Shea got married.

Erik heard a little hiccup and looked over to where the bassinet was sitting, holding the newest Adler additions, Owen and Evan. The boys looked exactly like Elli, with big brown eyes, dark brown hair, or fuzz; Erik wasn’t sure if you’d call what they had hair. They each had on some one-piece thing, embroidered with “cut” on one of the boys’ outfits, and “paste” on the other. He had no clue which kid was which, but man were they small; he was feeling nervous just being around them. Geez, how was he going to be around his own? What if his baby was that small? Would he even be able to hold it without hurting him? Panic filled him, and he wished he had never come over. He should have just gone home and dealt with Piper rather than scare himself shitless with thoughts of fatherhood.

“Shea had that look on his face the first time he saw Shelli. It’s not a big deal, they don’t break, you’ll do great,” Elli said with a laugh before she placed a hand on the small of his back.

He turned to see his boss in simple lounge clothes. It was different to see her dressed so casually, but he had to admit, she was breathtaking either way.

“Yeah, I don’t know if you are right on that one. I’m pretty sure I won’t touch mine for weeks.”

Elli giggled as she shook her head.

“No, we’ll get you in shape, here,” she said as she reached down and picked up one of the boys. She ignored Erik’s protest and placed the baby in his arms. He fumbled but her hands were right there, helping him hold the baby right.

“This is Owen. He is the biggest of the two.”

“He looks little to me.”

Elli laughed as she moved Owen’s hand out of his face.

“That’s ’cause Uncle Erik is so big,” she said in a cute little baby voice.

Erik looked down at the little guy as a small smile formed on his face. Owen was cute, and so alert. Erik felt something crack in his chest. He could do this, or at least at the moment he thought he could.

“Now,” Elli said, taking Owen from him and exchanging him for Evan, “this is Evan, my little guy. He doesn’t eat as much as Owen, and he is more relaxed like Shea. He is a watcher and analyzes everything. Shea says he is making awesome hockey plays in his head, and that’s why he is so quiet. I think he thinks we all are crazy!”

Erik laughed as he looked down at Evan. The baby was looking straight at Erik, which was a little unnerving. If anything, the kid had great eye contact, and Erik felt like the little guy was trying to figure him out. He flared out his little nose and Erik smiled. It had been a long time since Ally, Jakob’s daughter, was this little, and truth be told, he purposely avoided holding her when she was a baby; now he wasn’t sure why. This was kind of nice, and they smelled good, too.

“He’s cute.”

“Thank you, and yours will be gorgeous.”

A goofy grin spread over his face.

“Well, I am kind of hot.”

Elli giggled.

“And Piper is a beautiful girl.”

Just hearing her name had him fighting a stiff dick. He nodded slowly, the goofy grin falling from his lips as a strained one replaced it.

“That’s for sure.”

“I’m glad you did the right thing,” she said softly.

Erik nodded as he glanced back down at Owen. He smiled and said, “I hope it was the right thing.”

“It was, and I have a feeling y’all are gonna have a great life together.”

“I can only hope.”

Elli pinned him with a threatening look.

“Just don’t hurt her,” she said.

Erik nodded again, not looking at her as he said, “I don’t plan on it, I can promise you that.”

Elli smiled.

“Good.”

She placed her hand on his shoulder and said, “You look good with a baby in your arms.”

Erik laughed, nervousness filling him from his head to his toes.

“Naw, it’s Evan; he accentuates my good looks because he is cute as hell.”

“Damn right he is. He’s my kid!” Shea hollered from across the room.

Erik turned to see Posey on Shea’s shoulders, while Shelli held on to his leg. It was still weird to see hockey all-star Shea Adler as a doting father, but it gave Erik hope. Maybe he could do this; maybe he could be like Shea and Jakob. They were both so happy with their lives, and maybe Erik would be, too.

Or maybe not.

Because even after spending the afternoon with the Adlers and their babies, Erik still felt the need to escape.

* * *

Piper stood in front of her full-length mirror and scrunched up her face.