He nodded then before wrapping his arms around her and kissing her temple. “Thanks, Wrenny.”

“Anytime. You should come in more.”

He smiled against her hair. “I don’t need therapy.”

She laughed at that. “Everyone needs therapy, Vaughn. You, especially.” Pulling back, she looked up at him. “But tell me something. Who do you wanna be?”

He didn’t even hesitate. “Someone Nathan would have looked up to.”

Her lips curved in a sad smile. “Why?”

“Because I loved him, and I wanted to be great for him.”

She nodded. “Then be great, Vaughn. Don’t hold back.”

Be great. He had that in the bag.

Don’t hold back. Now, that was going to be a problem. He was used to just being so shut off to anyone because no one ever cared to know him more. When he wanted sex, he went and got it. When he wanted a companion, he went and got a dog because it was easier than putting himself out there. But after that night with Brie, he recognized that she wanted to know more. That she wanted all of him. She wanted him as a companion, and he was starting to realize that he wanted the same. But he had no clue how he would ever talk to her again without her trying to kill him.

Yeah, he was in a pickle.

Three-on-three overtime hockey—and he was left to defend the guy on the breakaway. That’s how she had him feeling since he’d walked away from her.

He hated that feeling.

He’d rather have a winning-streak kind of feeling, and he felt like that when he was with her. Something had to change, and he was really starting to think it had to be him.

“Mr. Jo, can you teach me your wrister? It’s like the best shot in the world, and I want to be just like you.”

Vaughn had thought his day was ruined. After his chat with Wren, he felt like shit, probably looked like shit. And while her words ran through his mind along with thoughts of Brie, after five minutes with the Adler kids, even people with a dead soul would be smiling. Looking down at the youngest, Quinn, sporting his Adler Assassins jersey, Vaughn grinned. But before he could answer him, Shea called out to him.

“Wow, thank you, spawn of mine. You know I had the hardest shot in the league, right? For, like, ten years,” Shea said from across the kitchen with a hurt expression on his face while Elli just chuckled softly.

“He’s right, Quinny.”

Quinn beamed at his nickname that Vaughn had for him. Usually, everyone called him QA. “I know, but yours is sick.”

“Baby, was mine not sick?” Shea asked, smacking Elli’s butt, and she laughed.

“The sickest, baby. I remember when it broke glass.”

Grinning big, Shea took her in his arms, kissing her lips. “I did break glass for you, didn’t I?”

“You did, and you got fined for it.”

Kissing her once more, he said against her lips, “Still the best two thousand bucks I’ve ever spent.”

“They do that a lot,” Quinn said, rolling his eyes, and Vaughn snickered.

“That’s true love there, buddy.”

“Ew, love is gross.”

Vaughn held his serious gaze. “I hear you, dude.”

Grinning, Quinn asked, “But anyway, can you show me how to do your wrister?”

“Of course, go get your stick.”

Quinn practically came out of his skin, which made Elli smile happily as Shea grumbled, “He’s not that awesome.”

“Actually, Cap, I am.”

“Why did we invite him over?”

Elli laughed. “To smooth things over with Brie, but she blew us off last minute.”

Vaughn could guess why. “Want me to leave?”

“No, I love you, and I love her, but she had some things come up with her brother. He’s going home from the hospital today and she wanted to be there, so I gave her a pass. But there was no way I was canceling with the greatest wrister in the world,” she teased, and her husband frowned.

“I had a great shot!”

That had them both laughing as Shelli came into the kitchen, her guitar in her hands and her face full of distress. “Momma! The twins won’t leave me alone, and I’m on Skype with Mrs. Avery, trying to learn this new song. Help. Please. I’m begging you.”

“Lord, please help me,” Elli said with her eyes closed. She yelled out, “Evan, Owen! Leave Shelli alone, please.”

“She sucks!” Owen hollered back.

“And she hit us!” Evan added, and Vaughn grinned.

“Boys!”

“Hey, baby, I can teach you the song if you want,” Shea said, but Shelli turned up her nose. She was looking a lot like Elli at that moment, so regal and lovely, dark hair down her back and sparkling green eyes. She was really growing up.

“Daddy, you didn’t write songs for Ed Sheeran or Selena Gomez. I think Mrs. Avery is more qualified.”

With that, she turned around and headed out of the kitchen as Shea looked to Elli. “Do any of the kids I made with one shot love me?”

“Please,” Elli complained, just as a scream came from the back room. “Boys!”

They appeared, both with trouble written all over their faces before they looked up to their mom. “Mom, Shelli is impossible. She shut the door. In my face.”

“And kicked us in the nads.”

“Yeah! Our nads!”

Vaughn snickered as both boys held their boys, but they were lying through their teeth.

“Be real. If she had kicked your little peanuts, you wouldn’t be walking. Go outside,” she said, ushering them away.

“Mom! It’s freezing out.”

“So you’re training for the rink. Go. Put a jacket on.”

She threw them into the garage and shook her head. “Those boys are all you.”

Shea shrugged, a small grin on his face. “I think they’re cool.”

“Of course you do!”

Right as she said that, Posey came into the kitchen, and Shea threw up his hands. “What’s wrong with you?”

She gave him a look and then wrapped her arms around his waist. “I just wanted you to tell you you’re the best daddy.”

Shea’s face broke into a grin before he picked up his little mini-me, kissing her cheek. “I’ll always have you, huh?”

“Always,” she said, wrapping her arms around his head. “I love you too, Momma.”