Pucks Sticks and Diapers (Assassins #8.5) Read online

  “I’m lying,” she teased, opening the patio door just as Shea jumped into the pool, sending the kids into a fit of laughter. Shelli, Posey, Owen, Evan, and Quinn all sat on the edge, cheering their father as he came up sputtering.

  “That was easily a ten,” he called out to them, but Quinn shook his head.

  “No, Dad, you didn’t tuck in hard enough.”

  “And your legs weren’t together,” Owen added.

  “Plus, your splash was too big,” Posey included, and Shea wasn’t impressed.

  “It was supposed to be big. I’m the winner,” he grumbled, to which all the kids protested.

  “They’ve been watching a lot of swimming competitions on TV,” Elli said as she pulled out a chair for Baylor and then yelled to her family. “Baylor and Jayden are here!”

  The kids whipped around, getting up to say hi and for hugs, more so for Jayden than Baylor, though. They all loved him, probably because he played with them more than she did. She didn’t let that bother her, though; she knew he was better with kids than she was. It made her a bit nervous since she was having a kid, but with how great Jayden was, she knew she’d catch on.

  “Come swim with us, Jay,” Evan begged, but Elli shook her head, moving his dark brown hair out of his eyes before pushing his goggles up his nose.

  “Y’all go on. We’re having adult time, then the guys will come,” she said, and though the kids groaned their dismay, they all ran off, jumping into the pool like little Olympic divers.

  “About to pop there, Sinclair,” Shea said as he came over, kissing Baylor’s cheek before reaching for his towel to dry off.

  “Not soon enough,” she laughed, and he smiled as he sat down beside her.

  Jayden sat on the other side beside Elli and nodded. “You can say that again,” he teased, and she glared playfully, at which he kissed her loudly on the lips. “Not that I haven’t loved every second of this pregnancy—or the sleepless nights,” he quipped. She knew he was speaking of the night the previous week. She never claimed to be sane, especially with this pregnancy. Sometimes she didn’t even know the Preggosauras that was roaring through the house.

  “You shouldn’t be having sleepless nights yet,” Shea laughed, and Jayden nodded.

  “Tell that to my lovely wife,” he laughed, and Baylor’s face burned.

  “He wouldn’t cuddle with me,” she complained to Elli. “And I got mad, kicked him out of bed, and then I went to lie down with him on the couch.”

  Elli looked to Jayden and shook her head. “You jerk, I’m benching you,” she teased, which sent everyone into gales of laughter. Benching the captain of the Assassins? Yeah, that wouldn’t happen.

  “True friend there,” Baylor laughed, and Elli sent her a grin.

  Shaking his head, Jayden took Elli’s shoulder, laughing. “So instead, we slept on a couch one-fourth the size of our bed. I had a backache, but she was happy.”

  “Okay, I won’t bench you,” she decided, and Baylor grinned.

  “So are you excited for the baby shower? Only a couple weeks, right?”

  “You mean the humongous shindig my mother-in-law is planning? Yes, I’m ready for it to be over,” Baylor said with a grin for her husband.

  Baby showers were supposed to be small, cute, and painless, but apparently, Autumn Sinclair didn’t get that memo. This was the first baby shower she was able to plan since, with her first two grandchildren, she hadn’t been asked. But Baylor’s dad thought it would bring them closer as a family if Baylor asked his wife, who was also Baylor’s mother-in-law, to plan it. She didn’t mind, she loved Autumn, but she wasn’t sure this was the way to bring them closer. If anything, it was going to drive them apart because they did not need jugglers at a baby shower.

  “The invites were fancy,” Elli giggled, her eyes playful, and Baylor glared.

  “She wanted to make it a circus theme with elephants,” Baylor complained, and Jayden laughed.

  “My mom is excited, obviously.”

  “As she should be. Babies are exciting!” Elli cheered, clapping her hands.

  “Why so late, though? Aren’t you due like a week later?” Shea asked, and Baylor grinned.

  “You know my due date?”

  He gave her a deadpan look. “It’s circled on the calendar because my wife is OCD.”

  Laughing as Elli glared at her husband, Baylor nodded. “It’s two weeks out. Everyone will be in for the dress fitting for Lucy’s wedding, so Autumn wanted to do it that weekend to coordinate,” she said and let out a long breath, feeling the pressure.

  Too much was going on, in her opinion. Weddings, babies, hockey season, it was a lot, yet somehow, she was surviving. She chalked it all up to Jayden, though. She couldn’t do half of what she did without him. The nights when she was in such pain and he would massage her back or legs. Or when he held her hair as she puked her guts out, always on standby with crackers. He was amazing. They argued, but they had always argued. It was their foreplay, but nothing was ever serious enough to hurt each other.

  Thankfully.

  “Dress fitting?” Elli asked, smiling. “Pregnant?”

  “Exactly. I’m the size of a house, but I’m being forced to go.”

  “It will be fine. You’ll be gorgeous,” Jayden said, ever so reassuring.

  “That wedding is going to be an affair too! I saw all the awesome stuff when we went to Grace’s house last week. I bet Lucy and Benji are excited,” Elli said, speaking of Shea’s sister, who was also the wedding planner for Lucy and Benji.

  “Yeah, it’s going to be something,” Jayden laughed, shaking his head. “I hate that the season got pushed back, though. I’m ready to get back.”

  “Yeah, but with Worlds, we had no choice. No biggie, gives us time to fix the holes we’ve got.” Elli decided with a nod, and she wasn’t kidding. They had traded a lot of players, brought in a few new ones, and even had some good draft choices. The puck was in Elli’s zone, and it was her time to put together a winning team.

  “We need a strong D for me since your husband retired,” Jayden said to his old defense partner. “You drafted a great one, by the way.”

  Elli nodded, holding his gaze. “Markus Reeves?”

  “Yup, he’s great.”

  “He is, very strong player,” Baylor added, and Elli shrugged, pressing her lips together.

  “They don’t like him down in Florida, did you know?” she said then, and Jayden’s face changed to surprise. Even Baylor was shocked by that. Markus, who was her best friend and a family friend to the Sinclairs, was one of the greatest guys and players she knew. How anyone couldn’t like him or his game was unfathomable to her. Markus was wonderful.

  “Really? He’s great.”

  “He hasn’t impressed,” she said. Baylor hated that. She’d have to call him, tell him to get his shit together. He had to get into the NHL; she was rooting for him.

  “Maybe he needs a good coach to play for. St. Marc is a douche,” Jayden said, speaking of the coach of the Assassins’ farm team, the Ninjas.

  “Maybe,” Elli agreed and then looked toward the pool as the kids screamed and played. “I’ll consider it.”

  “You should. He’s one of the best players I know,” Baylor said, reaching out to touch the petals of the arrangement of tulips that sat in the middle of the table. They were artificial. Laughing, she said, “I thought they were real.”

  Elli grinned. “It’s the replica of my bouquet from my wedding. Since mine were real, they gave me this to keep forever.”

  “How nice,” Baylor cooed, her lips curving. “I wish we had something from our wedding.”

  “We have each other,” Jayden suggested, and Baylor shrugged.

  “We do, but maybe we should have a wedding,” she suggested, and his brow rose. “For pictures and faux flower arrangements.”

  He eyed her. “Is this part of the emotional roller coaster, or is this real?”

  Elli and Shea both laughed as Baylor held his gaze. “Real