Make Your Move (Aston Archers Hockey #1)

22. Lincoln

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

LINCOLN

“ W ell, this is just great.”

My eyebrows pull together as I hear the sound of her voice drifting from the kitchen. It’s still early in the morning. Nash is in bed, and Nova is downstairs getting ready for work. I see Posey’s room is empty, and I hear the small amount of commotion coming from the living room that is her playing with her little stuffed hockey player.

As I walk into the kitchen, I see Nova holding her hand against her forehead as she lets out a frustrated breath. I pause in the doorway, studying her for a moment in the silence before I step deeper into the room. “Hey.”

Nova lifts her head, her blue eyes meeting mine in a rush. “Hey,” she says, the word coming out a little breathless. “You’re up early.”

I shrug with indifference. I’ve become a morning person over the years, although I don’t usually crawl out of bed with the sun. I prefer to wake up slowly, unless I have somewhere I need to be. “I was heading into the bathroom when I heard you down here. Is everything okay?”

She lets out an exasperated sigh, her chest deflating with the breath. “They had to close the day care today.”

“Why? Did something happen?”

“They had an issue with the plumbing in the building. They anticipate opening it tomorrow, as long as they’re able to get everything cleaned.” Nova pauses, her lips pursing as her nostrils flare. “We have a big exhibition we’re getting ready for the museum to open this winter, so I’m supposed to be there today because we’re beginning the planning for where it’s going to go. I need to see if we can push it until tomorrow, and I’ll just work from home.”

I shake my head at her. “Go to work, Nova. I’ll watch Poe.”

She stares at me for a moment, her gaze hopeful, but her eyes a tad wider. “I can’t ask that of you, Lincoln. You have your own things going on and?—”

“You’re not asking me, Nova,” I interject, abruptly cutting her off before she spirals into the reasons why she thinks this is going to burden me. “I’m telling you I want to watch her. She can come along with me for whatever I end up having to do.” As if the universe tapped on Posey’s shoulder and whispered to her to come in, she comes strolling into the kitchen. “What do you say, Posey? Do you want to hang out with me today?”

Posey’s face transforms, lighting up as she eagerly nods. “Yeah!” She runs over to me, her arms outstretched for me to pick her up. I bend down, scooping her up, the motion becoming an instinct now. I hold her against my chest, and she turns to look at her mom. “Bye, Mommy!”

Nova stifles a laugh while fighting to hold back her grin as her eyes trail over Posey and me. “Okay, but only if you’re sure?” She raises an eyebrow at me, her expression guarded. “You don’t have to do this, Lincoln.”

“You’re going to be late,” I tell her, ignoring her comment. “We will be fine, okay?”

“Okay,” Nova breathes with relief washing over her eyes. She grabs her to-go mug of coffee and purse from the counter before turning back to us. She walks over, reaching for Posey as she plants her lips against her cheek. “You be good for Lincoln, little miss.” She steps back, looking up at me. “Thank you, Lincoln. I’m going to grab her car seat from my car, and I’ll put it in yours. I’ll write down my work number, my father’s, and Riley’s, just in case.”

I watch her as she walks over to the counter, pulling open a drawer before reaching in for a notepad and a pen. Her hand moves quickly as she covers the page in her curling handwriting.

“Here are the phone numbers and a rundown of her routine.” She pauses, looking around the kitchen until her eyes land on a backpack by the counter. “There’s a change of clothes in there in case she gets dirty or has an accident. Her lunchbox is already packed in the fridge and?—”

“Nova,” I interrupt, chuckling softly. “I got this, okay?”

“I just want to make sure you have everything you need.”

I do.

“We will be fine,” I assure her, picking up the piece of paper as I scan the list she left. “This is perfect. I got this.”

“Okay,” she says softly, half looking like she’s forgetting something. She just covered every damn base in less than five minutes. I think we will be okay to get through a day without her.

“Have a good day at work, supernova.”

Nova’s eyes shimmer beneath the lights above, and she gives me a smile, nodding. Her lips part, as if she’s going to say something else. Her weight shifts on her feet, as if she’s going to make a move. She looks at Posey, back to me, and then turns around to walk away.

She gives us one last glance and a small wave before disappearing through the door that opens up to the driveway. I hear the sound of it closing behind her, and then it’s just Posey and me. I’m not really sure what I’m supposed to do with her. The other night was the first time I’ve had a small child in my care for a few hours. This is an entire day, and I don’t know what we’re going to do.

I look at Posey and she’s reaching for my earlobe, pulling on the soft skin. “Well, I guess it’s just you and me, Poe.”

Her bright blue eyes meet mine, and she smiles the brightest smile. She doesn’t say anything, but then again, I don’t know what kind of response I was expecting. I look around the kitchen and see Nova had started to get things out to make eggs. Setting Posey down, I walk over and gather the supplies before glancing down at her.

“Do you want to help me with breakfast?”

Posey’s face lights up, and she runs over to the counter, grabbing one of the stools before trying to drag it over with her. I laugh at the sight of her in her pink pajamas pulling on a chair that’s much bigger and heavier than her. I help guide her, taking the brunt of the weight from her as I assist her in bringing it over to where the eggs are.

I lift her up, and she watches carefully as I show her what we’re doing. Posey nods and waits for me to crack the eggs before she starts stirring them with a splash of milk. I slide her chair over, making sure she doesn’t touch the hot stove as I help her pour them into the pan. She claps her hands after it’s done, and we make sure to wash our hands before I set her back down to play.

I watch the whirlwind of blonde curls run out into the living room before she comes back with a toy for me too. A smile pulls on my lips, and I sit down on the floor in front of her, watching in amazement as she starts to tell me what to do.

She’s fierce and fearless—an exact replica of her mother.

“Hey Linc,” Ford starts, his voice hesitant as his eyebrows pull together. “You know you brought a kid with you to practice?”

A chuckle rumbles in my chest, bubbling up my throat as I look at Posey and back at him. “Oh shit—I mean shoot. I did, didn’t I?”

“Hey, Posey,” Carson says as he walks past us, a smile stretching across his lips as he rubs his smelly glove on the top of her head. “Where’s your mom?”

“She working,” Posey tells him with a swift nod. She’s the star of the show right now, and I can’t help but laugh at how she has every grown man here wrapped around her little finger. I walk over to the locker room, setting her down on the ground before I crouch down to her level to talk to her.

“We’re going to wait out here until the rest of the guys come out, and then we’ll go in.”

Nash walks in, and I turn to look at him as I stand up. He looks down at Posey, greeting her again before smiling at me. “You know, when you first moved in, I was afraid you were going to be terrified of Posey. It’s nice to see how you are with her.”

I don’t tell him that I was terrified when I first met her. I don’t tell him that she’s quickly situated herself inside my heart, along with her mother. I would put my life on the line for both of them.

“She’s a great kid,” I say, nodding as we both look down at Posey. Nash realized Nova left her with me this morning, and he was a bit surprised at first. He had an appointment earlier this morning, so he couldn’t help out with her, but that was fine.

Posey is my responsibility today, not his.

“Things haven’t been easy for Nova, but she’s done a great job.”

I nod, agreeing with Nash as his words settle within my soul. “Was he around for anything?”

“Dane?” Nash asks me as we still stand outside of the locker room. Posey isn’t paying attention to us as she’s looking at all the sticks along the wall. “No. They were on and off during her pregnancy, but he got a job on the other side of the country and was insistent about moving. Nova didn’t want to, so they broke up. He wasn’t here when Posey was born, and he signed over his rights not long after.” He pauses, the muscle in his jaw twitching as pain washes through his eyes. “He’s never seen her except for pictures.”

Nausea rolls in my stomach, and I can feel the anger spilling over into my veins. My brain can’t comprehend how Nova must have felt during that time. How Nash probably wanted to rip the man to shreds. I want to shove my fist through his face, but I’m also mad at my fucking self.

I should have checked in on Nova.

I should have known what was going on.

“I’m going to see if Mia is here and if she can maybe occupy Poe for a little.” He sees the confusion on my face, so he offers some clarification. “She’s Coach Landry’s daughter. She’s interning in the PR department for the franchise this season.”

“That would be great,” I tell him, nodding in agreement. Nash leaves Posey as he heads down the hall, and I dip my head into the locker room. “Carson! Throw me some of my gear.”

Taylor walks over, carrying a bunch of my shit, and dumps it out into the hall with me while the rest of the guys get dressed. I get into my gear in the hallway, and when the guys clear out, I head in to get my skates. Posey comes in with me, wandering around the room with her eyes wide as she looks at the cubbies along the walls.

I walk over to Posey and scoop her up into my arms. Her cheeks are rosy and cold already. Grabbing one of my extra beanies, I pull it over her head, tucking her bright blonde curls beneath the soft knit material.

When we step back out of the locker room, Nash still isn’t back so I take her down the tunnel with me, feeling the coldness of the ice as we get closer to the rink. I check the zipper of her winter coat, and we stand by the benches, watching the guys skating around.

“Do you want to skate, Poe?”

She smiles brightly, bobbing in my arms. “Yeah!”

A frown pulls my lips down, and I glance around before looking back at her. “We don’t have any skates that are your size, but I can skate you around.”

“Okay!” The excitement rolls off her in waves, and she wraps her little arms around my neck as I step out onto the ice.

“Hold your shots, boys,” I call out to the rest of the guys as I slowly begin to skate with Posey in my arms. They all let the pucks rest on the ice, watching as I begin to move my legs more, moving around the arena while holding onto her.

“Coach is going to have your head,” Ford calls out, a half chuckle in his tone as he breezes past us, waving at Posey. None of the coaches are out here yet, so I’m willing to take my chances. The smile on Posey’s face and the soft giggles that spill from her lips make it all worth it.

Consequences be damned.

After a few laps and a few handoffs to the other guys, I’m carrying Posey off the ice when I see Nash and a younger woman standing by the end of the tunnel. “Mia said she’ll keep an eye on her,” Nash tells me as I come to a halt in front of them.

The woman smiles softly, and she looks at Posey without holding her hands out to her. “Hi Posey, I’m Mia. Did you want to come with me and we can find some fun things to do?”

“I want skate,” Posey tells her, not letting go of me. She sets her eyebrows in a defiant expression and refuses to move.

“Hey, Poe. Why don’t you go play with Miss Mia for a little bit, and then we can skate again?”

Posey gives me an unconvinced look.

Nash reaches to touch her arm. “Miss Mia has some really cool stuff in her office she wants to show you.”

This gets Posey’s attention, and although she’s reluctant, we manage to hand her off to Coach Landry’s daughter. She holds her hand out to her and the two of them walk down the tunnel, heading away from the slick ice and the flying pucks. Nash steps out onto the ice, and I let my gaze linger for one moment longer, watching Posey disappear inside the building.

I don’t know how or when it happened, but I’m completely smitten with this little girl.

And wholeheartedly obsessed with her mother.