Moonlighter (The Company, #1)(112)

“What’s that?” I rock the chair gently as Rosie sucks.

“Hockey.”

My chair abruptly stops rocking. He did not just say that. “Eric. Tell me you’re joking?”

He shakes his head and then calmly screws in the hardware. “It’s time, Alex. It always was. I just didn’t want to believe it. I need another knee surgery, but this way I can put it off until spring instead of hurrying in there to become useless again.”

“Wait,” I sputter. “You’re not putting it off on my account, are you? Eric—I love all the help you’ve given me. But I do not want to be the reason that you cut your career short.”

“It’s not like that,” he says, lifting the painted sign into place on the wall. The wire catches the screw on the first try.

Of course it does.

“I’m happy to be here with you guys. It’s a privilege.” He turns around to face me. “I mean that literally. Most men can’t spend time with the people they love whenever they want to. But I have money, time, and choices. Feeling sorry for myself would be a fucking crime.”

Rosie picks that moment to pop off my breast and look up at him. I hope her first word won’t be an f-bomb.

I tuck my breast away, my head still spinning as I lift Rosie to my shoulder to burp her. “I need a minute to get used to this idea.”

“I needed about three months. So take your time.” He straightens the painting. It looks really nice up there.

“You still need surgery,” I say slowly. “Is that why you’re wearing that giant brace all the time?”

“Yep. It’s just to keep things stable.”

“Will you move in with me before it happens? I don’t want you to be alone in that studio with the stairs. I want to take care of you.”

“Slow down, there.” He chuckles. “It’s not a hovel. It’s a nice apartment. But the stairs are an issue.”

“So is the location,” I add. “If I ask you to move in, will you believe that it’s because I love you and not just because you buy the groceries?”

“Oh, Engels,” he laughs. “Tara made the last grocery run. Did you ask her to move in, too?”

“She’s not my type.”

He grins, and then he comes over to kiss me. “I believe you. I’d love to move in with you both. But you don’t need to take care of me.”

“I said I wanted to. You’ve taken such good care of me. If you have the surgery while I’m still home on maternity leave, I can take care of you both at once.”

“Let me think about it.” I get one more kiss before he stands up again.

“Here.” I lift Rosie toward him. “Hold her for a moment?”

“Anytime.” He perches the baby on his muscular shoulder. Then he catches me around the waist before I can get away. “Hey, I love you.”

“I love you, too. And I know you don’t like to accept help. We’re the same that way.”

“Yeah, we are. But thank you.”

“For what?” I rest my cheek against his other shoulder.

“For everything. For making this transition bearable for me. For reminding me that hockey isn’t everything.”

“You’re right, it isn’t.” I pat his ass. “But does that mean we aren’t watching the game tonight?”

“Oh, we’re watching it,” he says. “It’s time to introduce Rosie to hockey. I wonder how small they make skates?”

I can’t wait to find out.





40





Eric





It isn’t easy to walk into the big meeting room at the practice facility the next day. Because I’m pretty sure I’m doing it for the last time. As a team member anyway.

So I dawdle a little and walk in at the last second, hoping to slip into a chair in the back row.

But Coach isn’t having that. “Eric Bayer!” he calls from the front. “Come down here, will you? There’s something I need to know.”

I hope he doesn’t make a big deal out of this. I know that retiring is the right move for me, but I don’t really want a lot of attention.

“Gentlemen!” he barks. “You recognize this guy?”

There are chuckles around the room.

“I do. I recognize him as somebody who spent last season keeping a cool head while the rest of us were losing our minds. But look—I’ve been your coach for less than a year. I’ve missed a lot of what this man did for the franchise these last ten years. So I’m going to need you to fill me in.”

It’s very quiet in the room now. I stand beside Coach, hands in my pockets, wondering what he means.

“Do me a favor,” Coach says. “If Eric Bayer has given you a casual tip in the gym that changed your whole workout routine for the better, then please stand up.”

Drake pops out of his seat, saying, “Every damn week!” And four or five more of my teammates rise, too.

My neck heats.

“Now stand up if Eric has ever stepped in to spot you when you needed an extra pair of hands in the gym. Or if he’s lent you a piece of equipment, or if he offered to meet you for a run, so you didn’t have to work out alone.”