Page 76 of Defend Her Heart

“Good morning, Coach. Good to see you.Aw, thanks, Connor. It’s good to see you, too,” Hunter says from behind me, mimicking a conversation he should know he’s not going to get.

Hunter and Sadie became best friends almost immediately after Sadie moved to Green Bay. My other two coaches, Lincoln and Ellie, were always together and the two of them would tag along so it’s not like they had much of a choice. But even if that weren’t the case, I’m pretty sure they would’ve found each other. They are so freakishly similar it’s almost as if they were separated at birth.

Turning to face him, I glare. “Morning. Where’s Niko?”

As soon as I finish asking, Niko’s daughter, Sophia, comes barrelingdown the stairs.

“Uncle Connor!” She runs full steam into my legs. I reach down and haul her into my arms, lifting her to rest on my hip.

“Well, if it isn’t my favorite girl in the whole wide world. I’ve missed you.” I tap her nose and she releases a giggle that fills me with so much joy.

I’ve never been one who dreamed of having a big family. I suppose that might have something to do with both of my parents abandoning me. The fear of turning out like them is something I battle with daily. I know I’m a better man than my dad ever was, but it’s always in the back of my head making me question if I’d be a good father or not one day. For now, I’m more than content being this little girl’s favorite uncle.

“I missed you, too! Where have you been? Daddy says you were at the Olympics and you’ve been busy helping a new friend. Can I meet her?”

Niko joins us, a smug look on his face.

“Your daddy has a big mouth. But yes, I was in Sweden at the OlympicsandI’ve been helping out a new friend. You might’ve already met her at the team barbecue last summer or at the rink.”

Sophia taps her chin, looking up at the ceiling. I swear, she’s the cutest kid on the planet. After a moment, she turns to me. “I don’t remember. Can I meet her again?”

I’ve never brought a woman around Sophia before. Hell, I’ve never brought a woman around anyone before. It’s not that I didn’t try to find someone I enjoyed spending time with. But outside of the physical stuff, every woman I’ve met was always lacking in some way or another. Avery is not my woman to introduce, but the thought of her meeting Sophia makes me feel something I haven’t felt in a while. Hope, maybe?

While I’m trying to figure out exactly what that mystery feeling is, Sophia puts her hands on my cheeks. “Uncle Connor. Did you hear me?”

I turn and kiss her cheek before setting her down on the ground. “Sure, Soph. You can meet her.”

Her only response is an adorable fist pump and then she’s taking off down the hall somewhere.

“Thanks for that,” I say as I turn to Niko.

He shrugs his shoulders. “You know I don’t like to lie to my kid. I had to tell her something. And you have been helping a friend.”

He’s right. He’s annoying, but it doesn’t change the fact that he’s not wrong about where I’ve been lately. And he’s one of the best dads I know, so I can’t blame him for not wanting to lie to his daughter.

I follow Niko into the living room. He takes a seat on one end of the couch so I join him on the other side.

“Ooh, a new friend? Does this new friend happen to be a new hire on the team this season?” Hunter invites himself into the conversation, sitting between us then lifting his legs and resting them on the coffee table in front of the couch.

“Why are you even here?” There’s no hiding the annoyance in my voice. When I turn to glare at his position, I cringe at the sight of his bare feet. “And why the fuck aren’t you wearing any socks? Put those things away.”

Hunter looks at me confused, as if flopping his big, nasty feet onto someone else’s coffee table is the most normal thing in the world.

“You’ll have to forgive Connor.” Sadie glides into the room holding a few yoga mats and takes a seat in the chair next to the fireplace. “He hates feet.”

I scoff. “Does anyone actually enjoy feet? Look at the claws on those things.” I can’t bring myself to look at them again, but I gesture to where Hunter still has his feet on the table, keeping my eyes on Sadie.

From my peripheral, I see Hunter lean forward. If I had to guess, he’s about to touch them, so I stand, ready to remove myself from the situation.

“I just got a pedicure! They are not claws! They’re nice.”

Nope. Not doing this.

“Niko, I’ll be in the kitchen. I can’t handle this shit.”

I hear Sadie and Niko break out into laughter, and I’m pretty sure I hear Hunter ask them what’s wrong with his feet. This only makes Niko laugh harder. Sadie is busy reassuring my coach his feet are nice when Niko finally joins me in the kitchen.

“I’m pretty sure you just gave Hunter a complex.” He opens the door to the refrigerator and hands me a tumbler. “He’s here to do yoga with Sadie and Sophia. I figured we could get a workout in, and you could tell me what’s going on with you and Avery.”