Page 13 of Penalty Kill

“Dad’s next,” Reese replied.

I ignored the ominous statement and blocked them out. Well, I tried to.

“You know, if you had said that last week, I never would have believed you,” Olli joined in. “Things with Olivia were so terrible I didn’t think he would ever look at another woman without getting nauseous, but look at him now. Blushing over the nanny. I think you might be onto something.”

Reese’s grin grew. “It’s always the ones we least expect.”

“Yeah, we learned that lesson when Mr. Russia grew a heart and Derek found someone to tolerate him,” Erik said with a growing smirk.

“Hey!” Derek shouted from the free weight area across the room.

I glanced at Nikolai for his reaction, but he just grunted and mumbled something. Probably in Russian.

“What?” Erik chuckled. “You all know it’s true.”

Hartman agreed along with the rest of the guys listening to the conversation, which was just about everyone.

Amelia, Derek’s girlfriend and Nikolai’s sister-in-law, walked into the room. She was recently brought on as the team trainer, though she usually stayed out of sight in the training room.

“What’s going on in here?” She looked around like she was ready to discipline a class of first graders.

“Dad’s got a crush!” Derek shouted helpfully from the other side of the room.

Her brows pulled together and she searched until her eyes landed on me. “Really?” Her voice was much quieter now and she made her way over. Perfect. As soon as she left the room the entire Pride would be notified.

“No, not really. They’re making things up,” I rushed out before any of the guys could speak.

“He said she’s attractive,” Erik inserted.

She narrowed her eyes. “Who is?”

“His nanny,” Reese answered.

She shot the guys a glare. “Can you let him speak for himself?”

Yeah, that wasn’t likely to happen.

She spun to face me. “You found a nanny?”

It was a bit surprising she hadn’t already heard through the grapevine, but maybe it wasn’t an interesting enough piece of news to make the rounds. Until now.

I should have kept my mouth shut.

“Yes. Actually, Kendall, Chloe, and Emma found her. She started today,” I answered.

Her face softened. “That’s really great, Brandon. I hope she helps take some of the burden off your shoulders.”

I nodded. “I think she will.”

She moved a half step closer and lowered her voice. “If you ever need help, please let me know. I know our schedules are pretty much the same, but I have more flexibility than you.”

“Thanks, but with Sydney around I should be okay.”

She smiled. “Good. I hope I can meet her soon.”

“She’s bringing the boys to the game next week.”

“Then I’ll track her down,” she said with a nod.