Pucks, Sticks, and Diapers
Page 3

“I love you,” she whispered back, her heart pounding into his.
“And I love you, babe. Go to sleep.”
“Okay.”
And as she cuddled into him, he knew he’d wake up sorer than hell and maybe even a little grumpy, but it would be okay.
Because he was in love with the most difficult woman on the planet, and she loved him back.
“We’re so glad y’all could come!”
Looking to her husband, Baylor found herself breathless at the grin that covered Jayden’s face as his boss, Elli Adler, gathered her in her arms. “Don’t you look amazing! I love it!” she gushed, cupping Baylor’s growing belly as she looked to Jayden. “You did good, Mr. Sinclair.”
Looking down at herself, Baylor thought she looked crazy for the simple fact it looked as if her kid was completely sprawled out instead of being in a ball inside of her. But who was she to judge? She still had no clue what was going on; this pregnancy thing was one scary feat, but she was almost to the finish line. She almost had her prize.
“Isn’t she gorgeous?” Jayden asked, kissing her cheek. Still, even after two years of marriage, she felt like it was all a dream. She’d always known that they had something special and that he was the man for her, even thought she’d tried to deny it. Really, who finds their soul mate at twenty-one? She did, and she thanked her lucky stars for him. They were so happy. Even when she got injured and her career ended early, she was still happy.
Because he made her happy.
Not too many men would even try to love her, but Jayden did it with the passion of a thousand armies. Lord knew, she wasn’t easy to deal with before the pregnancy, but now, with their child in her, she had the mood swings of thirty sixteen-year-old girls on their periods. She gave him a hard time about almost everything, yet he loved her through it. More than she could ever deserve.
“She is. Come in, come in,” Elli said, ushering them inside.
Baylor loved coming to the Adler home. It was so full of love. The walls were decorated with the most unbelievably gorgeous photos of the Adler clan. Baylor was particularly jealous of the amazing wedding photos of Elli and her husband, Shea, that covered the walls. Baylor and Jayden hadn’t had a fancy wedding because they eloped after they were both drafted into the NHL, but sometimes, Baylor wished she had. She didn’t want the big puffy dress and all the hoopla, but she wanted the pictures. They had nothing from their wedding. Just the paper.
But she couldn’t dwell on that, not when all the little faces of the Adler clan looked out at her from the various stages of their lives. The five Adler kids were just as famous as their parents to some. Each had a personality that shone as bright as their smiles in the pictures. Baylor had a special place in her heart for the oldest Adler, Shelli. For the simple fact that girl would make it in the NHL one day.
Or on Broadway. Something. She was amazing.
“I love your house, Elli,” Baylor said as they headed through the house and kitchen to the backyard, where Shea and the kids were swimming.
“Thank you, lots of love in this house for sure. Shea wants to get a bigger one, but I can’t let it go. Not yet, maybe when the kids are bigger, or when the boys burn it down,” Elli explained with a laugh. “Lord help us all when that happens,” she added, and Baylor laughed as Jayden’s fingers threaded with hers.
“Or them,” Jayden laughed, and she nodded.
“Right, skin their hides for sure,” she agreed with a grin, and Baylor smiled. Elli loved her children more than she loved herself. She was strict, but she was a great mom.
“We’ll need a bigger one when we have more,” he said, and Baylor laughed.
“If we have any more. This pregnancy has not been easy,” she said with a sigh, and they both nodded, knowing it hadn’t. Not even kind of, and with Elli being a close friend, she knew all about it, always offering a lot of help and knowledge.
“It will all be worth it, don’t worry. Plus, if the pregnancy is tough, usually, the baby is easier.”
“Is that true, or are you lying to us to get through the last several weeks?” Jayden asked, his lips curving, and that made them all laugh.
“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.