Page 4 of Defensive Zone

At least Gabi knew that Max would do anything he could to lift his sister’s spirits. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be at the expense of Gabi’s nerves.

“Okay, good. Now, how about we go make lunch?” Gabi said.

“Yes,” Connor said as he tugged her toward what she assumed was the kitchen.

She and Ava moved around the state-of-the-art kitchen making lunch for the kids and taking turns holding Elise. Gabi couldn’t help leaning in to nuzzle her nose in the infant’s soft curls; she had a surprising amount of hair for a baby.

Then they took Gabi on a tour of the house. It was impressive. She’d never been in a house this large before, and Max had surprisingly good and comfortable taste. She couldn’t wait to sink into the couch in the living room and binge movies with her best friend.

Gabi still felt a little weird taking money from Ava or Max because they were basically family and she’d do anything for Ava and the kids, but Ava had insisted that this was a job that Gabi was qualified for and she was getting paid, so Gabi had accepted the fact but still felt a twinge of guilt.

“Go, Uncle Max, go,” Connor yelled from the couch that afternoon as they watched the Strikers trounce Vancouver.

The team looked impressive, and so did Max as he blocked another player from scoring. The TV zoomed in on him as he grinned after his last tussle with a Vancouver player against the boards.

Typical.

“Hand her over,” Gabi said, gesturing to the newly fed and burped baby on Ava’s shoulder.

Gabi sighed, snuggling Elise in her arms. “Now go shower. Lay down. Take a break,” she told her friend.

“Are you saying I smell?” It was a combination of question and teasing, but it was a little bit of life that Gabi wanted to see in her friend’s eyes.

“No, but I’m here to help you, so take the break. I’ve got this.”

“Thanks. I’ll be back in ten,” Ava said, scooting off the couch.

“Take thirty. We’ll be fine,” Gabi said, reaching out and squeezing Ava’s hand.

“You’re the best,” Ava said before she headed up the stairs toward her room.

Gabi settled on the couch, her arms full of a sweet, adorable baby, while Amelia and Connor raved about their awesome uncle.

Their words. Not hers.

“Max is grabbing dinner with his teammates,” Ava said three hours later as she and Gabi started pulling stuff out for dinner. “I told him to go celebrate and we’d be fine.”

The Strikers had beaten Vancouver seven to two. Gabi would be lying if she said she wasn’t slightly on edge as she waited for Max to get home. It was ridiculous, and she didn’t want her irritation with the man to upset Ava. Ava didn’t need that right now.

She could be the bigger person and ignore his teasing.

It was possible.

“I wanted him to read us a story tonight,” Connor said.

“He promised to read you three stories tomorrow night,” Ava said, ruffling her son’s hair.

“Yes!” the little boy exclaimed with a fist pump before he darted out of the room.

Ava laughed. “Max would read them a million stories every night if they asked, but let’s not tell them that.”

“Right,” Gabi muttered before raiding the fully stocked pantry. “Let’s hope he doesn’t celebrate too hard and wake everyone up when he gets home.”

“He wouldn’t,” Ava said as she turned on the faucet to fill up the pot with water to make rotini.

Gabi knew he’d offered his home to Ava and the kids out of obligation, but Gabi wondered if he was annoyed that having them here would cramp his bachelor lifestyle.

A part of her enjoyed that thought.

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