Page 46 of On Thin Ice

“He knocked up my sister,” Ethan said, outraged.

“Yeah. I was there, too. This isn’t anyone’s fault, so quit acting like my kid is a mistake or fault of anything.” I would not shout at my brother, but it was tempting. “This isn’t about you and your feelings right now, Ethan.”

My brother had the decency to actually look a little chagrined, but he was clearly still pissed.

Dom’s words had hit me hard. There was a sweetness I hadn’t expected from him. I couldn’t help but wonder if we would have been an actual couple at this point if we’d pursued more than just a fuck-buddy relationship from the start.

No.

I had to stop thinking that way. My priority was navigating co-parenting for my daughter. That was my sole focus.

“Look, Harty, I know my reputation. But that doesn’t matter right now. I’m here for Ally in whatever capacity she wants me, and I’m going to be here for my daughter too. Since you’re her uncle, you’re going to have to deal with me a lot more, so maybe stop trying to ram me into the boards every time we’re on the ice.”

“I make no promises,” he groused, but I swear I saw a glimmer of approval.

It was a start. I still rolled my eyes at my brother’s posturing. He was so over the top.

“So, how exactly will this work since you don’t live here?” Ethan asked.

“That’s something Ally and I are still working out, but I was hoping that she might consider moving to Denver,” Dom said.

“What?” I asked. Ethan and Penny echoed the same thing. “What are you talking about?”

“Her family is here,” my brother said before I could even think about responding.

Dom and I had not discussed this. Yes, I’d mentioned my job allowed me to work from anywhere, but I wasn’t moving awayfrom my family. It pissed me off that he would blurt this out without talking to me first.

“I realize that, but I’m in Denver for the season, and Ally’s going to give birth in a few months. I want to be there to help out as much as I can. You know what our schedules are like, Harty.”

“She’s not just going to pick up and move in with you, Dom. She’s super pregnant,” my brother said.

“And she’s in the room,” I said, raising my voice, my anger bubbling up. How the hell could Dom think I was going to move in with him? I felt like I was getting steamrolled right now, that Dom and my brother both were just assuming what I needed instead of actually asking me.

Dom turned away from Ethan and faced me. I crossed my arms when he reached for my hand.

“I’ve been thinking about this a lot since we started talking again, and it makes sense. You could move in with me so I can be around to help, so we can co-parent together and figure everything out. It’ll be harder for me to help during the season if you’re still in San Francisco.”

“You can’t be serious,” I said through clenched teeth. “You’re not even home for half of the time.”

“I know that, but I’m very serious. Think about it, Ally. I have the space, and you can work anywhere. She’ll be here in two months, right in the middle of the season. When the season ends, we can figure out what to do. It’s like a trial run to see if you don’t kill me,” he said, that charming smile back in place.

“Or I could just do that now,” my brother muttered.

I glared at him. “Stop.” I turned back to Dom. “And no, I can’t move to Denver. That’s just crazy. We have been thrown into this situation that neither of us expected, and we aren’t a couple, Dom. Living together would make it weird.”

“Or we could act like we’re roommates raising a baby. I have two bedrooms and plenty of space. I know asking you to pick up and relocate is a lot, but just think about it, okay?”

He’d clearly thought about this without running anything by me.

It would be insane to agree to this.

Wouldn’t it?

DOM

I hadn’t been completely lying to her.

Getting her to move to Denver had crossed my mind more than once, but I had not gone into this conversation with the intention of blurting that out. It was out there now, and as crazy as it was, it also made sense, letting me be involved in person and help. We had logistics to figure out, but in the end, this would make it easier for all of us. Yeah, it was a great solution.

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