Page 74 of Her Hat Trick Daddies
Every muscle in my body locks up.Who is that?
Leighton sighs, yanking open the door with a forced smile. “Dad. Wyatt. What are you doing here?”
Chapter 22
Leighton
Itry not to panic, but it’s a losing battle. Especially once I realize that not only has my father trekked all the way from New Jersey to Colorado without a heads-up, but he’s brought my brother Wyatt along for the ride. Why Wyatt tagged along? No clue. Dad was supposed to come out in a couple of months, alone. At least, that’s what he told me.
I can only assume this is their idea of a fun ambush. Because, of course, they both know Ihatesurprises. Especially the kind that are unplanned, inconvenient, and leave me scrambling to play catch-up.
And boy, did they pick the absolute worst time to pop in. These two are the most overprotective, if admittedly loving, men on the planet. Having them show up unannounced would be bad enough if it were just me and Luna here.
But we aresonot alone.
The thing is, I never gave them the full download about the masquerade ball. You know, the part where I hadthreemen.One, because it’s nobody’s damn business. And two, because for a long time, I didn’t even know who David, Andy, and Shane were. Only in the last couple of months have I managed to wrap my head around it and figure out how we might move forward in a way that’s healthy for Luna. I’ve been careful. Super careful.
And now? Here I am, in my townhome with three guys from the team I commentate for—guys I’ve repeatedly slept with. One of whom gave my gorgeous daughter. And yeah, Dad and Wyatt are definitely going to pick up on at least some of that.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, forcing what I hopepasses as a smile.
It’s the best I can manage under the circumstances. But who am I kidding? It probably looks more like a grimace.
“We wanted to surprise you, pipsqueak,” Wyatt says with a grin, breezing right past me like he owns the place as he drags a giant suitcase behind him.
Dad saunters in right after, lugging his behemoth of a suitcase, the kind that screamswe’re staying for a while.
Internally, I groan in horror.
Only once they’re inside do my dad and Wyatt finally stop in their tracks, eyes locking on David, Andy, and Shane like they’ve just spotted something suspicious crawling across the ceiling. Their foreheads wrinkle in unison, matching twin furrows of pure confusion.
It doesn’t take long for that confusion to shift gears. Wyatt’s bewilderment hardens fast into a scowl. Dad’s a little morerestrained, his brand of suspicion quieter, but his eyes are sharp as ever as he sizes them up. At leasthestarts politely.
“Hello,” Dad says with uncertainty, while Wyatt attempts to burn them all to a cinder using nothing but his eyeballs.
Fantastic.
There’s a lot of whose got a bigger dick energy happening right now, and I can already tell that I’m going to be caught in the middle.
The aggression is especially thick between Shane and Wyatt.Dammit.The last thing I need is a pissing contest breaking out at this hour when my sweet daughter is just trying to get her beauty sleep down the hall.
With no other choice, I do a round of introductions. “Shane, Andy, David, this is my dad, Dan Jennings. And this is Wyatt, my older brother. Dad, Wyatt, this is Shane Jacobson, Andy Webb, and David Decker. They’re all hockey players for the Colorado Avalanche.”
I say it with what I hope is optimism, but while my family does watch sports, hockey isn’t exactly their wheelhouse. As far as I know, the likelihood of them being able to identify these three as anyone they’re familiar with is slim to none.
“Avalanche, huh? You must know Sven Hinter. Stand-up guy.”
David nods, his voice polite but a little guarded. “Yes, sir. Sven was the team captain before Shane and I joined.”
Dad lights up even more. “He’s about to have another kid, you know. With Ava, Leighton’s best friend. Great family.”
The conversation stays surface-level nice, but there’s an unmistakable edge beneath it. And even though no one’s raising their voice, Wyatt is still shooting daggers at the guys, and Shane’s matching him stare for stare, his jaw clenched.
Shit.
And just to make the evening perfect, I hear Luna fussing from the room.Great, we’re on a fucking roll tonight. The testosterone cloud in here must be thick enough to wake a sleeping toddler.
I wait, listening, hoping she’ll just settle herself and go right back to sleep. But that instinct isn’t something the men have developed as much, because they keep circling each other like puffed-up roosters.
