Page 12 of Dirty Deal (Slayers Hockey 5)

We order Thai, because Anders always gets his way, and eat in the kitchen while Otto kicks back in his bouncer, eyes wide and alert but not even close to interested in all the accessories dangling above him.

Anders reaches out and spins one of the rattles. “This thing sucks. He doesn’t even like it.”

Nora snorts, stirring her ginger cashew chicken with her chopsticks. “I know we’ve only opened a fraction of what Axel ordered, but I’m kind of suspecting he went online and searched ‘best baby boy essentials’ and then bought it all.”

I reach for Otto’s hand, letting him grip my pinky in his wrinkly fist. “You hear that? Nora doesn’t know what she’s talking about.” I try to make my voice as gentle and soft as hers, but it cracks, sounding stupid. “I visited a few nice ladies on the floor when he was born and asked if they’d share their baby registries with me. Duh.”

When I look up, she’s staring at me. “That was a really good idea. And probably not the easiest thing to do.”

She nods, giving me the smile I haven’t seen in months.Damn. Don’t get caught up in it.

Glancing away, I push my hand through the hair that’s already too long but I won’t cut until the season is over. “Yeah, well, desperate times and all.”

A few minutes later, she scoops Otto up and takes him back for a change. I’m watching them round the corner to the hall when a limp, sticky basil leaf hits me in the face.

I blink and turn to Anders, who’s shaking his head.

“Jesus, Axe, put your tongue away before someone steps on it.”

Annoyed, I flick a wide noodle back at him. “Give me a break. She’s got Otto. It’s been a fucking rough couple of days, and believe it or not, the fact that she’s here, willing to look past what a douche I’ve been and help me out while I look for a more permanent solution— it’s a big deal.”

He shrugs. “If you say so.”

“I do.”

“Great.” And that tone? Totally calling bullshit.

Chapter 5

Nora

Anders stays until about eleven, helping to convert Axel’s office into Otto’s nursery. It’s the ideal setup since the space is connected by a Jack and Jill bathroom to the guest bedroom where the nanny will be staying. When Anders starts to yawn, Axel pulls him in for a long hug and a few quiet words. I head back into the mostly empty room to give them some privacy.

There are only a few boxes left, and I grab the one labeled “Erikson, Slayers #6, Hats” and carry it across the hall to Axel’s bedroom. Like everything else in his slick bachelor pad, it follows the monochromatic theme with light gray sheets that look softer than anything I own and a duvet in charcoal with a barely-there pinstripe plaid against a padded headboard.

The box goes against the wall opposite the massive unmade bed behind me with the jerseys, photos, posters, and everything else he’s supposed to sign.

“It’s like a hoarder’s paradise in here,” Axel says from the open doorway.

“It looks like Diane’s workroom after a new shipment came in. Just swap out all the hockey stuff for custom phone case creation supplies.”

“Smaller boxes?”

I yawn. “You’d think.”

He’s got the last two boxes, and as he moves in beside me to set them with the others, his big arm brushes mine.

“Sorry,” he says gruffly, nodding to where I’m rubbing the tingles from the spot we touched.

I drop my hand and, not wanting to be weird, wave around the now-packed room. “What are you going to do with all this stuff?”

Axel lets out a slow breath and starts back for the hall. “Hell if I know. Sort through it and figure out what I can get rid of. Maybe see if there’s any storage space available in the building. Which is nuts considering three days ago, I had more space than I could use.”

I follow him back to the living room where we stop in front of Otto’s bassinet. “It’s crazy how everything can change in a blink.”

Honestly, I can’t believe I’m standing here. That the job and security I thought I’d found helping to manage Diane’s small online business vanished within a week, only to be replaced by this unexpected little boy who turned his daddy’s life upside down and saved mine in a matter of hours.

My throat gets that tight feeling, and I blink a few times to chase away the emotions.

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