Two home games and one away later, we won the third round.

We were Western Conference Champions with a five-day break until the Stanley Cup Finals.

I was on top of the world, and under scrutiny from Shea Lansing, Hannah’s social worker, as we sat in my living room.

“The house really is lovely,” she said, not looking up from her clipboard. She was maybe five and a half feet tall in six-inch heels, but damn if she didn’t make me feel like I was the short one.

“Thank you,” I said because that’s what you said when someone complimented your new house and I was afraid of babbling.

“You have her enrolled in school still?” She pushed a pair of glasses up her nose, making her look like she was fifty when I knew she couldn’t be older than I was.

“Absolutely. She goes to the preschool about a mile away. They usually age out at five but took pity on her seeing as she’ll have to start kindergarten next year since Jessica didn’t enroll her this year. Plus donations help.” I gave her a smile.

She frowned.

“Right. It’s a great school district. Pool precautions still in place since my last visit?”

“Yep. Alarms on the door and surface monitor. She can swim like a fish, but they’re there just in case.”

“Good. And you asked those closest to her, who might have to provide care in case you need a sitter, to submit background checks?”

“Yep. I know you already have Bailey’s, and Ivy’s and Faith’s. Those are the only people who babysit for Hannah, but I also have these,” I pushed a large manilla envelope across the table, overflowing with papers.

“Those are?” Her forehead puckered.

“Copies of the background checks for about three-quarters of the Seattle Sharks, seeing as she does spend quite a bit of time at the rink. These were the guys who asked to get checked out for her.”

“You’re kidding me.”

“I’m not.”

She took the envelope and smiled. Holy shit, she could actually smile. “Never thought a bunch of overgrown macho men would sign up to hang out with a kid.”

“Hey, we’re not all that bad. Some of them even do that Big Brother program.”

She laughed. “Okay, okay, I get the point. So, have you heard from Hannah’s mother?”

I shook my head. “I haven’t heard anything, and the private investigator has come up empty, too.”

“Well, that’s a shame. Not for you, but it would be nice if we could locate her and get her to sign over her rights. It would be easier for you and better legally for her. I haven’t received anything back from your mother, either, which means she’s not going to contest.”

A giant sigh of relief smacked me in the chest.

“So what do we do now?”

“Now we file for a termination of parental rights in about two weeks. It’s faster than normal since the court has already found that Hannah’s been abandoned due to the note she left you and Jessica’s lack of contact. In fact, she’s probably going to face some criminal charges of abandonment.”

“Does this happen a lot?” I asked, needing to know if it was just the women in my family who fucked up their kids.

“Unfortunately. We see a lot more dads leave, honestly. Hell, it even happened to me.” She shook her head. “Sorry, that was personal.”

“Personal is okay. Honestly, I can’t figure out how old you are, and it’s driving me nuts. I’m usually pretty good at that stuff.”

She arched an eyebrow at me. “At gaging the ages of women?”

“Well...yeah.” Her skin was flawless, and she didn’t have an age line anywhere, but her eyes and her tone of voice were all just...old.

“Twenty-six,” she answered, shocking the shit out of me.

“But Barnes said he’d been working with you for years.”

“At his law office. That’s how I put myself through grad school. Anyway, we’ll get everything rolling in two weeks, but it would be great if we could find your sister. A lot simpler.”

“Yeah, well, Jessica isn’t one for doing it the easy way.”

“As long as we do it the right way, it won’t matter. Don’t worry.”

I thought about what she’d said the entire drive to the rink. The right way. I was doing it the right way...right?

Hannah was safe, and loved and cared for, and had me, and Ivy.

Ivy.

Ivy, who I loved, but hadn’t told. Who I was still “sneaking” around with even though most of the roster knew what was happening.

Everyone except the person who deserved to know.

I gathered my courage, wished I had a bullet-proof vest, and walked into Coach Harris’s office a half hour later.

“Coach?”

“Bridgerton, what can I do for you?” he asked from the other side of his desk, looking at a collection of papers.

I shut the door behind me and ripped the baseball cap I’d been wearing off my head. It was now or never.

“Sir, I’m in love with your daughter.”

His eyebrows rose, but his eyes didn’t. “Well, her husband might have something to say about that,” he remarked, flipping the page on what looked like reports of some kind.

“Ivy, Sir. I’m in love with Ivy.”

His head popped up, his eyes wide.

“I just wanted to be upfront and honest, instead of you finding out some other way.” God, I was five years old again, in the principal's office for punching Tommy King. My heart had never been so sure, or beat so fast in my life.

“Okay.” He wasn’t exactly giving me much to go on.

“Right. I love her. She’s smart, and funny, and strong, and keeps me on my toes, and she’s so great with Hannah.”

“I don’t need to know my daughter’s finer qualities, Bridgerton, I raised her.” He leaned forward.

“Of course. I just wanted to tell you that I love her. And I know it would have been better to wait until after finals, but if I have to face the same consequences that Crosby did, then I’m okay with that. I’ll choose her. I’ll choose her every day.”

A smile flashed across his face and was gone just as soon. “I appreciate you telling me, but I told my girls I was done interfering in their love lives. You can keep your job and date my daughter, it’s none of my business, and if she finds you acceptable, then I do, too.”

“Yes, Sir. Thank you, Coach.”

“You break her heart, and I’ll break your face,” he said with complete and utter seriousness.

“Right, Sir.”

“You can leave.”

I nodded and turned, almost sprinting for the door.

“Bridgerton, when it’s time, I’d better see you back here, ready to ask, because if you pull that elopement crap that Eric did, I’ll lose my shit. Understand?”

I grinned, imagining this guy as my father-in-law. “Yes, Sir.”

I shut the door, pretty much running for my life.

It was okay. Ivy and I could be as public as we wanted.

“Hey, Bridgerton,” Walt, one of the security guys called as I made my way toward the locker room.

“Yeah?”

“There’s some woman making a scene that she has to see you? She’s at the security desk right now, and it’s all we can do to keep her there.”

Well, that narrowed it down. I’d pissed off half the female population of Seattle at some point in my life. “Okay? Fan?”

“I don’t think so. She’s got long hair and keeps raving about Hannah.”

Jess.

“Holy shit.”

I took off at a dead run through the arena, taking the steps two at a time up to the level where the security desk was. Pushing through the doors, I slid across the tile floor before starting the run again, coming by the concession stands—

No.

“There he is!” She shouted.

“What are you doing here?” I growled.

She cocked her head to the side, her hair long, stringy, and bottle-dyed fire engine red.

“Now, Connor. Is that any way to speak to your mother?”

I ignored the blatant looks of shock from the security guards.

“What are you doing here?” I snapped, repeating the demand.

She waved a paper in the air. “I’m here to tell you that I’m taking custody of my granddaughter, of course.”

Four hours later, while Faith was still watching Hannah, I sat in a coffee shop downtown, a hot cup of caffeine in one hand, and a small, thick envelope in the other.

I didn’t have to wait long. Mom walked in five minutes before the time we’d agreed to.

She sat across from me and tapped her long, red nails on the table. “I don’t even warrant a trip to see your new house? Or Hannah?”

“Like you give a flying fuck about Hannah or anyone else.”

Her eyes narrowed, and I cursed my temper. I had to play nice for the next ten minutes.

“Do you have it?” I asked.

“Do you?” She countered.

I stared her down.

She finally sighed, taking the paper out of her purse and smoothing it’s folded edges on the table. “Here you go. It says I will never claim Hannah, or pursue custody, and that I terminate any grandparent rights. But it makes me sound old...grandparent rights.”

She hadn’t even done well with the parental ones.

“And it’s signed?”

“Not yet.” She motioned toward the envelope.

I lifted the flap, showing her the edge of the stack of bills inside.

She licked her damn lips.

“I’ll need a pen.”

“I can help you with that,” Lewis Martin said, turning from the table next to us to provide a pen for her. The notary had come highly recommended by my lawyer for his...discretion.

She took the pen and scrawled her name across the bottom of the paper. Had it been that easy for her to sign us away? I’d recovered, but Jess…

“ID?” Lewis asked.

Mom showed him her driver’s license, and he copied down some information. Then he stamped the paper, signed and handed it to me.

My mom would never touch Hannah. Ever.

I folded the paper and put it in my jacket pocket, zipping it in to keep it secure.

“Thank you, Lewis,” I said, and the man took his leave.

“Give it to me.”

I pushed the envelope over ,and she quickly put it under the table, thumbing through the bills.

“It’s all here?”

“All hundred grand? Yes. I guess that’s the going rate for five-year old girls, huh?” I spat back, unable to be nice any longer. “Or just the ones with the Bridgerton name?”

She shot me a look. “You always were an asshole. Your sister was so much easier.”

“And look where that got her...and Hannah.”

She rolled her eyes and stood up. “Nice doing business with you.”

“This a one-time deal, Mom. Never again.”

“Uh huh.”

“If you see Jess, tell her she’ll get the same deal. I just want what’s best for Hannah.”

Without another word or even a goodbye, she turned and walked out.

I sagged in my seat, closing my eyes for a second and absorbing the win, even if it was a moral loss.

I’d do what I had to in order to protect Hannah.

“Hey, what are you doing here, gorgeous?”

My eyes snapped open to see Ivy looking down at me, a hot cup of coffee in her hand.

“Whoa. Hey, babe.”

She stroked her hand down my cheek. “You look like you’ve been battling ghosts or aliens or something. Everything okay?”

She had no clue just how close she was to the mark.

“Just taking care of some business. I’ll tell you about it at my place tonight. If you’ll join us for dinner, that is.”

Her smile was radiant, warming me from the inside out.

“I’d love to.”

“I’d love you to keep that on, so I can take it off.” I took in the pencil skirt and tucked-in white collared shirt she wore with her polka dot heels. It was retro hot, and I could think of nothing else besides getting my hands up her skirt.

She bent down and kissed me, too deep for public and too chaste for what I wanted—craved when it came to her.

“I have some work to do with Zach, but I’ll be over as soon as I’m done for the day.”

I stood and kissed her again. “Deal.”

“Don’t look at my ass as I walk away,” she threw over her shoulder as she made her way across the coffee shop.

“No deal!” I answered with a laugh until I saw where she sat.

Zach was here, sitting at a table against the wall.

I waved, and he returned the gesture. God, I hated that guy.

But I sure as hell wasn’t going to let him ruin my day.

I had my mom in my past and Ivy in my future.

That was more than enough

I checked my watch as I walked in the door. There was still an hour before I had to get Hannah, and Ivy’s car was in the driveway.

Man, I loved it when her car was in the driveway.

I set down the bag from the obnoxiously overpriced craft store I’d been directed to for Hannah’s art class supplies, and listened carefully.

Yep. There was music coming from somewhere.

I followed the sound, making my way down the stairs into the walk-out basement. It was coming from the exercise room.

Opening the door softly, I saw Ivy in yoga pants and a sports bra with her ass in the air.

Ariana Grande played through the speakers, and given the view, I had to agree with the singer—God was definitely a woman.

“That might be the best view I’ve had all day,” I said loud enough to make her aware I was there, but not too loud to startle her.

She looked back through her arms at me. “Well, hi there. Just doing a little yoga, if you don’t mind?”

“I definitely don’t mind. My workout room is your yoga studio anytime you want.” I made my way to the weight bench and sat down to enjoy the show.

Fuck, she was hot. Her ass was toned and round—and when she shifted her pose—right in my face.

“Damn, Ivy. This might be the hottest workout I’ve ever seen.”

“Awh, am I getting you worked up over there?” she teased, sliding into something that looked like she shouldn’t bend that way.

“Yes,” I answered honestly. There was no reason lying about it. The woman was sex incarnite.

“Well...that’s a shame...because I’m pretty focused here,” she said with a wink, challenging me.

Challenge accepted.

She changed her pose again, her ass sliding up...and right into my hands.

Without preamble, I slipped her yoga pants and panties right over the plump curve of her ass, and set my mouth on her pussy.

Her gasp quickly turned to moans as I worked her over, using my tongue, my lips, and my teeth to bring her quickly, sharply to the edge. I gripped her hips in my hands so she wouldn’t fall, and used her position to my full advantage, taking away any ounce of control she had and simply lavishing pleasure on her.

“Fuck. Connor. I. How do you do. God!” She cried out when I swirled my tongue inside her and then went right back to sucking her clit.

“Turn your head,” I said against her slick folds. “Watch what I’m doing to you.”

I waited until she met my eyes in the mirror, and then I turned back to my prize, and went at her like a starving man.

“Oh. My. God. That’s...holy shit,” she moaned.

Her body tensed in my hands, and I bit lightly on her clit as she came, bucking and screaming my name. All while watching me in the mirror.

As she came back down, she turned incredulous eyes on me. “You get me there so fucking fast. It’s like it’s out of my hands.”

“Right, because you’re in my mouth,” I answered, sitting back on the weight bench.

She stripped me and straddled me. “Let’s see how I take it out of your hands.”

She slid down slowly, taking me inside her tight heat inch by inch. Pleasure exploded behind my eyes. How the hell did this just get better? Every time was closer to heaven.

“Now you watch me,” she whispered once I was in her to the hilt, biting my ear lightly.

I turned my head to see us in the mirror, her soft, supple curves riding the chiseled lines of my body. “Damn, you’re beautiful,” I told her.

“Just watch me fuck you,” she ordered, and then began doing so.

I met her thrust for thrust, and when she came again, I flipped her so her back was on the bench and kept going, pushing hard and fast for the last few thrusts until I came so hard I saw the fucking planets.

“Wow,” she said. “Just. Wow.”

“I always knew these mirrors had potential,” I said with a grin, kissing her again just because I could.

“Yeah, they sure know how to ruin a girl’s workout.” She laughed. “Or maybe given my heartrate, they sure know how to add to a girl’s workout.”

I’d add to her workout anytime she wanted.