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The drive to the hospital passed quickly, with Emily chattering like a magpie about her new sibling. As they walked across the parking lot toward the hospital entrance, Emily squealed and darted toward a tall dark-haired man getting out of a black Mercedes SUV.
“Uncle Ike!”
Tracy’s pulse hitched at the familiar figure of Ice Cats goaltender Eisenhower “Ike” Jelinek. She wasn’t surprised to see him. The four Jelinek boys had grown up with Jake, and the men were like brothers. Still, she’d hoped she’d get lucky and miss him.
Back when Tracy had been starting Making Your Move, her relocation business, she’d helped Ike find the perfect town house and they’d had a hot and heavy fling shortly after. Even though they’d been great together in bed—and a whole bunch of other places—the fire had burned out quickly when they’d realized they’d wanted different things from a relationship.
The flip side of all that passion meant they rubbed each other the wrong way ever since. Unfortunately they couldn’t avoid each other. Even ignoring the family connection, Making Your Move managed all the Ice Cats’ relocation, travel and accommodation projects, so Tracy spent a lot of time with the team.
What surprised her was that every time she saw Ike, her body reacted to his broad shoulders, his powerful legs and his crooked grin as if they were still lovers.
No way. She knew better than to go down that road again.
“Hey, princess.” Ike caught Emily as she threw herself at him, lifting and twirling her around, much to the girl’s delight.
Laughing, they headed toward Tracy.
Ike’s smile faded when he spoke to her. “Congratulations.”
“Thanks,” she replied politely.
Emily skipped between the two adults as they walked toward the hospital entrance. “Auntie Tracy, did you see that Uncle Ike bought exactly the same bear as you?”
Sure enough, the stuffed toy Ike clutched awkwardly by the arm was identical to the one in her gift bag, right down to the yellow ribbon tied jauntily around its neck.
“You can’t have too many teddy bears.” She kept her voice light, even though she wanted to snap childishly at him to take his back.
Ike arched an eyebrow. “I wouldn’t have thought you’d get something as old-fashioned as a bear.”
The emphasis was intended to goad her. One of the reasons she and Ike hadn’t made it was she’d thought his attitude toward women and life were stuffy and old-fashioned. “Teddy bears are traditional. There’s a difference.”
The look in Ike’s green eyes said he begged to differ. “Uh-huh.”
“Auntie Tracy got me the same bear when I was born. Except mine has a pink ribbon.”
“A family tradition.” Tracy smiled sweetly.
“My tradition for new Ice Cat babies is to get them one of those all-in-one things with feet, with the team logo on it.”
“Shouldn’t they be called Ice Kittens, Uncle Ike?”
“I guess they should. But you wouldn’t want to confuse them with the girls who clean the ice for us.”
“Why? They’re only cheerleaders on skates.” Emily’s lip curled.
“Just because we don’t like their job doesn’t mean we should disrespect the ice girls, Em,” Tracy chided gently.
Ike shot a look of surprise at her. “I thought you’d disapprove of them. Women being used as—” he paused, glancing at Emily, who was following the discussion intently “—entertainment for the predominantly male audience.”
“I wouldn’t want to be one and, if I owned the team, I wouldn’t have them at all, but the job exists. As long as they’re not being exploited, good luck to them. Besides, I’ve seen how hard the Ice Kittens work. They have a lot of promotional and charity duties, on top of what they do at games.”
“Be careful—they’ll be taking away your feminist badge.”
Tracy shrugged. Ike had always thought she was a bra-burning radical, rather than a woman who didn’t like to be pigeon-holed, dictated to or discriminated against because of her sex. “I believe in equality and that if you can do the job, you can do the job.”
“That means if I can play well enough, I can be an Ice Cat, not an Ice Kitten.” Emily nodded, with a satisfied grin.
Tracy bit back a smile as Ike clamped his jaw shut. Clearly, he didn’t agree with women playing in the NHL. Luckily, they arrived at the hospital entrance, so Emily’s attention turned to which floor her mother would be on.
A blast of warm air hit them as the automatic doors swished open, and the three of them hurried inside out of the chilly November evening. The lift was crowded with the start of evening visiting hours, but by the time they got to Maternity there were only a few people with new-baby gifts.
Jake met them in the waiting room, looking tired but exhilarated. They exchanged hugs and congratulations before he led them down to Maggie’s room. Emily rushed ahead, chattering a mile a minute.
Ike caught the door and held it open for Tracy. She nodded her thanks as she walked past him into the room.
While Tracy appreciated his gentlemanly gestures, manners didn’t make up for the control issues that went with them. In the first flush of their romance, she’d believed Ike was different. But after only a few weeks, he’d shown her how naive she’d really been. No matter how much she might have wished otherwise, Ike had turned out to be as bad as her father and her ex-husband.
Besides, the only male she was interested in loving and having in her life permanently was the one in the pastel blue cap that her sister cradled in her arms.
“He’s a bit funny-looking.” Emily wrinkled her nose, disappointment in her voice.
“Poor lamb’s had a rough few hours.” Maggie stroked the shock of dark hair on her son’s head. “You didn’t look much better when you were born. In fact, he looks very much like you did.”
“Mu-um,” Emily huffed, rolling her eyes.
“She’s right, Em.” Tracy grinned. “You turned out fine, so he’ll be okay, too.”
“Kid clearly takes after his mom, not his dad,” Ike said.
Jake laughed. “Fine by me.”
“Do you want to hold him, sis?” Maggie asked her.
“Of course.” Tracy sat on the edge of the bed while her sister passed the precious bundle over. “Come to your auntie.”
Her throat tightened with love as his warmth filled her arms. “He’s gorgeous. Have you named him yet?”
Maggie smiled mistily at Jake. “Joe. Not Joseph—just Joe.”
“A good, solid name.” Ike leaned over and gently ran his finger over Joe’s soft cheek.
Tracy stiffened. It felt weird to be holding a baby with Ike so close beside her. His unique, spicy scent mingled pleasantly with the smell of the infant, making her feel even more unsettled.
Ike brushed Joe’s little fist with his finger. Almost immediately, her nephew curled his tiny fingers around Ike’s. Somehow, it felt as if the three of them were now connected. A strange prickling feeling danced across Tracy’s shoulders. She wanted to order Ike to move away, but knew that would sound crazy. Instead, she gritted her teeth and focused on her nephew.
Joe must have sensed her discomfort because his eyes popped open. Her heart squeezed at his solemn expression as he studied her. He then shifted his unfocused newborn gaze to Ike, giving him the same unblinking stare.
She hated to give the baby up, but she had to break the connection. Get away from the cozy tableau that had formed.
“Would you like a turn, Ike?” she asked politely.
“Sure.” He sat beside her on the bed and reached for the baby.
Ignoring the heat of Ike’s thigh pressed against hers, Tracy kissed her nephew’s forehead and passed him over.
She was surprised by how confidently Ike handled the small bundle.
“Goaltenders have the safest pair of hands,” he said smugly, as if he’d read her mind.
“Of course.” Her smile felt forced as she jumped up and went to sit in the chair on the opposite side of the bed.
“Ike used to help my mom look after Linc while Aunt Karina was at work,” Jake added. “He was a whiz at changing diapers, making bottles of formula and burping the kid.”
Tracy knew one of the reasons Ike was so serious was that he’d had to learn responsibility at an early age, after his father had walked out. Even though Jake’s parents had helped Karina Jelinek a lot—Jake and the four Jelinek boys had been raised together—it had been a struggle as Ike’s mum had worked several jobs to keep her sons fed and clothed. Ike and the next oldest, Tru, had done their part to help look after their younger brothers, Kenny and Linc.
It was touching to see the brawny goaltender holding her tiny nephew so tenderly, his green eyes looking fondly at the gurgling baby. Someday, he’d probably hold his own children with the same confidence. Look at them with the same affection.
She ignored the tug in her chest.
Tracy didn’t want to be the woman who gave him those children. She was happy with her life and her business; she answered to no one but herself. She enjoyed the freedom of doing what she wanted, when she wanted. Sure, she dated. Some guys had even lasted a few months. But every time things had started to turn serious, she’d felt hemmed in and backed away.
As for children... Well, she was a fantastic aunt and that was enough for her.
Really, it was.
Tracy turned to Maggie and asked brightly, “How are you feeling?”
“Pretty good, considering.” Her sister lowered her voice. “I don’t want to upset the men by telling you about my stitches, so I’ll give you the gory details later.”
Tracy bit back a laugh as the two hockey players winced. “At least we’re in the right place if they pass out.”
“I’ll go and check if anyone else is in the waiting room,” Jake said quickly.
“I’ll come with you.” Emily hurried after him, already bored with her new brother. “I wonder if Nonna and Poppa brought me a big-sister present.”
Maggie shook her head indulgently. “Jake’s poor parents have been bombarded with helpful suggestions for gifts.”
“Em’s thrown a few ideas my way,” Tracy said.
“Mine, too.” Ike nodded.
“The little monkey. We had a talk about that and I told her not to try it on.”
Tracy patted her sister’s arm. “Emily’s excited about Joe’s arrival, which is nice, given she’s been an only child for so long.”
“I know. She’s a good kid, just a little cheeky.”
“I don’t blame her. It’s not like our parents ever spoiled her.” When their father was alive, Em had been lucky to get a birthday card, let alone a present. Dominic Hayden had believed gifts were frivolous. Since his death, their mother had continued to abide by his rules. God forbid she should have a thought of her own.
“True.” Maggie grimaced. “I suppose I should let Mum know about Joe.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll call her later.” Tracy deliberately changed the subject. “Have the doctors said when you can go home?”
“Tomorrow, assuming everything’s okay.” Her sister sighed. “I’m sorry. This has messed up our plans at work for the next few weeks. I can’t believe I went into labor so early. Everyone kept telling me I was bound to be late because it had been so long since I’d had Em.”
“Babies come when they want to,” Tracy reassured her. “I’d factored in the possibility. Which is why the intern we recruited is starting ahead of schedule—on Monday. Carla’s grateful for the extra money and I’m happy to pass over the admin duties, so it’s all good.”
“Even more reason for you not to pay me while I’m off work.”
“Don’t start that again. You know how well the business is doing and there’s more than enough in the budget to cover your maternity pay, so relax. Besides, didn’t I read somewhere that worrying turns a mother’s milk sour?”
“That’s an old wives’ tale.”
Tracy shrugged. “I wouldn’t want to risk it.”
“Okay.” Maggie laughed. “Can I at least ask if you heard back from those two new business pitches we made this week?”
“Not yet, but I’m sure they’ll let me know before the weekend,” Tracy lied smoothly, not wanting her sister to start fretting again about her workload.
Both contracts were in the bag, which would be a nice boost to their bottom line and another step closer to Tracy’s goal of getting their business to number one. Even with Carla’s help, she’d be working flat out until Maggie returned. But the extra hours would be worth the financial cushion it would give them for next year.
“How will you cope if we win them both?” her sister asked.
“I thought we just agreed that everything was under control,” Tracy scolded.
“Yes, but...”
Thankfully, Maggie’s protest was interrupted when Jake’s parents bustled into the room, followed by Ike’s mum and stepfather.
As the older folks exclaimed excitedly over Joe, Tracy was touched by the joy and love in the room. So different from when Emily was born, when Tracy had been the only family member to visit. Their father had hated London and refused to travel south. Even though it had broken their mother’s heart not to see her first grandchild, as usual she hadn’t fought her husband’s decision. Horrified, Tracy had sworn then that she’d never let a man control her life. Sadly, only a short while later, she’d fallen into the same trap.
Tracy’s phone vibrated against her hip, breaking into her dark thoughts. Grateful for the interruption, she stepped away from the bed to check the caller ID.
Bloody hell. She’d missed a call from Glen at the Brooklyn Bridgers, one of the local Major League Soccer teams. She and Glen had played phone tag all day. The Bridgers were interested in the Helping Hand services her business had recently begun to offer. They had a new French star, Marcel Chabal, whom she’d been helping to relocate from France. Marcel’s wife didn’t speak much English and needed support for the transition to living in a new country.
As she listened to Glen’s voice mail, she saw Ike frown at her. His obvious disapproval made her bristle. How dare he judge her? Her business was successful because she was available to meet her clients’ needs 24/7. Unscheduled calls like this one were rare, but right now, time wasn’t on her side. She needed project and budget approval so she could have everything in place for when the couple arrived this weekend.
“I’ll be available until eleven tonight.” Glen signed off. “Call me.”
If she phoned right now, she might catch him. Since no one other than Ike—and he didn’t count—was paying her any attention, Tracy slipped out of the room.
Luckily, the waiting room was empty, so Tracy could call Glen in privacy. This time, they connected and he approved both the proposal and the budget. “Send over the revised paperwork and I’ll sign it.”
Tracy kept her voice calm and professional, though she wanted to fist-pump the air. “Great. I’ll get that to you first thing tomorrow.”
Once she’d hung up, Tracy decided to celebrate with a coffee. As she waited for the machine to do its thing, she gave a happy wiggle. Major score! And a very nice boost to her turnover. Hopefully, once the Bridgers saw how Helping Hands enabled Mme. Chabal to settle more easily and eased Marcel’s stress, they’d extend the contract to cover all their foreign players. Their positive reference would be invaluable for pitching the service to her other clients.
Collecting her coffee, Tracy glanced at the clock. Visiting hours would be over shortly and she wanted another cuddle with her new nephew. It had been a good evening all around.
