Blue Lines: The Assassins Series: A Loveswept Contemporary Romance (16 page)

“That’s ’cause Uncle Erik is so big,” she said in a cute little baby voice.

Erik looked down at the little guy as a small smile formed on his face. Owen was cute,
and so alert. Erik felt something crack in his chest. He could do this, or at least
at the moment he thought he could.

“Now,” Elli said, taking Owen from him and exchanging him for Evan, “this is Evan,
my little guy. He doesn’t eat as much as Owen, and he is more relaxed like Shea. He
is a watcher and analyzes everything. Shea says he is making awesome hockey plays
in his head, and that’s why he is so quiet. I think he thinks we all are crazy!”

Erik laughed as he looked down at Evan. The baby was looking straight at Erik, which
was a little unnerving. If anything, the kid had great eye contact, and Erik felt
like the little guy was trying to figure him out. He flared out his little nose and
Erik smiled. It had been a long time since Ally, Jakob’s daughter, was this little,
and truth be told, he purposely avoided holding her when she was a baby; now he wasn’t
sure why. This was kind of nice, and they smelled good, too.

“He’s cute.”

“Thank you, and yours will be gorgeous.”

A goofy grin spread over his face.

“Well, I am kind of hot.”

Elli giggled.

“And Piper is a beautiful girl.”

Just hearing her name had him fighting a stiff dick. He nodded slowly, the goofy grin
falling from his lips as a strained one replaced it.

“That’s for sure.”

“I’m glad you did the right thing,” she said softly.

Erik nodded as he glanced back down at Owen. He smiled and said, “I hope it was the
right thing.”

“It was, and I have a feeling y’all are gonna have a great life together.”

“I can only hope.”

Elli pinned him with a threatening look.

“Just don’t hurt her,” she said.

Erik nodded again, not looking at her as he said, “I don’t plan on it, I can promise
you that.”

Elli smiled.

“Good.”

She placed her hand on his shoulder and said, “You look good with a baby in your arms.”

Erik laughed, nervousness filling him from his head to his toes.

“Naw, it’s Evan; he accentuates my good looks because he is cute as hell.”

“Damn right he is. He’s my kid!” Shea hollered from across the room.

Erik turned to see Posey on Shea’s shoulders, while Shelli held on to his leg. It
was still weird to see hockey all-star Shea Adler as a doting father, but it gave
Erik hope. Maybe he could do this; maybe he could be like Shea and Jakob. They were
both so happy with their lives, and maybe Erik would be, too.

Or maybe not.

Because even after spending the afternoon with the Adlers and their babies, Erik still
felt the need to escape.

* * *

Piper stood in front of her full-length mirror and scrunched up her face.

“Dress, you might be a little short,” she muttered, and she turned to see the back.

The dress was one of her favorites and also part of her skinny closet. She hadn’t
had the nerve to break down and buy maternity clothes yet. She figured if she wore
loose things, she’d be fine. However, she was finding not only that her stomach was
growing, but that her ass was expanding, too.

The dress was a masterpiece, but when she turned, she wasn’t sure if her butt was
hanging out or not. The teal chiffon material was flowy against her thighs but she
was feeling one hell of a breeze on her backside. She loved this dress; it was a razorback
top that was
covered in pearls, and in the middle was a large white bow that hung down to the hem.
Twisting her feet about she admired the white heels Elli had gotten her for Christmas.
Piper was pleased with the look. She had curled her hair, which always made her look
sexy, and did something a little bit different with her makeup that really seemed
to work.

Oh well, she’d wait until Erik got there, and ask him if her ass was hanging out.

Indecision plaguing her, she left her room when she heard Stanley barking his head
off. Erik was walking down the hall while Stanley was hopping around him. Erik bent
down to calm the dog down and when he looked up, his mouth dropped as his eyes went
wide.

Shit, the dress was too short.

“Hey,” she said with an awkward wave.

“Is this dress too short—is that food?” she asked, pointing to the bag that he held,
completely forgetting about the dress.

She could tell that it was from Elli because of the “Adler” bag, and that meant there
was something yummy in it.

“Yeah, Elli sent it for you.”

“Ooh,” she moaned as she went up to him and took the bag.

Going to the kitchen, she unloaded a hoagie that was smothered in gravy. Reaching
into the fridge, she got out her cream cheese and mayo and then slathered them on
the hoagie, too. With a pleased smile, she bit into the hoagie and swore she came.
She had been so hungry lately, and this was hitting the spot. After completely devouring
the hoagie, she went to the fridge for a tall glass of apple juice. Gulping her drink,
she looked back into the bag to find a container of fried pickles. Grabbing those,
she quickly inhaled them. Then, looking up, she saw Erik staring at her with wide
eyes.

“I think the last person I saw eat like that was Shea, and that was before a game,
trying to pump up on carbs.”

She smiled sheepishly and wiped the side of her mouth. “I was hungry. Thank you for
bringing it to me.”

Erik chuckled. “No problem. But Elli deserves the thanks.”

She looked down at the ground and then back up as she asked, “So you went to Elli’s?”

“Yeah, for lunch.”

She nodded. “That’s nice.”

He nodded back, a smile on his face.

“Yeah, Shelli and Posey used me as a play gym and then Owen spit up on me.”

Piper giggled. “Owen eats too much; his belly can’t handle it.”

Erik smiled. “Yeah, that’s what Elli said.”

Silence filled the room as relief filled her. She had thought he was out fucking anything
with tits, but knowing he went to Elli’s and hung out with the kids made her feel
better. Maybe he was changing and maybe he wanted her and the baby? It was a long
shot, but she believed a person could change if they wanted. All Erik had to do was
realize that he was worth the love of a child and a woman.

Looking up at him, she found that he was looking down at his phone.

Clearing her throat, she asked, “Is my dress too short in the back?”

Erik’s head popped up and shook his head. “Not from what I saw.”

She came out from the back of the bar and turned, moving her hands down her butt to
flatten the flowy material. “Are you sure? You can’t see my bows, right?”

Looking over her shoulders, she found him shaking his head slowly.

“No,” he said, and then she swore she heard him mutter, “unfortunately.”

With a smile, she started for the kitchen and another drink. She liked that he liked
her body still. It made her feel good, even if it made her yearn for him more.

“I’m going to jump in the shower and get ready; we’ll leave in twenty!” he called
over his shoulder.

Piper watched as he made his way down the hall and when he disappeared into the bathroom
she said, “Okay.”

Man, how she wished she could join him in there. Forget that she had spent an hour
getting ready; she just wanted to get naked with him. The feeling didn’t subside,
either, when he came into the living room twenty minutes later. He wore a pair of
khakis that hugged every muscle in his legs and his ass. He wore a light blue shirt
under a brown sport coat. His hair was brushed out of his face and he must have trimmed
his beard because it looked thinner and sexier. He looked yummy and when he glanced
back at her, he smiled.

“We match.”

“Do we?” she asked, looking back at him to find they did.

“Yeah, it’s a good match, too.”

She nodded and wished that he would see that not only their clothes but they were
a perfect match for each other. When he wasn’t being a complete ass, he could be really
sweet. Time would tell, and right now she was glad that she was his date for the night.

That she was his wife.

“So we need to be convincing tonight.”

Piper looked over at Erik and shrugged her shoulders.

“I thought that was the plan every night?”

“Yes, but more so tonight. Elli will really be watching, especially after lunch today.
She informed me not to hurt you and then gave me the
Shea look of death
. And my brother is on me about us being fake, so we need to be believable.”

She nodded as she played with the hem of her dress. Erik was nervous, and that made
her nervous, too. His main worry was Elli, and it was understandable. Elli was fiercely
protective of the people she cared about, and Piper was the little sister Elli never
had. But surely Elli wouldn’t go as far as to fire Erik when he was one of the best
players on the team. Why would she want to do that? Yeah, it would hurt him, but what
about her team? Then again, Elli acquired some of the greatest players in the NHL
to play for the Assassins, so she obviously knew what she was doing. Maybe there was
more to Elli’s threats to Erik than she knew about.…

What was interesting, though, was Jakob doubting their relationship. Piper was sure
they pulled off their act perfectly at the last family gathering, with their stolen
glances, sweet smiles, and soft touches. It was torture for Piper, but she was sure
that her family believed that this was a real marriage. So what did Jakob see? And,
oh God, did Harper see it, too?

“Okay, that’s fine.”

“Thanks.”

She closed her eyes and leaned her head against the window as he drove to Audrey Jane’s,
Audrey’s cupcakery. All of Piper’s friends would be at the grand-opening party, and
she couldn’t wait to see them, though a part of her wished she was safe at home, with
her sketches in her lap. She was nervous to see everyone, and having to explain—no,
lie—to everyone about her new marriage … and baby, too. Would they be shocked, happy
for her, or think she was crazy? She really shouldn’t care, but she did; it was important
to her that her friends agreed with her decisions.

Glancing over at Erik, admiring the thick dark hair on his chin, she couldn’t help
but
think she had made the right choice. Even if it would be over in a matter of months,
she finally felt like she wouldn’t regret this. Tonight was the first night he really
looked at her, and she felt something shift between them. As though he was starting
to care for her.

Pulling into the busy parking lot of Audrey Jane’s, Erik stopped by the valet.

“A valet for a cupcakery?”

“I think it’s only for tonight.”

Erik laughed as he got out and handed over his keys. Piper thought maybe her husband
would open the door for her, but no, he stood there waiting for her when the valet
rushed over to open her door. He kindly extended his arm for her to balance as she
shifted her extra weight to get out of the car.

Walking over to where he stood, Piper could not hold back a huff of annoyance.

Erik looked surprised at her reaction. “What’s your problem? My car did nothing to
you.”

“No, it didn’t, but you did,” she said, and with one more glare began walking to the
entrance of the building.

When his fingers wrapped around her arm, she turned back to glare at him some more.

“What did I do?”

“I have
like
twenty extra pounds on me, your car is low, and it’s hard for me to get out. The
least you can do is help me, but no, thank God for the valet; at least he’s a gentleman,
paid or not,” she spat out.

Erik looked confused as he shook his head.

“You’re mad because I didn’t help you out of the car, when there’s a valet here to
do just that?”

“Yes, you should want to help me, regardless.”

He blinked twice and then shook his head.

“Okay, I’m going to let this one go and say sorry, okay? I didn’t know I had to be
a mind reader and know when you need help.”

Piper’s eyes narrowed and she turned on her heel, making her way into the cupcakery
despite Erik calling out her name. He infuriated her. Didn’t his dad teach him to
open doors for women? Help them out of the car? She had seen Jakob do it for Harper
countless times. Did Erik miss that growing up? Not only was it the gentlemanly thing
to do, but she was pregnant! With his darn child!
Open the damn door and help me out!
she thought. Was that too much to ask for?
Ah, she wanted to ring his neck.

Shaking her head, she entered the cupcakery and noticed that Erik was right behind
her. When she felt his hand on her lower back, she had to fight the chills that wanted
to rush down her spine. She would not let this man affect her. But when his fingers
danced along her bare back, and rested under the strap that held the dress together,
she felt like putty as she glanced up at him.

His eyes were soft and a small smile was on his lips.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

She blinked twice and felt her madness subside a little.

“I’ve never had to do this before. Usually girls don’t matter.”

Yup, she was a pushover because her anger fled right out the window. In so many words,
he was saying she mattered, and that had her on cloud nine.

Trying to act like his words didn’t affect her, she muttered, “Okay, just please help
me out next time. Your car is superlow.”

“No problem,” he said, his mouth curving in a sexy little smile. “You are a firecracker,
you know that?” he added.

Piper smiled shyly.

“It’s gotten worse since I got pregnant. I’m usually such a levelheaded person.”

Trying to push her frustration away, Piper took a moment to scope out the store. OMG,
this was
so
Audrey—the whole place was doused in glitter and bright colors. The shop’s name,
Audrey Jane’s, was visible everywhere. Big pictures featuring different types of cupcakes
were hung throughout the store, giving it an artsy look. Large chandeliers full of
glitter hung from the ceiling over each of the tables; they were decorated with sparkly
fringe, adding to the unique ambience. At the front of the store by the checkout counter
was a large picture of Audrey and Tate, which hung right below the stores’ name. On
each side of their picture were two other large photos, one of Audrey and her sister’s
family, and the other a picture of Audrey and Piper, grinning like two kids.