Rowan glanced at Kaira—now wearing her towel like a cape in the pergola and drawing sidewalk-chalk rainbows—and then back to Jordy. “My first friends were books,” he said finally, voice lowered. “We had a big house and no close neighbors, and my parents weren’t all that interested in spending time with me, so… I guess that’s where it started.” He paused, feeling a little too bare under Jordy’s assessing gaze. “I am actually a nerd who likes learning and organizing, though. I, uh—I guess people don’t ask you why you became a professional hockey player?”
“Not when they actually want to know the answer.” He shook his head, and a lock of damp blond hair fell artisticallyover one eye. Rowan bit down on the urge to brush it aside. “Everyone assumes it’s the money or the fame. The standard PR answer is that we just love the game, and who wouldn’t want to play it forever?”
Rowan licked his lips. “So what’s the real answer?”
“I like playing, of course, but one of my favorite parts is being on a team, being part of something. Working with others to create something and being around a team all the time? It’s good.” He shrugged as if it was no big deal and not terribly adorable that his favorite part of his job was hanging out with his friends. Pink tinged his cheeks, and Rowan didn’t think it was from the sun.
“So always the family man, huh?” Rowan joked.
Jordy rubbed his nape and shrugged. “I guess so. I’ve got three younger sisters, so chaos and people were kind of a fact of my childhood.”
“Kinda the opposite of mine. So I guess the single dad thing is maybe not a surprise, then?” he asked tentatively.
“Yeah, maybe not.” A helpless smile spread across his face as he watched Kaira coloring.
Rowan cleared his throat, suddenly unable to keep his questions to himself. “So, she mentioned the other day that she’s adopted and biologically your sister’s. I wasn’t prying or anything, but I hope it’s okay that—”
“Rowan, I’ve never wanted or tried to hide where she came from,” Jordy said gently. “Sanna and I broke up because we wanted different things. So when my sister got pregnant right around the time we started the divorce process, it felt like more than just a sign. She was also still in high school.”
“She’s lucky she had such an awesome brother, then.”
“I’m the lucky one. Kaira is the best thing that ever happened to me.” The sincerity in his voice, the affection on his face, arrested Rowan’s tongue. This effortlessly hot-like-burningman had a loving heart that only made him sexier. Rowan needed to get out of this pool before he offered to bend over or drop to his knees.
IN THEweek that followed, one thing became clear to Rowan—either he was an idiot or he had a previously unrecognized masochistic streak. Living with Jordy Shaw was just about the dumbest idea he’d ever had, and not because the Shaws made for bad housemates or the job or pay was unlikeable. No, the problem was the opposite. Living with Jordy and Kaira was shockinglynice.
Sharing living space just kept being easy. Between the library and Kaira, Rowan wasn’t exactly chafing at the quiet, predictable routine of Jordy’s household. In fact, the early nights and quiet neighborhood were a blessing. And when it came to chores, Jordy and Rowan had fairly complementary skills and preferences. Rowan enjoyed cooking, more so now that he had a kitchen worth writing home about, and although Jordy was a decent cook, for practical reasons he preferred cleanup. Rowan never minded hoovering, but Jordy hated it as much as Rowan abhorred folding laundry.
But like any life change, this one had a few growing pains. Jordy sometimes forgot Rowan didn’t know everything Janice knew, and Rowan found it hard to not feel like a guest. Not to mention that he wasn’t used to living with other people—certainly not people who were six years old and under four feet tall.
Setting boundaries was a whole other beast when the other person didn’t have an adult’s understanding of what they were or the reasons for setting them. Also when you didn’t fully want to set boundaries because the munchkin was so cute with their big brown eyes as they begged you to join them for breakfast.
Honestly, Rowan hadn’t known he’d enjoy so much domesticity.
Not everything was sunshine and unicorns. All the innocent family time was counterpointed against the absolute torture that was being in close quarters with someone so delicious and so out of reach. Living with Jordy meant seeing him bed-rumpled and grumpy before coffee or sweaty and flushed after a workout. The first time he ran into Jordy as he left his home gym, his skin glistening and his cheeks flushed, Rowan’s knees almost buckled with the desire to lick Jordy everywhere.
Jordy blinked obliviously at Rowan, took one AirPod out, and said, “Hey, I didn’t hear you come in. Kaira is out with Clement still but should be home for dinner. Meet you in the kitchen in twenty?”
“Uh, yeah.” Rowan waited for Jordy to nod and head upstairs, and then he dashed to his apartment. He had twenty minutes to solve the urgent issue in his pants and clean up the evidence.
Living with Jordy was doing wonders for his libido, not so much for getting his daily eight hours. Because another one of Jordy’s maddening habits? Inviting Rowan to join him on the couch in the evenings as he watched another documentary… orCSI: Toronto. Jordy had a totally endearing love of weird documentaries and seemed to be on a mission to watch every single one posted to Netflix. Rowan couldn’t decide what part of the whole situation was more attractive—the way he paid such close attention to everyone, making commentary to Rowan as they watched, or his habit of lounging on the couch in soft-looking sweats, occasionally knocking his knees or feet against Rowan’s.
On his sixth night at Jordy’s, Rowan lay in a puddle on his stupidly comfortable borrowed bed, his orgasm still buzzing through his limbs, and stared up at the ceiling with fatalisticdismay. It was a toss-up, really, what would break first—his dick, his composure, or his vibrator.
ASKING ROWANto move in with them was the best impulse move Jordy had ever made. Rowan was amazing with Kaira, and he brought stability into their lives that they wouldn’t otherwise have after Janice’s abrupt departure.
Which meant that when Jordy left for a day of meetings and practice, he didn’t worry about having to leave his phone in his bag for several hours.
“How’s Kaira?” Sully asked. They stood side by side on the ice, tucked out of the way against the boards, watching Coach run the offense drill with the second-line D. “She doing okay with the nanny swap?”
Jordy had called Sully in a panic the day Janice gave notice, and Sully had promised he and Adrianna would have Jordy’s back. He’d told them he found a temporary replacement, which would ease the burden on him and Adrianna tremendously, but he hadn’t given a whole lot of detail.
“She’s great. She adores Rowan. Don’t tell Janice, but she might like him better.” Kaira didn’t really, but Rowan was the shiny new toy, and she was clearly enamored.
“Rowan. Rowan,” Sully said slowly. “Wait, wasn’t that the name of the snack you brought to that charity thing last month?”
Sometimes Jordy regretted having a friend with such a good memory. “Please don’t reduce my daughter’s new nanny to a quick bite.”
Sully hooted, but quietly enough not to attract attention. “It is! Shaw, you cliché. Are you going to woo the nanny? Seduce him after the kid’s gone to bed?” He gasped theatrically. “Or have you done it already?”
