The Enemy Trap by Maren Moore
Epilogue
Hayes
Eight months later
BEEP BEEEEEEEP BEEEEEEP.
The shrill sound of the smoke alarm is sounding as thick, dark smoke billows out from inside the oven—sure sign that the dinner I've been working on for the past two hours is ruined.
“Fuck," I curse, grabbing the oven mitts from the island and using them to waft away the thick smoke as I make my way over to the smoking oven. I'm racking my brain trying to figure out where I went wrong. Did she say an hour or thirty minutes?
Does it really matter now? Damnit, what in the hell am I doing? The closest I've come to cooking is ramen noodles in the microwave or a TV dinner, if I'm feeling fancy. This is Sophia's area of expertise, but I wanted to do something nice for her since she’s been working so hard in class.
I look over at Ava, who's covered in pureed fruit, sucking on her fist in her high chair.
My beauty is cute as ever, even covered head to toe in sweet potatoes.
"My sweet potato, did you actually get any of that in your mouth?" I ask, scratching my head, grinning when she gives me a belly laugh.
“Da Da, Da, Da, Da,” she squeals.
The two of us are a complete mess, yet somehow perfect together.
Sophia decided when Rook turned four months old that she wanted to go back to school to become a kindergarten teacher, and of course I told her that I support any and every dream that she will ever have. Which means, when I'm not at the rink, it's just me and Rook.
I'm like the six-foot-four version of Mrs. Doubtfire, except I'm a helluva lot more handsome, if you ask me.
"Call me Mr. Mom, Rook." I grin when she talks back to me in baby gibberish that I won't even begin to attempt to decipher. I'm just happy to see her toothless grin.
The front door opens and slams just as I've turned the oven off and tossed the blackened, charred lasagna into the sink.
"Hayes?"
Sophia's standing by the island, squinting at me through the smoke.
"St. James. Perfect timing," I grunt.
She laughs before walking closer, and I sigh, then pull her in for a kiss that leaves us both breathless. When she pulls back, she looks at me, "Did you...cook?" Her nose squints in distaste.
"Don't sound so surprised. You see how it turned out."
"Umm...what was it?" She giggles, gesturing to the charred mess in the sink that is still smoking.
"Lasagna."
"Ah, the Gordon Ramsey go-to."
She sees right past my bullshit, "That obvious?"
"No, but Holly called me after you called her and said I might want to get home before you burned our house down."
"Well, at least I tried. I wanted to take a load off of you since you have so much to study for. If it counts, Rook helped me make the sauce."
"Did she?"
She walks over to Ava and picks her up from the high chair, laughing when she sees just how much sweet potato she's covered in.
"Straight to the bath for you, missy. Thank you for trying, handsome." She gives me a sweet kiss before brushing past me to Ava's bathroom for a much-needed bath.
"Take out it is Mademoiselle. Chinese? Greek? Italian? Take your pick." I call down the hallway and pull out the stacks of takeout menus I have in the drawer next to the oven—the most logical place for a man who hasn't cooked anything that wasn't processed in his entire life.
"Mmm, Fun Shu chicken is calling my name. I think I've been craving it," I hear her voice float down the hallway.
Never fails. Sophia is a Chinese girl through and through. I should've known before I asked. One of these days, she was going to surprise me though.
After I call in the food, I quickly pick up the living room, genuinely wondering how an eight-month-old is able to create this much mess. There are tiny toys scattered on every surface of the living room…and under the couch, and behind the couch, and on top of the entertainment center...
I laugh when I pick the block up and put it back in her toy box.
"Mmm, do you know how hot it is to see you pick up toys? Honestly, it's so damn hot." Sophia walks into the living room and flops onto the couch. Her blonde hair is piled high on her head, and she's got dark bags under her eyes. She looks exhausted, and I want more than anything to take some of it away. If that means picking up toys and taking care of Rook while she studies...consider it done.
"There's more where that came from, St. James," I tease, putting the boxes back away in Ava’s play center. "Today we went to the rink, and the guys spent an hour passing her around, blowing raspberries and doting on her like a bunch of saps. I got lots of pictures for blackmail.”
She laughs and gestures me over to her.
"Thank you. Seriously, Hayes, for picking up my slack and being the best partner and daddy around. It means the world to me to have your support."
I bring her hand to my lips and kiss her ring on her left finger, “For better or worse, baby. I promised to stand by your side."
"I cherish these moments. The moments of peace and quiet, where I can just breathe."
Christmas is right around the corner, and I plan to surprise her with a getaway to the mountains for her and Ava since she'll be on break for school, but it feels so far away, even though it’s just over a month away. With school and wedding planning, she’s beyond exhausted. She deserves a week in the mountain to catch up on sleep and feel rejuvenated.
I take her feet in my hands and rub circles on the bottoms, telling my dick to chill when she starts to moan in pleasure.
Not that he ever listens but…
“Hey, I forgot to ask, I have a friend who’s just been hired as the head coach in Chicago, and he’s looking for a nanny. You wouldn’t happen to know of anyone? You know, in that giant-ass group text all of you have?”
She laughs, “Just because I’ve made friends with all of the hockey wives doesn’t mean I keep up with their nannies, Hayes. But I’ll ask Jessica. I think her husband plays for Chicago now.”
“You’re the best,” I grin and drop my lips to hers. “He’s having hard time. His wife passed away a few years ago, and he can’t pass this job up, so he needs someone for his daughter. I just think about Rook and what would happen in a situation like that.”
“You have the biggest heart. You’re much more of a giant teddy bear than I imagined.”
“C’mon on, St. James, can you not compare me to a damn teddy bear? My masculinity can’t handle it.” I wince.
“How about we go work on making you feel better then. I’ve been reading this new book….” Her eyebrows raise, and she gives me a smile that tells me everything I need to know.
“I think there’s going to be a lot of kissing and making me feel better involved in this.”
“Oh, you have no idea.”
“I love you, Sophia St. James.”
“And I love you. Is it the right time to mention that I want a brother for Rook? We had a long talk last week. You know…me and Ava.”
I throw my head back and laugh, “Oh is that so?”
She nods and gives me a nonchalant shrug, “We’ve got lots of time to practice.”
And that’s exactly what we did.
Practice.
Thank you SO much for reading The Enemy Trap! I hope you loved these two as much as I did. And guess what… they came a cameo in my next release, The Newspaper Nanny!
Hayes’s friend Liam is in desperate need of a new nanny after he takes the job as Chicago’s head coach.
What happens when the grumpiest coach in the NHL needs a new nanny?
The playoff of a lifetime.
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