“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,