The Axelridge Series Book 1 Finn's Slapshot

FINN

“FINN! WAKE UP! WE'RE GONNA BE LATE!”

The thud on the door and the yelling of the teenager I’m about to nougie to death, has me groan, turn over and cover my head with the pillow.

The sun is peeking past the towers and I’m not feeling it.

“Come on, Coach. Time to get up.” I get a push from the sexiest woman on the planet.

“Alright.” I throw the pillow across the room. “I need to make him assistant coach. I miss my Saturdays”

She lays on my back and giggles in my ear. “You’d miss it too much.”

I groan. “Yeah, your right.” I raise my head and kiss her neck with a purr. She giggles and sits up.

I lean down and grab her big baby bump. “Morning nugget. Daddy loves you.” I kiss her belly.

“She hates mommy though. Tossed around in there all night. I’m exhausted.” April blows a lock of hair out of her face.

I thread my fingers into her hair. “She excited to come out.” I grin and kiss her lips.

“It’s close. You make sure your phones on.” She says.

I get out of bed. “Of course. I’m shoving the doc out the way and catching her myself.” I smirk.

“Yeah, right.” She chuckles.

“Watch me.” I grab some clothes and hop in the shower.

After I’m changed, I head downstairs and Ben’s packing up the hockey bags.

“Don’t forget your gloves this time. I’m not driving back.” I grab a glass of OJ and down it quick.

“I got them.” He walks over to the kitchen. “Raylin wants to watch movies at her place, can I go?”

I narrow my eyes to him. “You guys have been spending a lot of time together. Is there something we should know?”

He shrugs. “We're just friends.”

“Oh.” I nod. “You know when a girl invites you over for movies, she’s not really wanting to be friends.”

He blinks at me. “She's not?”

I lean to him. “Just…pay a bit more attention. Trust me.” I wink at him and slap his shoulder.

He rubs his nape with a chuckle.

“OK. Grab a bag…”

“FINNN!!”

I look at Ben with wide eyes as April yells from upstairs. We both take off and climb the stairs two at a time.

Hitting the door frame, we both look in the room.

April is leaning on the foot board and holding her stomach. She’s breathing heavy and is in visible pain. She looks at us both. “The baby’s coming.” She chokes.

I stand and blink at her. “My baby…Now?”

“Yes, now!” She barks.

It snaps me out of it. “OK. No problem. I got this. I know what to do. I done this before…” I hold up my hands and take big steps to the closet. I grab the overnight bag I packed. I throw it on my shoulder and get all the things we need for the hospital out of my top drawer. “Baby, just breathe. Ben text the team and tell them practice is canceled.”

I walk across the room to the door. “Call uncle Marcus tell him your mom’s in labor and to run the council meetings for the next few days.” I get to the stairs. “Call Griffin and tell him I need that baby translator complete asap and…”

“Finn!”

I turn and look up at Ben.

He motions behind him. “Mom?”

It takes me a second. “Oh shit!” I leap back up the stairs, shoving the bag on Ben as I run bay him.

“I’m sorry, baby. I swear, I didn’t forget you.” I plead as I enter the room.

She smiles through breathes. “It’s OK. You’re excited.” She slowly walks to me and I grab her to support her.

“I am excited. I’m actually a dad. Can you believe that? Me?” I laugh.

“Not yet. Get me to the car.” She pants.

“Right.”

I said Ben was enough. I was afraid that somehow, my father would transfer to my kid somehow and that lead me to swear off kids of my own, but you know what? Ben may not be blood, but he’s mine and I think I’m doing an OK job.

I shouldn’t be afraid of nugget. My mindset is different now. She was created out of love and will be loved so much. I’m the barrier. That’s what I was not realizing. I’m the wall between my father and my kids.

It’s my job to protect them from him and I will die doing so. They will never feel the kind of hatred and spite I did. I’ll make sure this wall is strong and unbreakable.

****

After 14 hours of beautiful labor, we welcomed my baby girl. Tristan Ann Trezner. I fell in love with her the second I saw her little face.

She’s gorgeous, just like her mother and I’m proud as a peacock. It’s like dad mode flicked on the minute she became real.

Any thought of not wanting her had me slapping myself internally saying what the fuck was I thinking.

She’s amazing! I love her so much and she’ll feel that everyday. Of course, I love April for giving her to me and Ben as well. The two of them just make my life so much more than hockey ever did.

I can’t stay away from the game totally though. Hockey is really in my blood, but now, not in a toxic way. That’s why I coach the Wolverines now. My kids will love family and the game in a healthy balance. If they choose the career, I can help them not get too wrapped up in it like I did. That’s what I will give back. That’s what April gave me.

“Right, baby girl?” I lean down and wrap Tristian in her pink blanket and pick her up. I hold her to my chest as she coos.

“Smile, daddy.”

I turn and April is holding her phone up.

I smile and she takes the thousandth photo today.

I bounce Tristan in my arms as I walk up and kiss my mate. “You know, she could be a goalie. She has the legs for it."

April chuckles. “She’s not going to be a goalie.” She kisses Tristen’s head. “She’ll be center like her big brother.”

I grin. “I like that. Trezner family tradition.”

She laughs. “I though you would. OK. Hand her over. I have to feed her.”

“Uh…No. This is my baby. You have Ben.” I arch a brow and move Tristan out of Aprils reach.

She throws her hands on her hips. “Finn. Give me our daughter.”

“Nope.” I cuddle Tristen. “Go find your own daughter.”

I turn to the door.

“Finn!”

I cackle as I leave the nursery. “You’ll have to pry her from cold dead hands!!” I yell from the hall.

“That can be arranged, mister!” April yells back.

I walk downstairs to get her bottle. “Me and you, baby girl. Forever.” I place my lips softly on her hair. “Daddy's got you.”

****

“Ben, watch the hi-stick!”

I watch the practice game next to Aaron.

“He's got a lot of talent. In a few years, I could see him signed.” Aaron says.

I nod. “If that’s what he wants, I’ll back him. He’d make a great addition to the Hammers.”

He rushes the puck down to the attack zone and the defenders block the net.

“Tighten it up, guys! Hendricks! Square up your end!” I bark as the kids get the play right.

“I’m really impressed with all of them actually.” I say as I lean on the boards.

“They have a great coach.” Aaron says as he leans on the top of the boards from inside the bench. “Think you’ll ever go back?”

I glance at him. “Nah. I mean, by shifter standards, I’m not that old.”

“By human standards, you’re an old bastard.” He smirks.

I smirk back and shove him. “You’re lucky I like you.” I fake a bite his way as he chuckles.

I sigh. “No. The games for them now. We just need to teach it right so they get more out of it than I did. I also want to make sure that coaches like my dad never make into game again. They’ll get there titles pulled just like he did.”

“Where is he?” Aaron asks.

“White Rock.” I watch the play as I remember watching the tribunal lodge the parents complaints against him. His pathetic ass tried to defend himself to no avail. “He took my mother and they’re hiding from the public. I think he should get more, but I’m sure there’s a lot he regrets now.”

I watch the puck get dumped and the attackers catch it. “Defense, guys! Come, on!” I yell.

“They’re just having fun.” He nods to the ice.

I lean back and roll my head to him. “I know and I love it.” I shoot him a big toothy grin as he claps my shoulder.

“WHOO!! GO BEN!!”

I look into the stands and there’s a bunch of kids from school sitting up there cheering the guys. There’s no bullying. No humiliating instances.

Raylin is bouncing on her toes and clapping her hands as she watches Ben play.

My boy has his own little cheerleader. If this keeps up, I’ll have to show him how to keep her. She’s certainly attached herself to him. I chew my cheek and wonder if it’s possible to find your mate this early in life. I mean, I always knew April was mine from 17, but Bens only 14. Stranger things have happened, I guess.

I look at my watch and blow the whistle. “OK, guys hit the showers.”

Ben skates up to me and stops. “Hey, Can Raylin come along for pizza?”

Aaron nods. “Sure. Why not.”

“Good game today. I’m proud of you.” I clap his arm.

“Thanks. I have awesome coaches.” He grins.

“It’s the players that make the game, we just makes sure you don’t get in trouble out there.” I nod.

“Thanks. Meet you outside.” He says.

“Okay.” He waves as he walks off to the locker room.

Aaron pushes off the boards. “He really is a great kid. You’re lucky.”

“I am.” I nod in agreement. “I’m the luckiest guy on the planet.”

He packs up the equipment. “Come on. It’s your turn to buy.”

I scowl as I walk through the gate. The Zamboni driver comes out, removes the nets and starts to clean the ice.

“Uh…No…I paid last week.” I say as I grab helmets.

“No. I paid last week and the week before.” He argues as we head to the locker room.

“No, you didn’t. I paid the last three times.” I argue to his back.

“Paying for extra toppings doesn’t count as paying, Finn.”

“Hey, the pizza thing was your idea. You pay for it.”

“Just because you’re a shifter doesn’t give you a right to be cheap.”

We turn down the hall. “Being a shifter means I have a right to do anything. Including ordering the human to pay for pizza.”

“You don’t expect that to work, do you?”

“Is it?”

“No.”

“Damn.”