Another pointed look was drawn Sean’s way. Perhaps Addie was being too unaccommodating with the other man, a suggestion she quickly dismissed as soon as her mind even tried to entertain it.
“I would say you already have an eager line of helpers,” she pointed out. It seemed like you couldn’t throw a puck in New York without hitting a fan of Sean and Clover Carolan. There was always someone clamouring to hold Sean’s daughter, whether it be Libby or Cassie or Max, or people who existed outside of the Rangers payroll. More than once had she seen Sean’s webchef friend show up with a Tupperware full of something she’d try to entice Clover into eating. And, of course, there was the annoying, ill-mannered Kai Tucker of it all. Suffice to say, Sean asking for a particularly talented nursery dog to help him raise his daughter was just being greedy.
No matter how difficult she found it to navigate the relentless rose-coloured attitude of Sean though, she couldn't find it in herself to extend that frustration to his daughter. With Clover soundly in her lap now, the little girl’s adorable puffer jacket pressed against her own, there was very little cynicism for her to muster around the taste of marshmallow.
So much so that, for the first time since meeting him, Sean spoke and Addie let out a surprised laugh. It slipped out of her before she could stop it and she looked up at him, a smirk playing on her lips, even when she quickly clamped them together.
“Let me guess, Gordon?” she said, her eyes finding the defenseman in question on the ice. While it hadn’t been confirmed, Addie was certain around 90% of the player’s teeth were fake. It felt like he took hit after hit to the face every game, acting like he’d rather eat the puck like a cookie than whack it with his stick.
Her smile, naturally, didn’t last long. As soon as Sean asked her if she had kids of her own, her face dropped, heart sinking to the pit of her stomach. Her mind flashed back to her painful teenage years, and she was nearly lost under the weight of her memory that she almost missed his follow-up question. Hearing it above the sudden rush of static in her ears, she clung to it like a lifeline.
“No,” she said plainly then leaned her head to the side, allowing herself the addendum. “I have a sort of-niece. She’s all grown now though.”
While she’d first met Autumn when she was just a few years older than Clover, she wasn’t so sure that gave her the experience Sean thought she had to look after Clover. Autumn had never really been a child, conversing with Addie like they were two grown adults at the tender age of eight. She was more grown-up than most people Addie knew.
“Did you want to check my qualifications? Quiz me on Bluey characters? Make sure I know how to tie shoelaces?” she asked Sean primly. Tugging Clover closer to her, she forced herself to make her voice a little softer. “She’s safe with me. I promise.”