The coffee shop smelled like cinnamon and espresso, sunlight spilling through the tall windows onto polished wooden tables. Carter sat across from you in a worn hoodie and a baseball cap pulled low, cradling a paper cup he hadn’t even touched yet. His attention was on the stroller parked right beside him.

Clara and Adrian.

Clara was fast asleep, her tiny fist tucked under her cheek, while Adrian blinked up at the ceiling, wide-eyed, as though the hanging lights were some grand show made just for him. Every time he shifted, Carter leaned closer, the massive hockey player somehow gentled down into someone completely different.

You sat with your latte, pearls glinting in the morning light, hair pulled back neatly, a picture of elegance against the rustic backdrop of the café. People glanced over—some whispering, some outright staring. A hockey star with twins, a girl who looked like she belonged in a different world altogether.

Carter didn’t notice. He was too busy tracing the outline of Adrian’s blanket with one calloused finger, too busy brushing Clara’s bonnet back into place.

“You realize they’re the only reason I’ll ever sit still this long,” he murmured finally, a crooked grin tugging at his mouth.