“Hell yeah, I want ice cream.”
I laugh and hold her hand as we leave and make our way to our favorite mom and pop shop.
There’s a new girl working behind the counter, and she seems a little nervous as we order.
“What do you want, little guy?” Sloane asks her stomach before looking through the selection. “Can I get a scoop of strawberry and caramel crunch on a waffle cone?” she asks.
“I’ll just have a lemon sorbet in a cup, please.”
“Come on, Maxy, live a little,” she says, and I shake my head at her.
The girl at the counter gets our orders together and rings us up, and Sloane and I sit at one of the small circular tables. She hums as she eats her ice cream and gasps, almost dropping her ice cream as she grabs my hand.
“He’s moving,” she says, putting my hand on her stomach as I feel the baby kick for the first time.
If I thought I was having a crisis earlier, my panic intensifies by tenfold.
“Hey, talk to me,” she says, still holding my hand on her stomach.
“What if I’m shit at this?”
She smiles at me and takes my hand off her stomach and holds my hand.
“You know, you’re too good at doubting yourself and overthinking things. Everything you’ve shown me as a scent match, my bonded Alpha, has been amazing. You’re a good man, and you’re going to be a great father.”
“You can’t know that.”
“I can. Plus, I signed us up for parenting classes anyway during the off season,” she says easily.
I sigh. “I’ve never held a baby,” I admit.
“Then we’ll go to Charlotte’s house. You can hold one of hers.”
“I’ve never changed a diaper or know anything about keeping a baby alive.”
“You also never considered pack life or had been with an Omega before me, and look at you now. These things can all be learned, Max. Not to mention, you have three other people who are here to help with the workload. You’re not alone, and you never will be again.”
I lean forward and place a tender kiss against her lips before taking a bite of her ice cream, which makes her laugh and retaliate by taking a bite of mine.
“Oh, that’s disgusting,” she says, scrunching her nose.
“You really think we can do this?”
“I know we can, as long as we have each other,” she says with a smile.
Some of my panic disappears, even if there’s still some fear of the unknown. This isn’t all on my shoulders, and together, we can do anything.
I’m exhausted and ready to go home to Sloane. She didn’t come to the game tonight—the pregnancy is starting to wear her out. It makes me yearn for the off-season. I know I should be focused on making the playoffs and extending our season. Don’t get me wrong, I want to take the Foxes as far as we can go, but I don’t think we’re built for it this season.
It’s a harsh reality. Even if we do make the playoffs, I’m not sure how far we would advance.
What I do know is that Sloane needs time with us, time to enjoy being pregnant and bonded.
I scrub a hand down my face. I just want to get this press conference over with. I don’t like the thought of Sloane home alone, and I feel on edge. At least with away games, we know she’s safe and at home with Ethan.
I smile to myself when I think about the pair of them. They might be more trouble together than anything, but Ethan would do whatever it takes to keep her safe. It’s a wild sensation, being able to trust someone as completely as I do Ethan.
Bram and I take our seats for the post-game press. We were on it tonight in defense, not letting a single puck through the net. Bram claps my shoulder, and I look out into the field of reporters—something feels off.
