She snorted.“I get it—it’s boring.Nerdy.Possibly arcane.”She waved a hand.“Environmentalists hate my job.They think I want the world to burn to a crisp.”
I cleared my throat.“But you don’t, right?I mean, that would be bad.”
She rubbed her hands on her belly.“No, I don’t.I wanted to be a petrochemical engineer so that while extraction remains one of our energy sources, we didn’t have another massive oil spill.”
I frowned.“That’s noble.”
“Thanks…I think.It didn’t hurt that I also get to see the world and bring home a good salary.”She set her fork down and focused on me.“What got you into hockey?”
“My parents.”
She smiled.“Really?They’re fans?Come to every game?”she teased.
“More like fans of me not being around.”I winced.“Sorry.That’s harsh.”
She shook her head.“No, I get that.”She was quiet a moment.“After my mother died, my dad told me to stop moping.When I couldn’t get out of my “funk”—as he called it—he shipped me off to boarding school.”
I made a sound of disapproval deep in my throat.Then I told her the painful truth I hated sharing with anyone.“Hockey took up a lot of my time as a kid, whether I wanted it to or not.My parents liked that aspect of it.”
Millie gawked.“What?Your parents made you play a sport you didn’t like so they didn’t have to…” She trailed off, clearly uncomfortable with her train of thought.
I shrugged like it was no big deal, but I also clenched my hands into fists, no longer hungry.“I was active—too active, according to my teachers and parents.Getting me on the ice for hours each week was supposed to tire me out, as well as to keep me out of their hair.Plus, they were mostly just following their noses to the next exciting activity, and my schedule got in the way.”
Millie’s eyes went soft with sympathy.I waved her off before she could comment.
“I ended up loving it.Best decision they made for me.”
I wouldn’t share with anyone how good it had felt to find a place to finallybelong.
Millie seemed to think we were different—too different.But we weren’t.In fact, with each tidbit of her past she let slip, I realized just how similarly loveless our childhoods had been.That’s probably why we were both so excited to be parents ourselves.
Shifting so I could see her bump, my breathing slowed as contentment washed over me.I wanted our family.I wanted to be a family—more than I knew how to express to her.
The meal was low-key, perfect to show Millie being with me didn’t have to be a high-stress, fame-in-the-way situation.I insisted on cleaning up, though Millie kept me company.But once she started yawning, I shooed her to bed.
“Are you sure you’ll be okay out here?”she asked, her dubious gaze swinging to the couch.
There was no way I’d fit on my back with my legs straight.Why did people insist on buying furniture that didn’t fit them?Well, in fairness, the couch fit Millie fine.Just not my extra ten inches.
“Yeah.It’s fine.”
She pressed her lips together, shifting back and forth.
“It’s fine, Millie.I’mfine.Go to bed.”
Three hours later, I groaned as I flailed, barely keeping myself from landing cheek-first on the floor.I knocked my foot into the coffee table, stubbing my toe.
With a low curse, I rolled over onto my back, one of my shoulders hanging off the couch’s cushion.My back ached from the hunched position, my muscles too tight.
“My twin bed at my parents’ house was more comfortable,” I muttered, running my palms down my face.But I must have slid back into sleep because the next thing I heard was the water running for the shower.I blinked open my bleary eyes and squinted at the morning sunlight hazing through the gauzy drapery over the sliding glass doors.Jet lag and too few hours of sleep caused my head to pound.
With a grimace, I hauled myself off the torture device and limped to the kitchen.Caffeine would help my fuzzy head.Stretches and a workout would eventually loosen my muscles.By the time Millie came out, I’d finished half my cup of coffee and folded the sheets and comforter into a nice, neat pile in the corner of the couch.
She tucked her hair behind her ear.‘’Morning.Sleep okay?”
“Great.”The word spilled from my mouth because I was still caught on her lips.They were so soft and pink.I wanted to run my thumb over the bottom one.She’d open for me, caress the tip with her tongue.I cleared my throat, yanking my mind from the fantasy.“Want some?”
She shook her head.“No caffeine while pregnant.I’ll just make some herbal tea.Then we can head out to my doctor’s appointment.”
