My Matt.
And I can’t ask for much more than that.
I grip his hand tighter and let him lead me home.
MATT
I may have lied to Ellie at the rink earlier today.
My hopes are not in check. In fact, they are so far out of check it’s probably unhealthy. But it’s been overtwo yearssince our first conversation about kids. Two years where the idea of a family with Ellie grew from a tiny seed (ha) to something much bigger and wholly consuming. Not even my final season of hockey this past year could fully distract me.
And now all this damn poppy seed talk has me brainstorming as we eat dinner at our apartment, about ways to ask her to take a test tonight.
I don’t even think she thought about it, but she said I was too rough while having fun with her tits last night. Tits I am very well acquainted with and would never dream of being too rough with. I’m one hundred percent sure I was actually more gentle than normal. Because of the aforementioned hopes and all that.
So I think we should justcheck. If I can convince her without making it obvious I lied about being chill.
Ice cream.
A little light bulb goes on in my head. Ice cream is always the answer.
I set my fork on my plate and look at Ellie. “How about ice cream and a movie tonight? You can pick the movie.” I waggle my eyebrows in a silly attempt to sweeten the offer-slash-ruse.
“Sure! I think we’re out of ice cream though.”Exactly. “Are you opposed to a crime doc? There is a new one I’ve been meaning to check out.”
“Just because I don’t understand the obsession doesn’t mean I’d get in the way of it,” I joke with my hands up before standing and bringing our plates to the sink. “I’ll run to the store to grab the ice cream.” I kiss her on the head and then get my jacket and slip on my boots. Thankfully there’s a store only a few minutes down the block.
When I get back I find Ellie in the bedroom putting on her pajamas. Her perfect fucking tits are out and I have to swallow a groan.
Time to stay focused. “I saw something cool at the store,” I start.
“Oh?” She puts on a large T-shirt that’s both a blessing and disappointment. It’s got a big smiley face in the center that brings me back to one of our first dates at her apartment. My chest gets tight and I almost forget the script I practiced on the walk home.
“They have these packs of pregnancy tests that, like, come in bulk. They’re strips instead of those bigger ones. That way you can test whenever you want without feeling like it’s a waste, you know?”
Ellie raises her eyebrows and grins. “And you just happened to be in the aisle with HCG tests?”
“HCG?”
“Human chorionic gonadotropin, technically. It’s what pregnancy tests are measuring.”
Ah. Shit. I try to think of what else I saw in that part of the store.
“I was getting…lube.” I feel my face heat at the lie. I didn’t think this through.
“I see. Where is it?”
“I…um…didn’t like the options,” I offer.
“Of course,” she snickers. “But yes, I’m familiar. We use something like those strips at the hospital.”
My half-assed plan is rapidly unraveling. Why didn’t I think of that? I scratch my neck and pass her the package of tests, keeping my eyes on them. “Well now you have some here. To use whenever you want.”
“Whenever I want,” Ellie repeats. “Matt.” I look up as she comes and stands directly in front of me, her head tilted up to mine.
I’m never going to get over how much I love this girl and her beautiful face. Her freckles and honey-brown eyes. Her nearly ever-present flush. Somehow I got lucky enough to make this amazing person mywife.
Mywife.
