“Do you know, if I spoke to those around you, I bet they’d have a very different opinion of you.”
He looks away, unable to hold my eyes.
“You have achieved the one thing that thousands and thousands of little boys dream about. Hell, thousands of little girls, too.” I think of spending time with Sutton Rivers yesterday afternoon as we all got ready for the party. I’m pretty sure you could cut that little girl and she’d bleed hockey pucks. “You play hockey in the NHL, Rett. You did it. I can’t even begin to imagine how hard it was. But you did it. And from what I’ve read online, you’re one of the best grinders in the league.”
Something twinkles in his eyes. “You know what a grinder is?”
“I’m learning. And I’m hoping that once the season starts again, I can learn from watching one of the very best.”
“Bea,” he breathes, leaning forward and resting his brow against mine.
I cup his rough jaw in my hands and hold his eyes.
“I’m gonna be there, with Casey and Freya. Standing behind the plexiglass, wearing your jersey.” His breath catches and his eyes shutter. “And I’ll do it proudly, knowing that you’re my man, the father to our baby. That’s if you want me to, of course.”
“I want you to,” he confirms.
“And I’ll scream louder than every other woman in the arena.”
“You don’t need to. As far as I’m concerned, you’ll be the only woman there.”
His words make my heart sing.
“All we need is for you to try. For you to be there. Whether that be in person, or on the other end of a call when you’re on the road. If you put in even half the effort toward being a partner and a father as you have to hockey, then you’ll be incredible. I have no doubt.”
“You’re taking a huge risk here, Bea.”
“I’ve weighed it. I’m pretty confident.”
“Fuck,” he breathes, his hold on my waist unwavering. “What did I do to deserve you?”
“Nothing. You were just you, and I was just me, and we found each other.”
Silence falls between us as we hold each other, breathing each other’s air.
“I should take you back to bed,” he finally whispers. “It’s early.”
“I’m not feeling tired,” I confess. “Can you think of a way to keep me entertained?”
His eyes flash with heat.
“Again?”
I shrug one shoulder before leaning forward to whisper in his ear. “I’m twenty weeks pregnant. Do you have any idea what is going on with my hormones right now?”
“Up you go,” he says, effortlessly getting to his feet with me safely in his arms.
With his hands on my ass and my legs around his waist, he carries me back to my bedroom. But to my surprise, he doesn’t stop at the bed. Instead, he walks straight into the bathroom, depositing me on the cold granite counter.
“What are you—” My words die when he turns to the tub, then leans over for the faucet. “Oh.”
“What? Isn’t this what you had in mind?”
“I mean…I was thinking I’d be naked, if that’s what you mean.”
He chuckles, and as the sound bounces around the bathroom, I see some of the muscles locking up his shoulders loosen.
“Don’t worry. In my head, you’re always naked,” he confesses before shooting me a look over his shoulder that has me squirming.
