I leaned forward and kissed him full on the lips.
He groaned against mine and pulled me closer into him. He put a hand through my hair as he deepened the perfect kiss.
58. Sav - June
It was a long, bumpyseason– both in hockey and life– butwe were finally coming to the end of it.
I paced– very slowly because I was almost nine months pregnant– back and forth in the suite room overlooking the ice. I’d never been this nervous to watch a game before…
“Oooh, ow,” I grunted aloud and rubbed my stomach.
“Youalright?”
I turned to see Kelly Whitmore, who was the wife of a defenseman named Whitty. I wasn’t sure of Whitty’s first name because the guys always just called him that. He was hoping for a win tonight so he could retire as a Stanley Cup Champion.
“Yeah… I think it’s just Braxton Hicks,” I told her while cringing.
“Does it hurt?” she asked, looking a little worried. “If it does, that means it’s no longer Braxton Hicks and you may be going into labor,” she warned. She was a mom of three little girls, so she probably knew what she was talking about… but I couldn’t even think of that possibility. I was probably just overreacting.
I took a deep breath and pain started to subside.
“Nah, I still have over two weeks til my due date. I’m good. I think my nerves are just shot right now,” I told her.
She still looked concerned, but she nodded in agreement with me. “This has been a crazy play-off season. Why do they always have to make it go into overtime? I am so done with that. Hoping for a quick win tonight.”
“Same…” I checked my watch and noticed it was almost game time. “I think I’ll move down to my seat now. I always used to sit in the corner during Duke’s games at the Ice League and now he says he scores every time I sit there. These boys and their superstitions,” I said, rolling my eyes.
“Are you sure?” she asked me warily. “Maybe grab one of the other women to go with you? I’d go, but then we’d have to look for three extra seats for my little girlies.” She motioned to the three of them on the floor focusing on their coloring books. They were all under the age of five and absolutely adorable wearing little Crewman cheerleading dresses.
“No, no,” I brushed her off. “I’ll be fine. But if I stay here feeling cooped up I’m going to implode,” I joked.
Her forehead creased. “Well, call me if you need any help, alright?”
“Thank you,” I responded as I slowly waddled to the exit.
I caught sight of myself in the shiny elevator doors and was surprised for the upteenth time by my own reflection.
Before this year, I always wore my long hair in a messy bun or under a hat. Now, I wore my highlighted hair in a soft blunt cut just above my shoulders. I felt more mature and chic this way… Plus, when I came home and showed Griff, he lovedit…
“Ooh, baby,” he wagged his eyebrows and quickly got up from the couch to greetme.
“You don’t think it’s too short?” I asked himwarily.
He tucked the shorter strands behind my ears and leaned down to kiss myforehead.
“Not at all. You look like a young, hot, hockey mom, babe. I love it,” he said, giving me an over-the-top flirty face.
I rolled my eyes and thought that was a weird title, but I let it slide because he apparently thought it was a really goodthing…
And, instead of the tighter athletic clothes I used to wear that showed off the hard work I put into the gym… My new outfit of choice included Griff’s jogger sweatpants. I snorted at how bunched up they were at the ankles because he was so much taller than me, but I didn’t care at all. I wore them under my belly, and they were comfy. Besides, I think Griff secretly loved when I wore his clothes… I mean, I know I loved the way he looked at me when I wore them… I didn’t feel pregnant when he looked at me that way… He’d stare down at me with a smirk and hunger in his eyes… hunger for me…
Jeez, it made me all hot and bothered even just thinking about Griff…
Sometimes I wished I could talk to my younger self and tell her not to worry so much– because I was wrong to think another connection wouldn’t exist for me.
I never compared the connections because they were in completely different categories, and I had space in my heart to love both of them.
My connection with Nick was tender and young.
