“Oh my gosh, it’s gorgeous!” Piper holds my hand in place and looks at the ring from every angle.
“What did you do with the other ring?” Dakota asks.
“I think I’ll donate it. There are a lot of charities that take old engagement and wedding rings.” Something I only know because of all the bridal research I did over the past two years. “Fresh start, new ring.”
When Piper lets go, I raise my hand and admire the new bling. It’s exactly the ring I wanted, oval cut, and twice as big as the last. And best of all, I didn’t wear it while engaged to someone else. Declan surprised me with it this morning. He got down on one knee and everything. I finally got the kind of dream proposal I used to write about.
Knocking on the plexiglass in front of me gets my attention. Declan stands on the other side, stick in one hand.
“Hey.” I quit admiring my ring and admire him. Wow, he looks good. Up in the box, it’s hard to fully appreciate just how handsome he is in that uniform. I step forward and place both hands on the glass. “Got a girlfriend, number seventy-seven?”
“Nope.” He flips a puck up and catches it on the end of his stick. “But I have a wife and if she sees you talking to me, who knows what she’ll do.”
“Better get back to work then.”
He winks and then takes the puck in one gloved hand and makes a motion like he’s going to toss it up and over the plexiglass. I nod eagerly, and he throws it over to me. Cradling it in both hands, I purse my lips and bring them close to the glass and make a kissing sound. “Good luck.”
He winks again as he skates backward to rejoin the team warming up.
“This was such a good idea sitting down here,” I say, still staring after Declan. “Up close, my husband is even sexier.”
Everly wanted to bring some friends to the game, and Scarlett’s sister, Cadence, brought Sebastian. Since we couldn’t all sit up in the WAG box, we decided to watch the game from the lower level. Best decision ever.
My husband is fast and brutal on the ice. I love listening to the crowd around me cheer him on. But no one yells louder than me. Baby Seb sleeps right through it in Cadence’s arms. He loves to be held.
At the first intermission, Cadence stands. “My arms are going to fall off.”
“I’ll take him,” Scarlett says, and her sister passes him to her.
“He’s pretty cute,” I say, looking at his little pouty mouth and dark lashes. He’s in a little Wildcat onesie and a beanie similar to the one I wear to every game with Declan’s name and number.
“He is the cutest baby in the whole world,” she coos at him, then looks at me. “Want to hold him?”
“Oh, I don’t know. What if I drop him or…break him?”
Scarlett chuckles softly. “You won’t.”
I still hesitate, but then Scarlett is bringing him closer, and I find myself raising my arms to take him. Panic courses through me as his soft, but surprisingly heavy, little body nuzzles against me.
“Look at you,” my best friend says. “How’s it feel?”
“Terrifying, but also…nice.”
“Ready to have a couple? Me and you. Our babies could be like siblings.”
I have to admit, it would be fun to tackle motherhood with Scarlett, the same way we’ve tackled everything else life has thrown at us. “I’m going to need you to give me a year or two.”
“The best I can do is seven months.”
“Seven months?” I ask. “Wait. You’re pregnant?!”
“Shh!”
I glance down at Sebastian and whisper sorry to him, then to Scarlett, “You’re pregnant?!”
“Yeah.” She’s positively giddy as she smiles back at me. “We just found out yesterday.”
“And you waited twenty-four hours to tell me?”
“I think I was in shock. I took like five tests to be sure.”
“Oh my gosh, Scar. I’d hug you, but my arms are full. Does Cadence know?”
She shakes her head. “You’re the only person that knows. We’re telling my family tonight after the game.”
“Oh man.” My lips pull wider. “I’d love to see the look on Coach Miller’s face when he finds out Leo knocked you up.”
“Leo’s definitely sweating it, but Mom and Dad love him.”
“I’m really happy for you.” I lean my shoulder against hers and let my head fall against hers.
We stand like that until the team is coming back out. Cadence is still missing. I hope she’s getting herself a big glass of wine. She deserves it. Holding this little chunk is more work than it looks. My arms are going to be sore. I might need to start working out before I think about having kids.
Declan skates onto the ice. He takes a puck to the net and then moves around it, scanning until he finds me. A slow smile spreads across his face when he sees me with Cadence’s baby.
“What’s the male equivalent of ovaries exploding?” Scarlett laughs. “Your husband is having a whole moment imagining you with his kid. Are you sure you don’t want to do this together?”
I look away from Declan to my best friend. “I will be with you every step of the way, and someday, when I pop out a couple of cute little babies, you’ll be able to coach me through it with all your wise motherly knowledge.”
“Love you,” she says.
“Love you, too.”
When the game is over, I head to the back doors to wait for Declan. Staring at my mom’s contact in my phone, I pace. I haven’t talked to her again since we made up. I think part of me has been afraid that letting her in will just lead to future disappointment, but if loving Declan has taught me anything, it’s that you have to fight for the family you want.
My pulse races as the phone rings, but it goes to voicemail. I consider texting, but Declan appears, and I put my phone in my pocket and go to him.
“Hey.” He leans down to kiss me.
“Nice game.” I hold up the puck he gave me. “Think I could sell this and make a little fast cash?”
“Maybe if I sign it.”
“Oooh. You’d do that?”
He grins at me fangirling. Maybe he doesn’t realize it, but I’m hands down his number one fan.
“Ready to go home?” he asks.
“So ready. I’ve been picturing you naked for three hours. Tell me, do you get to bring the uniform and all that padding home?”
Chuckling, he wraps an arm around my shoulders and leads me out to his car. Back at the house, a familiar vehicle is parked in the driveway.
“Is that my mom’s car?” I ask. It’s too dark to make out the person sitting in the driver’s side, but I’m positive that’s her black Toyota.
“Don’t be pissed,” he says, once he shuts off the engine, “but I invited her.”
“Why?”
“Because I know that it’s been weighing on you and that you want to have a better relationship with her. And maybe I’m projecting my own shit, but if my mom were here, I’d want someone to push me to work things out with her. I’m just so damn happy. I want you to be too.”
“I am. So happy. Ridiculously happy.” I wave my hands around for emphasis. “But thank you for loving me so well.”
“You’re welcome.” He gets out of the car and comes around to open my door. Leaning down, he whispers in my ear, “And I absolutely can bring my uniform home.”
