Epilogue
Goose
Five Months Later
“Babe, are you ready to go? We’re gonna be late!” I shouted from the entryway of our house, gift bag in hand.
We were headed to Speed Arena for a special pre-season celebration.
Dakota and Braxton’s gender reveal.
Braxton hadn’t been kidding when he told me they began trying as soon as Kit was born and Dakota officially came down with baby fever. It was barely a few months later that they announced their pregnancy to our tight-knit little group and were due in January. Today, we would discover whether the newest Speed baby was a boy or a girl.
A lot had happened in the past few months.
I was back on my feet—literally—and was making great progress toward playing hockey again. The trainers thought it might be a few more months yet, but I considered myself lucky that I would be able to get back into the game at all.
Gemma took some time to evaluate her options, and instead of attending college, she chose to volunteer at a local domestic violence shelter. She was happier than ever, knowing she was making a difference in the lives of women and children who had been mistreated by men who were supposed to care for them.
Speaking of my incredible, beautiful wife, she rounded the corner from the kitchen, twisting her hands. “I have to tell you something.”
Oh, good. I was wondering when she was going to bring this up.
“I already know.” My grin grew so wide my cheeks hurt.
She cocked her head, brows drawing down. “You do?”
“You’re pregnant.”
Hazel eyes grew comically large, and she stumbled back, placing a hand to her midsection and screeching, “What? No!”
Setting the gift bag on the hall table, I moved closer, only to have her retreat with every step I took. “I’m pretty sure you are. Your period is three days late.”
Head whipping up, she asked, “What day is it?”
“The twenty-seventh,” I supplied.
I watched on in amusement as she counted on her fingers, trying to match up today’s date with when she was supposed to have started her period.
Frowning when she realized I was right, Gemma countered, “I’ve been late a few days here and there before. That doesn’t mean anything.”
Approaching slowly like she was an animal about to spook, I managed to loop my arms around her waist before she could pull away.
“Maybe not. But there have been other signs.”
She raised an unimpressed eyebrow. “Like what?”
“Let’s see,” I began. “You’ve been falling asleep in the middle of the day, you’re constantly in the bathroom, and your tits are so sore you haven’t let me touch them all week.”
Her eyes shifted as she absorbed the information before cursing under her breath. “Shit.”
We’d discussed the possibility of children during the months of my recovery, coming to the decision to let it happen when it was meant to. With Gemma now thirty-eight, I knew it might be too late, so I hadn’t let myself get my hopes up.
But this past week, I’d finally allowed excitement to creep in.
It would seem my wife needed a little more time to wrap her mind around the idea. Thankfully, she had the next eight or so months to do so.
I decided to throw her a bone. “We can’t really be sure until you take a test, though.”
Gemma peeked past me toward the door. “But we have to go.”
“We do,” I agreed. “But as much as I love our chosen family, this one here—me, you, and maybe baby—always comes first.”
“Maybe baby,” she huffed. “Can’t believe this is happening.”
She was processing, so I tried my best to tamp down my joy because, right now, I was itching to scream from the rooftops that I was going to be a daddy.
Kissing her forehead, I stepped back to give her some breathing room before pulling out my phone and typing out a quick text.
Something came up, and we’re running behind.
The flashing dots indicated an incoming reply.
Braxton: How far behind? We don’t want to do this without you guys.
Half an hour max. I promise.
Braxton: All right. See you soon.
Lifting my eyes to Gemma, I found her hugging her waist and chewing her lower lip.
“Bathroom. Upstairs.” I tilted my head in that direction.
“What?” she asked in a daze.
A corner of my lips twitched. “Time to take a test.”
Her eyes bulged, and her voice took on a high-pitched quality. “You have one? Here?”
“Never hurts to be prepared.” I gripped her hand and tugged her behind me as I moved through the house. “Come on.”
She grumbled behind me, digging her heels in when we reached the master bathroom. Releasing her hand, I opened a drawer and produced a pink box. Ripping it open, I pulled the white plastic stick from its wrapper and offered it to Gemma.
When she didn’t make a move, I smirked. “Need me to hold it for you while you pee?”
Narrowing her eyes, she snatched it from my hand, stepping past me toward the toilet. “No.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at her surly attitude.
Lowering her high-waisted shorts, she sat down and shot me a death glare when I couldn’t wipe the smile from my face. Holding the stick between her open thighs, she peed on the pregnancy test before handing it off to me.
Immediately, I set it on the sink and started a timer on my phone.
Three minutes.
Seemed like an eternity when awaiting life-altering news.
Gemma washed her hands. “What now?”
I peeked at the timer. “We’ll find out in two minutes.”
She allowed me to pull her into my arms and exhaled heavily. “What if I don’t know how to be a mom? It’s not like I had much of an example.”
“Hey,” I said softly, tipping her face up. “You know how to love, don’t you?”
“I guess.” She shrugged.
“As long as you have the love part sorted out, the rest will follow. We’ll learn how to be parents together.”
The alarm sounded on my phone, and Gemma jolted in my arms.
“I can’t look.” She buried her face in my chest.
Turning us together, I craned my neck to view the test resting on the counter. With one hand, I picked the stick up by the handle and checked the results against the key printed on the plastic.
Two lines. Gemma was pregnant.
I knew it.
“Babe.” My smile was audible, and that was enough to give it away.
Gemma gasped, peeking up at me. “Seriously?”
I nodded, cradling her face and kissing her. “Do you have any idea how happy you’ve made me?”
She pulled out of my hold and, with a trembling hand, picked up the pregnancy test. “Oh my God.”
“You okay?” I hedged. “I know we talked about this happening one day, but . . .”
“Yeah.” Gemma swallowed thickly. “I just—“ Her eyes, glassy with unshed tears, met mine. “Is this real?”
“We’ll get it confirmed by a doctor, but I’ve heard false positives are pretty rare.”
“We’re having a baby.” She said it almost as if she were trying to convince herself.
I eased the stick from her fingers and set it back down. Clasping our hands, I brought them over my chest so she could feel my beating heart.
“I love you, and I love our growing little family.”
She nodded. “Yeah, me too.” Pausing, she added, “Can we sit on this for a bit? I don’t want to ruin Dakota and Braxton’s big day.”
“Of course.”
I could promise not to say anything, but it would be a wonder if no one noticed I was about to burst with excitement. I was walking on air.
This was the best day of my life so far, and I knew there would be many more incredible ones ahead.
“We’re here!” I shouted as Gemma and I burst through the tunnel and onto the home team bench at Speed Arena.
“About damn time,” Braxton called back from where he stood with Dakota at center ice. A carpet had been rolled out so they could venture out there in street shoes.
There were so many family and friends in attendance that both benches were packed with people, and I settled Gemma in front of me, my view unobstructed over her head.
“All right, Charlie girl, you ready to do the honors?” Braxton asked his nine-year-old niece, who was geared up, stick in hand.
Her helmeted head bobbed, and she skated back a few feet.
“Ready, set, go!” Braxton yelled.
Charlie dug her skates in, racing toward a puck resting before where Braxton and Dakota stood. Pulling her stick back, she swung, and a cloud of pink dust burst into the air.
Everyone cheered as Dakota and Braxton hugged in excitement over learning their baby was a girl.
My hand, looped around Gemma’s waist, slid lower, the palm coming to rest over where our own baby was growing. I wondered if our little Speed baby would be a boy or a girl, but truthfully, it didn’t matter. I would be thrilled with either.
At the end of the day, our child was an expression of love, the culmination of all my dreams coming true.
The baby news had eclipsed everything else, but suddenly, I remembered Gemma had wanted to tell me something earlier.
When I spun her around, she peered up at me in question.
Dipping my head, I placed my lips to her ear, whispering so as not to be overheard. “If you didn’t know about the baby, what were you about to tell me back at the house?”
Panic, icy and cold, slid through my veins when she pulled back with a frown.
“My brother called.”
I tensed immediately. We still had guards at the house and following us everywhere we went.
“Did they find your father?” I asked, praying they had so my wife could sleep soundly at night, knowing the threat to us had been neutralized.
“No. He’s getting married.”
“What?”
Concern flickered over her features. “I think I have to go home to Chicago. Something about this doesn’t feel right.”
I stared at her for a full minute before I found my voice. “You want to go back?”
“I don’t want to. But I think I should.”
“Okay, then we’ll go.” I nodded, ready to be her support as she walked back into a life she’d left behind.
Gemma’s hazel eyes widened. “You’re coming?”
A huff left my chest. “You’re sure as hell not going alone.”
Before I knew it, she threw herself into my arms, and I stumbled back a step, caught by surprise.
“Thank you.” Her words were muffled against my chest.
“Anything for you, Kitten. You know that.”
She squeezed me tighter. “I don’t deserve you.”
“Yes, you do.” I stroked her hair. “You deserve the whole world, and I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to give it to you.”
A year ago, I was watching on from the sidelines as my closest friends and teammates were happy, in love, and starting their families. I could admit to being envious, wanting a taste of what they’d found.
Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined the wild ride life had taken me on since then. I wasn’t just holding the love of my life in my arms; she was now my wife, and we were about to become parents. My heart was overflowing, bursting with joy.
Sure, there had been moments of heartbreak and struggle, and I wasn’t na?ve enough to believe it would be smooth sailing from here on out. But as long as we had each other, we could weather any storm.
I couldn’t wait to see what life had in store for us next.