34. Epilogue - Chase
Six weeks later…
I’ve watched my wife work her ass off on many occasions. But I’ve never seen her as tired as this.
It might be the baby she’s growing draining her, but I don’t think so.
I think the situation with Gannon and Shelby Byrd is having a bigger impact on her energy.
And as of two-fifteen this morning, the threat to Gannon and Shelby is over.
Anton Banks was caught, by a routine traffic stop of all things, on his way to search for the one who got away. Shelby.
I don’t know the details, but I do know the FBI had set a trap for him, and while they didn’t catch him where they expected, they still caught him.
And my wife took the news in a way I’ve never seen.
She burst into tears.
I’m sure it’s the pregnancy hormones.
I’ve never known her to show such deep emotion outside of her circle of close friends and the look of horror on Ray Denim’s face confirmed my thoughts.
She’s resting now. Sleeping soundly. Thankfully. I’m not sure she’s slept more than a few hours at a time since Gannon got the call Shelby had been assaulted.
Luckily, I’ve cut back on my training now the season is over, and I’ve picked up the slack in our lives that Gem normally deals with. Plus, Cass and Stell are on summer break, so having them around all day has helped.
“Chase?” Speaking of the twins.
Slipping from the room I now share with Gem, I close the door behind me and turn to find my sisters at the top of the stairs. “Hey.”
“Is she sleeping?” Stell asks, the worry for Gem she hasn’t hidden still stamped on her face.
“Yeah. I think she’ll be out for a few hours.” I walk toward them. “Need something?”
“Um, yeah,” Cass looks over her shoulder before her wide eyes meet mine. “They’re all here,” she whispers.
“Who’s all here?”
“Everyone.”
The closer I get to the twins, the more audible the murmur of voices from downstairs. “Everyone? I need you to be a bit more specific.”
“Oakley and Blake and Cami,” Stell says, her voice low.
“And Walker and Beck and Bran,” Cass adds.
“What? No kids?” I’m joking but when the girls both shake their heads, the smile on my face drops. “Okay. Let’s see what they want.”
Leading the way downstairs, I see Deanne Harper hovering near the front door. “Deanne?”
“Oh, hi, Chase.” Her smile is unsure and only adds to my concern.
“Is something wrong?”
“No. She’s here to collect the girls. Take them to Pa’s for the night. He’s declared it grandparent night.” Cami walks toward me. “Mom and Dad are going too. And Blake’s parents are arriving in the city in about an hour, so they’ll join once they drop their bags at home.”
My gaze moves behind her. “And you’re all here because…”
“We figured it would be good to get together.”
“Gem’s sleeping.”
“Let her. Go get the girls ready to go with Deanne and then meet us in the kitchen. We’ve got food and drink. Nat can join us when she wakes up.”
“She’d want me to wake her up.”
“Then do that. But not yet.” Cami indicates the stairs behind me. “Go help Deanne pack the girls up for a night with their grandparents and cousins.”
Turning, I find the foyer empty, and I don’t fight the smile tugging at my lips. “Guess the girls are ready for a night away from us.”
“I’m sure it’s more they’re ready for a night of being spoiled.” Cami laughs, her hand rubbing her round belly. “Shame I can’t let this one join in yet.”
“Soon.” My smile grows. “Soon there will be another three for the grandparents to spoil.
“And Aunt Deanne. Don’t forget me.” Deanne is coming down the stairs, Candace on her hip, the twins behind her.
“You two okay to?—”
“Yep.”
“Yes!”
Neither of my sisters even stops on their way to the door. “Okay, see you tomorrow I guess.”
“Don’t worry, Chase. They still love you. They just love their grandparents more.”
Cami’s words have me looking back at her. “Grandparents…we’ve never had any. Both sets died when I was a baby.”
“Well, they have them now.” She slips her arm through mine. “Come on. Let’s get something to eat. Little Bit is hungry.”
“Ah, give me a minute. I just want to check on Gem.”
“You’ll find us taking over your kitchen,” she says with a grin.
I don’t hang around to watch her go back to the others. Taking the stairs two at a time I race back to our room.
It’s funny. We haven’t told anyone directly—except the twins—that we’re together. Although everyone knows Gem is pregnant with my baby. I expected some questions, a few narrowed eyes, but there’s been none of that.
Then again, everyone has been preoccupied with the Gannon and Shelby situation.
And now that’s been resolved, or the threat neutralized at least, I guess we can all get back to normal lives. Whatever they are.
Nothing about my life has been normal in over a year. But maybe that’s how life is supposed to be. Always changing, always growing.
I like to think my parents would be proud of me, proud of the girls, or at least happy for us and where we are now.
If they were here, if they hadn’t died, we wouldn’t have the life we have, we wouldn’t be adding another member to the family in a few months.
As much as I wish my parents were still here, there are so many things that wouldn’t be the same if they were.
For one—I push open our bedroom door—I wouldn’t have a wife and a baby on the way. I frown when the empty bed comes into view.
A wife who isn’t where I left her.
“Gem?”
“Bathroom,” she calls out.
“You okay?” I race across the room only to skid to a halt when I find her brushing her hair. “Ah…”
“I heard voices downstairs, checked the security feed until I worked out who was here.” She turns a sheepish smile my way. “I’m still in protection mode. Had my finger poised to hit the second 1 on 911.”
I smile, but it’s not a happy one, it’s more a grimace. I hate that we’ve all been scared the last few weeks. “I can understand that.”
“Once I figured out the girls were safe, we were safe, I jumped out of bed because they have to be planning something if they’re all here.”
“Like what? Buying another franchise?” I laugh. But the sound fades when Gem doesn’t join in.
“You shouldn’t joke about that kind of thing.”
“Oh.”
“Yep. The plan was always, build a successful NHL team then look to start or purchase a PWHL team.”
“The women’s national league?”
“Yes.”
“You want to own a team in both leagues?”
“Sure.” Gem shrugs as she grabs a band and slips it over her hand to stretch it. “Why not?”
“I...” I snap my mouth shut.
“Don’t worry, I don’t think that’s why they’re here. Besides.” her gaze connects with mine in the mirror. “I plan to resign as GM in a few months.”
“You what? You can’t. What would you?—”
“I’m handing it over to Mason Watts.”
I shake my head. I couldn’t have heard her right. “Mason?”
“Yes. We talked, well joked about it really, just after we won the Cup.” She twists her hair up into a tail and feeds it through the band on her hand. “I think he’s the perfect choice to carry the torch from here.”
“What will you do?”
“Have a baby. Spend time with my husband.” Turning to face me, she leans back on the counter. “I realized something today.”
“Yeah?”
“Yes. I’ve never told you I love you.”
My heart bangs against my ribcage. “You’ve shown me.”
“I hope so.” She pushes off the counter and comes toward me. “But I need to say it. I’m not used to saying it. Not sure I’ve said those three words to anyone more than a handful of times in my life.”
“I don’t need them.” And I don’t. I feel her love every day; even when we’re in panic mode over possible danger, Gem shows me she loves me. “Feeling your love, seeing it in the things you do for me and the girls is more than enough.”
“Maybe. But you deserve to hear the words from my lips, and I want to say them. To you.”
Wrapping my arms around her, I keep my gaze on hers. “I always think there’s no way I can love you more and then you do something, and I fall a little deeper. I’m so deep I don’t see myself ever finding my way out.”
“Are you mad about that?” She smiles up at me.
“No. The question is, are you mad about it? Because there’s not enough money in the world to buy my signature on divorce papers.”
“Good. Because I don’t ever want your signature on divorce papers.”
“Only Rogues’ contract papers.” I grin.
“Oh, I definitely want it on those.”
“I love you, Natalie Hawkins.”
“I love you, Chase Hawkins.”
We grin stupidly at each other until someone—I think Oakley yells up the stairs.
“You two better not be having sex up there!”
“Oh lord.” Gem drops her forehead to my chest.
“Ignore her! She’s just jealous because pregnancy makes her horny and she didn’t get her morning quickie before Micky got us out of bed for breakfast!”
Gem taps her head on my breastbone twice before I slip a hand around her ponytail and pull her back. “I don’t think I’ll be able to look Coach in the eyes after hearing that.”
My comment produces the exact reaction I was after, a burst of laughter that I kiss right off her lips.
When I let us up for air, I stare at the woman in my arms and thank whatever forces were involved to bring her into my life.
“We should get down there and see why we’ve been invaded.”
She smiles. “We should. I need to let them know I’m resigning as GM four weeks before baby Hawkins is born.”
“Do you think they’ll be upset?”
“No. The team will be in good hands with Mason at the helm. I plan to bring him on as Assistant GM in the next few weeks. By the time the season starts, he’ll be well settled into the role so the change in leadership should be a smooth one.”
“Is resigning really what you want, or do you think you have to?” Before she can answer, I add, “Because I don’t care if you work after the baby is born. We managed with Candace, we can manage with this one.”
Nodding, she says, “We did, we can, but I want to spend more time with all the girls. More time with you. I’ll still work, just not in positions that take up a lot of my time.”
“Wait, you’re pulling back from Rogue sportswear too?”
“Yes. I’m handing over both my jobs and taking on the work Eli has been doing with Limitless. I want him free to retire fully. He’s incapable of semi-retiring and he should enjoy the hard work he’s put in to get where he is.”
“He called me yesterday. He’s planning to come down next week, wants to talk about offering Kent Quinn the CEO job.”
“Are you okay with that?”
“Yes. I want to play hockey for as long as I can and if either of the twins shows an interest in Limitless, they can take over or whatever. I kind of like the idea of retiring from playing and doing nothing except raising our kids.”
“Kids?”
“I want more than one.”
Gem laughs. “We have more than one.”
“Yeah, I guess we do.”
“So, one and done?”
It’s my turn to laugh. “Hell no. I’ll have as many as you’ll let me put in you.”
“Oh my god!” Blake yells from the bedroom doorway. “They are making more babies up here!”
Gem arches one eyebrow and asks, “Are you sure you want to tie yourself to this lot?”
“Are you staying with them?” When she nods, I say, “Then I’m definitely sure because I don’t want to be anywhere except by your side.”
“Then let’s go downstairs and tell everyone the wedding they’re expecting already happened.”