Chapter 18
Reid
Two weeks of keeping the news about our child a secret from the team was too much.
During that time, we had our first appointment with the doctor to check up on Rowan and the baby.
Both were doing just fine, even though the nausea still plagued him throughout the day.
It wasn’t bad enough to slow him down, just an annoyance.
Next week we would get to have our first ultrasound.
I couldn’t wait to see our child on the screen.
The first time he had awoken out of bed and run to the bathroom, I paced helplessly nearby, hating that I couldn’t do anything to help him.
I became obsessed with making sure that Rowan had everything he needed at all times.
Food, water, adequate rest, and all his favorite things.
Once I learned how much he liked soft blankets, I started buying them in bulk.
We now had six extra blankets just in our room in case he wanted something different.
There were two in my office, one in his locker, and one in my travel bag.
I found the brand that he liked and bought them in every color.
Keeping an eye on him and taking care of his needs became much easier since we had officially moved Rowan out of Evan’s home and into mine.
Elliot and Nix had helped pack up his things and move them to my place.
I surprised Rowan by adding a new desk to my office so that he could do his schoolwork there.
The office was big enough for both of us to work side by side.
Though from experience, I knew that Rowan preferred to do his homework spread out on the floor in the living room, where he usually had a game playing in the background, and all of his papers spread out around him.
The first time I’d come home to find him like that had been a surprise.
Not because I minded at all. It just felt so right to have him in my—our—home. He belonged there.
He was quick to apologize and try to clean up his mess when he caught me gawking at him. Instead, I sat down and watched the game while he worked. He would run ideas by me and talk about his coursework. It was perfect, domestic bliss.
I never thought I’d enjoy having a person in my space so much, but now I couldn’t imagine being without him.
Mario came into my office holding a small shoe box from a local skate store. He handed it to me. “This arrived for you. Looks like skates, but maybe they sent the wrong size?”
They did not.
I grinned. “Thanks. Is the team all here?”
“Yeah, they’re on the ice already, warming up. Do you need something?”
“Yes, gather them up in a few minutes. Rowan and I have something we want to discuss.”
A knowing smile spread across his face. “Sure thing, Coach.”
I found Rowan easily enough; he was in the players’ lounge reading on his Kindle.
He smiled when he saw me. “Aren’t you supposed to be starting practice?”
“Soon.” I held up the box. “They arrived.”
His eyes lit up. “They did? Are they as cute as the pictures online?”
“Probably. I didn’t open them yet. I thought you might want to. Also, I thought maybe we’d tell the team? If you’re ready.”
Rowan tossed his Kindle onto the cushion next to him and hopped to his feet. “Yeah. Let’s do that. I think Nix and Elliot already suspect. The alphas are all oblivious, though.”
Evan had commented that he was surprised to see the backflip and cartwheels removed from Rowan’s routine. Rowan had made up a story about the liability after his fall a few weeks ago. Apparently Evan bought that story because he didn’t bring it up again.
“Shall we go tell them?” I asked.
Rowan grabbed the box from me and tore it open, pulling out the tiniest, most adorable pair of skates I’d ever seen. His face was a mix of surprise and awe as he held the skates in his hand. They were barely bigger than his palm.
“You know he or she won’t actually fit in these for a while right, right?” I asked. “Andeven when they do fit in them, they won’t be able to skate.”
“Yes, but how freaking adorable will it be next to our skates? That will be the picture on our Christmas card this year.”
I grinned. I’d never sent out Christmas cards, but I would this year if that was what Rowan wanted. It was amazing just how far gone I was for him. He was the center of my whole world. It used to be hockey, and it was just him.
“Let’s go tell the team,” I said.
We each put on our skates and made our way out to the ice.
Even though I knew it was safe for him to skate, and I was confident in his skills, it still terrified me to have him out there where he could fall at any moment.
I had the same reaction when we were walking in the city.
Basically, I just worried about him and our child constantly.
The doctor had given me a pamphlet specifically about how safe the baby was in the womb. I still worried.
I clicked the button on my whistle and the team skated over to us. Evan looked at us a little quizzically, then realization dawned.
“You have an announcement for us, Coach?” he asked. His eyes twinkled.
“I might.” I looked around to make sure everyone was there and that they could hear me.
“You ready?” Rowan asked, his grin so big it lit up his whole face.
“Yeah, I’m ready.”
He pulled out the skates and held them up for all to see. “We’re getting a new team member!”
It took a few seconds for his words to sink in, for a moment we were met with blank stares, but when they did figure it out, the team hooted and hollered, some jumping up and down.
There were handshakes and claps on the back for me and hugs for Rowan.
Everyone was careful not to jostle him too much while we were on the ice.
“We’re happy for you, Coach,” Nix said. “But mostly we’re excited for Rowan. He’s going to have the cutest little badger kit this world has ever seen!”
I laced my fingers into Rowan’s. “I can’t argue with that.”