37. Hazel
Chapter 37
Hazel
B ouncing on my toes, I waited at the front door for Cormac to hurry the hell up. Tonight was a home game for the Avalon Knights, and I felt good enough to join them. Seb would have taken me to the game, only he was already there. He had spent a grand total of two practices with the Avalon Nights before the coach decided he was ready for a bit of ice time during a game.
It had only been mere days after Seb and I had talked about him making the transition at the ice cream shop before he had been on the ice, practicing with the team. The transfer had been completed in only two days.
Universities made things move fast for athletes.
Especially where packs were concerned.
Sebastian was officially part of Avalon University.
“We’re going to be late!” I whined as Cormac lumbered down the hall toward me. His hair was wild, as always, and he was already wearing his jersey, having come straight from practice to grab me before the game while the others remained there.
“Relax, getting worked up isn’t good for the baby.” He grinned, gently pushing me out of the door.
“Do you know what also isn’t good for the baby? Waiting around!”
“Get in the car, woman.” Cormac’s voice was tinged with laughter.
“How did Seb do at practice?” I asked as I huffed my way into the car. Climbing into cars was getting increasingly difficult, thanks to my growing bump.
“Really good,” he said, turning on the ignition and waiting until I was comfortable and buckled in to start driving. “He’ll be wearing a blood jersey tonight.”
“ Blood jersey?! What the hell does that mean?” I cried, gaping at Cormac, who was chuckling. The irrational urge to slap his smug face washed over me, but I resisted. The prospect of Seb wearing something called a blood jersey didn’t sit well with me.
“Relax, sweetness. It’s not as bad as it sounds. Blood jerseys are blank jerseys with no names and a random number. They offer them to players if they get injured or if they ruin their jersey somehow, for instance by getting blood on it.”
I frowned at him. “That makes sense, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it!”
“No, you don’t,” Cormac agreed with a grinning nod.
“Can we get some fried food at the game? I don’t know if they have deep-fried pickles, but if they do, that’s my number one choice. But fries are also a good contender.
“Let me guess, you’re using the game to indulge in your salty cravings because Phillip will be on the ice and unable to tell you off?”
“I know he cares about me, but I just really want deep-fried salty food,” I pouted. On the one hand, knowing that he cared so much about my health and the well-being of me and Peanut made me feel so loved and cherished.
On the other hand, it also made me slightly murderous.
The drive from the pack house to the rink was stupidly short, less than five minutes. The guys had told me that, when they purchased the house, they’d purposely picked somewhere close to the rink.
“I’m going to take you to the family section, then I’ve got to rush to the locker room. Are you sure you’ll be okay? We’ll grab you some fries along the way. How does that sound?” Cormac asked as we pulled up at the rink. There wasn’t much parking,
“I have my e-reader on me, so I can kill time while you guys aren’t on the ice.” I nodded. “And fries sound heavenly, Mr. Presley.”
Cormac grabbed my hand and led me into the building via a back door, so we missed most of the crowds. It was a small gesture, but one that I appreciated greatly because, thanks to my growing size, I found crowded situations far more difficult than I had before. Too many people touching the bump, however accidentally, made me anxious.
As we went down one of the gray corridors lined with jerseys, a slightly heavyset, older man came through a set of double doors and looked at Cormac.
“Presley! About time you got here. The others are already on ice for warm-up!”
“Sorry, Coach. I had to run home and grab Hazel here,” Cormac said, cocking his head in my direction, never letting go of my hand.
“Ah, so this is the famous Hazel! I’m Coach Hicks.” He held out his hand for me to shake. The faint scent of tobacco and wood clung to him. It wasn’t pleasant, but it wasn’t revolting, either.
“Famous?” I asked, looking between the two men.
“Roman told me all about you,” the coach said.
“All lies!” I declared in a rush, making both of them laugh.
“Much as I would love to get to know you a bit better, Hazel, I’ve got to get back to the team and get this idiot onto the ice.” He jerked his head toward Cormac. “I’m assuming you’ll be sitting in the family section? Everyone there is great and will take good care of you.”
“Can you get one of the assistants to bring her an order of fries and fried pickles?” Cormac asked. “She’s been craving fried, salty food, and I don’t want to fail.”
“Oh no, I’ll be fine,” I started to say, waving my hand in front of me in a no need gesture.
The coach snorted, giving me an oddly affectionate look. “You won’t be fine if you’re craving salty, fried food. If there’s one lesson an alpha needs to learn, it’s to never mess with a pregnant omega’s food.”
“Yes, sir!” Cormac saluted his coach with a grin, tugging me out of the corridor.
The rink was full of people. Cold air filled my lungs as I took my seat. The family section was right in front of the ice, and Cormac had guided me to a seat before giving me a quick kiss goodbye.
The few seats around me were empty, but they probably wouldn’t stay that way for long, given how busy the rink was. Pulling out my e-reader, I clicked on a book I had been reading, but was distracted by the players on the ice doing their warm-up before the game would begin.
I was so close to the ice, I could make out everyone with ease. Roman and Phillip had their numbers and names emblazoned on their jerseys. And Seb was hard to miss, since he was the only player without a name on his jersey.
He did have a number, though—sixty-nine.
That made me giggle. I got the distinct impression that he hadn’t picked that number. My money was on Cormac. That seemed like his kind of chaos.
The players skated around the ice with impressive speed. I had watched hockey games multiple times before, so it was all familiar, but this time, I was more interested in watching the interactions between my guys. They gravitated toward each other, even if it was for something silly, like Cormac skating up behind Phillip and tapping him on the ass with his stick.
Seb wasn’t excluded from that, either. At one point, Roman skated up and hugged him from behind, lifting him clear off the ice.
It was like watching a bunch of golden retriever puppies on the ice, playing with each other.
I loved it.
Would they be the same with our child? My mind filled with images of them skating with a tiny toddler, guiding them while they wore all those pads and looked like overly stuffed teddy bears.
“Is the new guy yours?” a sweet voice asked to my left.
I turned to find a tall girl with masses of blonde curls smiling at me. Her scent, sweet lemon, was undoubtedly omega.
“Among others,” I replied with a shy smile. Was it bragging to admit that four of the players were mine?
“My brother, Storm, is number twenty-three. My name’s Sunny. I know, the names are tragic. Our parents are nutjobs.”
“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Hazel.”
She did a double take at the sound of my name. “ Hazel? ” she asked, then continued when I nodded. “Storm’s talked about you! You’re with the Kingswood pack, aren’t you?”
“I am,” I confirmed with a wince.
“Good for you! I was wondering when you would come to a game. How far along are you?”
“Nearly six months. I was quite sick in the beginning.”
“Oh, totally. I spent the first three months of my pregnancy with my head in the toilet. The motion sickness from the players skating is bad enough already.”
“You have a child?” I asked.
She nodded. “A little boy named Luka. He’s the sweetest—here.” She held out her phone so I could see her lock screen, where a chubby little blue-eyed baby with golden curls stared back at me.
“He’s precious!” I cooed.
“He’s the best. Morning sickness was the worst, though! How are you feeling now?”
“It hasn’t been fun,” I admitted. “I’m finally feeling okay enough to watch them play tonight, thankfully.”
“I’m so glad I finally got to meet you. Here, let’s exchange numbers, and I’ll text you.” I took her phone with a laugh and quickly typed in my number, and she did the same on mine. “Awesome. I’m going to go find my friend—she’s got Luka—but I just wanted to stop by and say hello! Please call me if you have any questions.”
“It was nice meeting you!”
“Same! Oh! There was a staff member a few rows up with a ton of fried food. Was that for you? They were looking for someone. That sweatshirt you’re wearing is so cute, but it does conceal that you’re pregnant rather well while you’re sitting down.”
Glancing behind me, I searched for the staff member, silently praying they were still there. “They were for me. Cormac was gonna get me some because I’ve had cravings, but he had to rush off to the ice. Dang it. I guess I’ll have to go order for myself.”
Sunny waved off my concern. “I’ll go grab them. It’s the least I can do to make the newest member of the Avalon Knights family feel welcome.” She jumped off her chair and dashed toward the stairs, returning a moment later with each hand full of fried goods.
“You are a saint,” I moaned gleefully, taking the paper trays of food off her.
“I try.” She beamed. “Now, enjoy the game, and I’ll try to catch you on the break. If not, I’ll come find you at the end and show you where the guys come out of the locker room.”
Thanking her profusely, I shoved one of the fries in my mouth and grumbled in pleasure at the salty taste. As Sunny went back to find her friend, I turned to the ice, where all the guys were filtering out for the start of the game. They had their helmets off for the national anthem, so it was easy to see who was where.
When Phillip glanced my way, I couldn’t resist being a little bit bratty and holding up my fried goods with a triumphant smile. His only response was an exasperated look before he returned to focusing on his teammates.
The whistle blew, and they all returned to the bench for the start of the game.
Out of the twenty-two-player team, only six members could be on the ice at one time, otherwise they would receive a penalty. As the first period went on, I noticed that, every time Sebastian went out, two or three of the Kingswood pack were also on the ice.
The coaches were obviously trying to see how they worked together. And judging by the fact the Avalon Knights were dominating, they were doing well. Cormac was out most of the time, seeing as he was the goalie. Besides his position, he was easy to identify because his bright red curls kept escaping his helmet.
The atmosphere of the rink itself was amazing. The crowd screamed so loudly, I made a mental note to bring ear plugs next time. By the end of the third period, the Avalon Knights had won, six–two. As the final buzzer rang, and their win was officially declared, the team gathered on the ice, hugging one another. My four guys in particular stood with their arms around each other, huddled together, heads bowed, talking.
With their helmets off and celebrating their win, there was something so incredibly right about the picture.
That was my family.
The fathers of my baby.