The days following our engagement were spent in a state of bliss. With a week before Max arrived, and in no hurry to reveal our new relationship status, we spent the days home alone doing as little as possible.

After a late afternoon nap I woke up to a dark sky with one thing on my mind: Sidney. We’d been engaged for three days and he had completely captivated all of my thoughts. We’d become that inseparable couple I’d always made fun of. I could hardly stand being in a different room from him. I could hardly think about anything other than him. Eager for my lips to be reunited with his, I climbed out of bed and pulled on a t-shirt that had been discarded on the floor. The hard wood floors were cold against my bare feet as I crept down the hallway. I found him in the kitchen, standing over the sink with his back to me, broad shoulders covered in a white t-shirt and the fabric of his Lululemon pants stretched tightly across his bum and thighs. His focus was on the sink, head down and hands working carefully. I studied him for a few seconds before closing the gap between us and slipping my arms around his waist, resting my chin on the space between his shoulder blades.

“Hey,” he greeted me and turned to wrap his arm around my shoulders. I let go and snuggled into his side, my arm around his waist and my head resting against him. “Sleep well?” he kissed the top of my head and dropped the potato he’d been peeling back in the sink, then washed the residue off of his hands.

“I did,” I smiled up at him and reached up so my lips could meet his. I’d always enjoyed kissing him, his lips in general were kind of incredible, I’d asked more than one cosmetics seller to find me a shade of lipstick that matched the pink of his lips after a game, we’d yet to find the perfect match. But there was something about kissing him with the knowledge that he’d hopefully be the last man to touch me, that drove me wild. The thought of his name next to mine on Christmas cards made me giddy, I got hot thinking about co-signing documents together and putting him as my emergency contact. I knew the day he said the big ‘w’ word I was going to lose my cool. The second ‘wife’ slipped from those tantalizing lips we were going to end up in a heap on the floor and I wasn’t going to be able to stop myself.

“Are you hungry?” he broke the kiss and gave me a lopsided smile. I couldn’t help the whine that came from me when I realized his tongue wasn’t near mine anymore.

“Yes,” I bit my lip. “But I can wait, to eat at least,” I pulled him closer to me, now making myself fit in the space between his body and the counter. I kissed him with a little more enthusiasm, my hands slipping down to his bum.

“Is this a pregnant thing or?” he asked, no quite separating us.

“I think it’s just a you thing,” I giggled and squeezed a little tighter.

“Yeah it is,” he grinned and pulled me up into his arms before flicking the stove off and carrying me to the couch.

“One of these days you’re going to hurt yourself doing that,” I scolded him as we fell onto the couch, all hands and touching bodies.

“I think I can handle you and our peppercorn sized child,” he laughed and pulled my shirt over my head, leaving me in just a pair of pink underwear.

“You know the size of it?” I stopped him, looking at him while a new wave of emotions came over me.

“Of course I do,” he grinned, his eyes becoming two lines surrounded by wrinkles. “I got the app baby, I know all about this baby growing business!” he nodded, obviously proud of himself and rubbed his hands up and down my sides.

“Oh boy,” I groaned, feeling the affection rise to a whole new level. If I wasn’t already craving him, the mention of a free application did me in. It was a simple gesture that showed me he was into this, he was right there beside me. I hadn’t doubted his loyalty to me, not once after leaving that bathtub did I think he was going to change his mind, but I wasn’t sure what to expect when it came to the pregnancy. I’d been preparing myself to deal with his hesitation and confusion, I’d figured that if I was nervous surely he was terrified.

“Yeah you like that,” he teased, tickling my sides. “It’s got a tail, and little webbed arms,” he continued, laughing at my excitement.

“You’re so sexy when you care,” I giggled and pressed my lips firmly against his, wrapping my legs around his hips and pulling him on top of me. Maybe it was the increased blood volume that made me want him, or maybe it was the overwhelming sense of delight that came with our new relationship status, either way his pants landed across the room and for the tenth time since our engagement we fell into each other like nothing else mattered.

It had come up a few times, whether or not we should tell our parents the news right away. It felt wrong keeping it from them, but we both know the big reveal would result in a flurry of emotions and a shit storm of pressure. There were going to be questions we couldn’t yet answer and the threat of media involvement. While I trusted our parents not to tell TMZ anything, it didn’t seem fair to force them into silence when we didn’t have any plans made.

“How long do you think your grandmother can keep the baby a secret?” Sidney asked as we lay in bed after a heated make out session. We’d shamelessly spent the days acting like horny teenagers on spring break, a phase I was perfectly content reenacting.

“The rest of her life if we wanted her to,” I rolled over and pressed my half naked body against his side. “Beatrice Keller the first does not tell secrets.” It was the whole truth, the things I had told my grandmother that had never been repeated would make any parent cringe.
“We probably shouldn’t make her keep it a secret for that long. I think your mum might be a little concerned if you just showed up with a baby one day,” he chuckled and brushed the hair out of my face.

“Yeah, maybe not a good idea, that seems kind of mean,” I wrinkled my nose and smiled.

“Any ideas how you want to tell them? I’m open to anything other than a sky writer,” he linked his fingers between mine and rest our hands on my stomach.

“Party pooper,” I nudged. “I was thinking one thousand white doves and a skywriter proclaiming ‘Knocked up and engaged: The Beatrice Keller Story’ and maybe some fireworks.”

“You can’t have a skywriter and fireworks, it doesn’t work that way, one is night the other is day, literally,” he chuckled and pressed his nose into my hair.

“Stop with the logic,” I groaned. “You're ruining my fantasy!”

“If we were normal people I’d suggest a flash mob, but TSN would be all over that.”

“Yeah nothing public. It doesn’t seem fair to the fan girls of the world. I mean you’re going to break their hearts but at least be private about it,” I teased. “But in seriousness, I just want it to be very clear to everyone that you proposed before you knew I was carrying your spawn. It just seems a little coercive otherwise, like you’re marrying me so I’m not shamed by the community and forced to move into a birth house and live in secret.”

“Yes, because that’s exactly what would happen. I forgot we were living in the Victorian era,” he rolled his eyes dramatically and squeezed my hand.

“I’m serious, Sidney!” I smacked him playfully. “I want to avoid looking like a gold digger as much as I can.”

“You whine when I pay for anything, how could you possibly be a gold digger?” he scoffed, shaking his head.

“The people don’t know that, they just know that you’re fancier than I am,” I cried impatiently. The talk of telling everyone was starting to make me anxious. Despite its inevitability, I wanted to avoid being the centre of attention as much as possible. Sidney was used to cameras and media questions, and while they made him uncomfortable, he knew how to deal with it. I didn’t. All I knew was that I hated having my picture taken and when asked a serious question was likely to give a stupid answer.

“Hey,” he propped himself up on his elbow and looked at me calmly. “It’s okay,” he smiled softly as if he could hear every thought in my mind, every worry and every anxiety inducing idea. “We can wait as long as you want. We can elope tomorrow if it will make things easier for you.”

“No,” I replied after a slight pause. It was hard not to get lost in him, the softened look on his face caused a feeling of warmth and serenity to spread throughout me. “I want a wedding,” I closed my eyes. “Just not a big one, and I don’t want to be huge, and I don’t want a camera crew.”

“Okay,” he chuckled softly. “So does that mean you want to tell them soon?”

“Yes,” I opened my eyes and smiled at him. “I’ll see if I can convince them to come over here this weekend. Which means you need to make sure your parents are around, and we need to make up all the extra guest rooms,” I started my mental to do list. “And we have to go around the house and find all the underwear I’ve lost,” I smirked recalling all the times I’d seen him pull them off of me and send them flying across the room. It was starting to become a problem, not because I was worried someone would find them, but I was starting to run out of wearable underwear.

It took nearly an hour, but I convinced my mother that it was imperative she and my father drive over and meet Sidney’s family that weekend. I’d started off asking if they’d come visit because I missed them, but that was met with a sigh and a reminder that I’d just been home. Her reluctance made me panic and I made up a story about Sidney’s parents leaving for a big holiday soon and that we were worried the summer would pass without everyone getting to meet and wouldn’t that be a shame. She finally agreed with the condition that I didn’t try to cook anything while they were there. My poor mother had fallen victim to my culinary skills more than once in her life and was still traumatized by the time I added soya sauce to the spaghetti, I was nineteen. Letting her take over the kitchen seemed more like a perk than a compromise, I had yet to experience any true morning sickness, but the idea of working in the kitchen was hardly appetizing.

The day before my parents were expected, Sidney woke me up much earlier than he usually did. I’d been dreaming about the first round of playoffs when I felt his lips against my cheeks peppering my face with light kisses. His hands squeezed my hips gently and I was pulled from the imagined situation of me playing in goal for the Flyers, to the reality of his body hovering over mine.

“Good morning,” he grinned down at me, kissing my nose softly.

“Hi,” I croaked, rubbing my eyes and groaning. “What time is it?” I turned to read the clock, squinting but still not seeing the numbers.

“8:19,” he bit his lip hesitantly, anticipating my reaction.

“That is ridiculous, what are you trying to do to me?” I whined, throwing my arm over my face.

“I know,” he chuckled sympathetically and brushed his fingers through my hair. “But I couldn’t wait any longer,” he pulled my tired body into his arms and I lay with my head on his chest, my arm still blocking the light from my eyes.

“This better be good,” I mumbled, moving my arm just enough so I could see him out of one eye. “I’m talking new puppy good.”

“Better than a puppy. We’re not getting a puppy by the way, your cat is enough,” he replied with slight eye roll. “My mom called this morning and Taylor’s flying into Halifax at one.”

“I thought she wasn’t due home for a few weeks,” I moved my arm completely and eyed him confused.

“That was the plan, but she broke her wrist so they sent her home.” He was excited, almost giddy, talking about his sister’s return. He saw her about as often as I saw my oldest brothers so I could understand his enthusiasm.

“Ouch,” I winced at the image of a broken wrist. “Did it happen in a game?”

“Nope, story is she fell down the stairs,” he tried to not laugh but I could see the amusement across his face. It didn’t matter how much you loved someone, it was kind of funny to envision them toppling down the stairs. “Anyway, I told mom we’d pick her up.” He nudged me and I sat up a reluctantly.

“For her, I’ll get up at this ridiculous hour,” I groaned and forced myself out of bed and stumbling to the bathroom.

We didn’t leave the house until quarter past ten which apparently interfered with Sidney’s plans of spending morning looking at the shops of downtown. I’d tried to be reasonably quick, but with showering, drying my hair, and finding something to wear, I couldn’t help but take well over an hour.

“I think I’m done being blonde,” I declared as we pulled into a vacant parking spot.

“Okay?” Sid looked at me side eyed. My declaration seemed random, but I’d been thinking about it for weeks. “You don’t mean today, do you?” he shut off the ignition and pulled off his seatbelt.

“Of course not,” I rolled my eyes dramatically. “I was just warning you.”

“Well, thanks,” he gave me a half smile and shrugged.

We walked side by side down the quiet streets of Halifax. We were used to avoiding physical contact in public but I was comforted by the reminder that soon we wouldn’t be a secret. It was already a miracle that we hadn’t been figured out by the media. I’d briefly considered that maybe everyone knew, but the just didn’t care. For the few seconds that I believed that theory I was pleased, but quickly realized how unlikely it was that Sidney would ever be ignored by the media. We browsed around a few boutique stores, and by browse I mean I bought four delicious smelling three wick candles, some fancy soap for the guest rooms, a throw pillow with a cat that looked like Luna on it, and a lava lamp that I insisted would improve the feng shui of my office. This of course was completely fabricated, I knew nothing about feng shui, but I couldn’t resist the pink and white throwback accessory. We spent a few minutes in a second hand bookstore where Sidney stocked up on non-fiction and I made a stealthily and separate purchase containing Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth and a book about DIY wedding crafts. The cashier smiled at me knowingly as she rang up the purchases and I hurried out the door after Sidney.

We were heading back to the truck when we passed a window with the word ANTIQUE printed on it. It caught Sidney’s attention and he backtracked, dragging me into the dark shop behind him. The small room was filled wall to wall, trinkets, books, furniture from different eras piled together and displayed casually. We started at the back, admiring a set of chairs that looked like they belonged in an episode of Downton Abbey. Sidney ran his hand over the polished wood arm then moved on to the next piece. I watched him admiring the craftsmanship of a coffee table and smiled to myself. I liked how excited he got about little thing like antique furniture and used books. Knowing that he could have anything he wanted brand new and customized but was more interested in artifacts from the past and pages read by others reminded me why I spent every second of my days looking forward to being his wife.

I left Sidney studying a bookshelf and wandered to a glass counter in the centre of the store. Under the clean glass lay an assortment of different gems and jewels, earrings, necklaces, rings, cufflinks. All arranged on their own pillows or in little boxes. I was admiring a string of pearls when It caught my eye. In the back corner of the display case, on a velvet, navy blue pillow lay a ring. I leaned into the glass, getting as close to it as I could and watched the light dance off the centre set diamond. From what I could see the gold band was engraved with intricate swirls and designs. I didn’t have to hold it to know I’d found the ring I hadn’t been looking for.

“Is there something you’d like to see?” an older lady with a cardigan draped over her shoulders and glasses perched on her nose asked. She stood behind the counter with a set of keys in her hand.

“This one please,” I pointed to my ring and started to feel myself getting giddy. She unlocked the sliding door and carefully lifted the pillow out of the display, placing it on the glass in front of me. It was even more enchanting up close. The diamond was elevated from the rest of the ring and cradled by a sea of swirly prongs. It wasn’t huge, maybe a carat, and I could see from the off white colour that it was far older than I was. I gently lifted it from the cushion and held it up in front of me, sparkles of light reflected off the tiny diamonds on either side of the bigger one and I could see the intricate swirls etched in the band.

“It’s from the early twentieth century,” she told me, smiling slightly. “Very art nouveau so I’m guessing between 1900-1930.”

“It’s beautiful,” I managed to squeak, all my attention focused on the ring in my hands. “Do you know anymore about it?” I couldn’t force myself to look at her, instead my eyes stayed transfixed on the polished metal and worn stone.

“Well it’s platinum,” she began. “Undoubtably hand carved. The off coloured stone is what indicates its age, diamonds weren’t the most common in that era and the soft cut is very european. If you take a look in side I think there is an inscription.” she motioned to the ring then knelt down out of my vision, coming back up a few seconds later with a binder in her hands. Sure enough when I looked inside I could see the faded inscription.

“What does it say?” I squinted, trying to make out the letters.

She flipped a few pages in the binder and smiled when she found the page with several images of my ring and an explanation. I held the ring in the palm of my hand and finally taking my eyes off of it scanned the room for Sidney. He was holding a set of book ends and smiled when our eyes met. I moved my head slightly, motioning for him to join me then turned back to the shopkeeper.

“According to the file it says ‘Semper amemus’ which is Latin for let us love always,” she pointed to the page to show me the explanation. “The centre diamond is a little under a carat and the sides are around 1/14th each.”

“What did you find?” Sidney asked, coming up beside me and resting his hand on the small of my back. It was the first time he’d touched me in hours and I felt my skin flush and a warm shiver spread throughout me. He moved his hand from me and looked at the shopkeeper who smiled reassuringly, quickly I felt his hand return and his body relax. He once told me he’d learned early on how to tell who he could trust. He had a sort of sixth sense that told him within seconds how he ought to behave. The reality that he had to spend his days cautiously trying to read everyone around us made my heartache. I longed for the secrecy to end and our relationship to become commonplace.

“I found it,” I held out my hand for him to see the delicate ring that I hoped I’d wear for the rest of our lives.

“It’s pretty,” he smiled hesitantly. “But don’t you want something bigger? I was kind of thinking we could go down to New York for a weekend and visit Tiffany’s.” While the idea of my engagement ring in a little blue box was exciting, I knew nothing there could ever compare to the handcrafted details and perfectly worn diamond of the ring I held in my palm. While Tiffany had The Legacy setting, this ring had a legacy of its own.

“Thank you,” I leaned into him. “I appreciate your willingness to go so far, but this is my ring.

“Okay,” his smile widened and the wrinkles around his eyes returned. “Try it on then,” he squeezed my hip gently.

I looked down at the ring, then back at Sidney. Without saying anything I held out my palm to him and placed my left hand on the glass in front of me. He didn’t speak, just knowingly took the ring from me and lifted my hand in his. Grinning, he slipped it over my pink fingernail and down my knuckles. I was surprised to watch it slide on my chubby finger so effortlessly and fit snugly at the base.

“Perfect,” he whispered, pulling me close to him and kissing me softly. His lips pressed against mine with full dedication and no regard for the possibility of an audience. This was his version of reckless and it was all I could ask for.

“Semper amemus,” I said softly when our lips separated. “Let us love always.”

We paid the comparatively small price and left hand in hand with the ring still on my finger and the packet of information that had been in the binder. Smiles remained plastered to our faces as we drove to the airport, windows down and fingers intertwined. Neither one of us spoke until we pulled into the parking lot.

“I don’t want to take it off,” I felt my smile fade away and I looked down at the sparkling diamond that looked at home between the knuckles of my left ring finger.

“Then don’t,” Sidney shrugged and undid his seatbelt. “Just keep your hand in your pocket. We’ll tell Taylor when we get in the car and ask her to keep it to herself until tomorrow.” I looked down at my dress and silently thanked the person who started the trend of putting pockets in dresses.

“So that’s why you always have your hands jammed in your tiny pockets,” I teased. “Trying to hid engagement rings from the fans.”

“That’s exactly it,” Sidney chuckled and leaned across the centre console, kissing me quickly then squeezing my leg with his solid hand.

When Taylor saw us standing off to the side of the designated greeting area a grin broke onto her face. I was once again startled by how closely she resembled her brother. I too looked like my brothers, especially Simon, but not the way Taylor looked like Sidney.

“Hey!” she called to us, pulling an oversized suitcase behind her, the injured arm already cast and hanging by her side.

“Hey,” Sidney called back, grinning and walking towards her. They met halfway and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a tight hug and laughing. “How was the trip?” he asked letting go.

“Bea!” She ignored his question and turned to me. “I’m so happy to see you!” She threw her arms around me and gave me an equally as enthusiastic hug.

“How are you?” I asked when we’d separated. I returned to Sidney’s side and slipped my left hand back in my pocket.

“I’m good, glad to be home,” she brushed a loose piece of hair out of her face with her cast had. “Little sooner than I expected,” she chuckled.

“How’s the wrist?” Sid pulled the carryon kitbag off of her shoulder and reached for the suitcase.

“Broken,” Taylor shrugged, blushing. “But we should be good to go in September.”

“What exactly did you do?” I asked the question I knew Sidney was thinking.

“It’s a Distal Radius Fractures,” she replied still blushing. “Colles fracture, the broken end of the radius was upwards.”

“I’m pretty sure Bea knows the medical lingo for a broken wrist,” Sidney teased as we left the building and headed across the parking lot to the truck.

“Right,” Taylor laughed and shook her head. “I uh… fell down the stairs, at a party. Tripped over my own feet.”

“How drunk were you?” I asked knowingly nudging her arm. I’d done it myself a few times, overestimated my coordination after one too many drinks and taken a spill.

“Three drinks?” she avoided Sidney’s disapproving glare. “In my defence I was wearing heels.”

“I understand,” I smiled sympathetically. “It happens to the best of us.”

After loading Taylor’s bags into the trunk and paying the parking attendant, we headed home. She sat in the back seat telling us about her shortened season in net and her generally exciting life as a teenage girl. The radio played quietly in the background and my hand had been reunited with Sidney’s on the centre console.

“So, can you keep a secret?” I asked looking over my shoulder. She’d finished telling us about her last game and there had been a brief silence.

“I think so?” She looked confused, her gaze shifting from me to Sidney then back to me.

I took a deep breath and casually pulled my hand out of Sidney’s grasp. She would forever be the first person we told about our engagement. Sid turned to me, keeping one eye on the road and smiled. Without making any big movements, I leisurely held my left hand out to her and watched her face as the gears of her mind started working.

“Holy crap!” she gasped. “When did this happen?”

“Couple days ago,” Sid replied.

“In a bathtub,” I added with a grin.

“Congratulations!” she cried, undoing her seatbelt and throwing herself forward, wrapping her arms around me tightly. “I’ve always wanted a sister.”

Notes

This better be worth the wait haha. I'm sorry about that guys, I just started a new job where I sit at a desk and write all day and it really makes writing for fun hard.

But thank you for hanging in there!! Much love always!
xx- T