“Damn Segs, you must have had some really wild sex last night.”

Tyler glanced over at Milan, who was eyeing him with suspicion. He continued lacing up his skates, trying to hide the fact that he was about to explode and scream out the news to the entire locker room.

“What makes you say that?”

“Dude, your emotions are written all over your face. I don’t think I’ve seen you look like that since… well, ever.”

He took his time responding, not sure exactly how he was going to tell him.

“I’m assuming things are going well with the Mrs.?”

Tyler nodded his head and lowered his voice. “Remember that conversation we had, at your party back in July?”

He’d captured Milan’s full attention. “Yeah, I do.”

“Listen,” he began, scanning the room to make sure no one would overhear. “We aren’t telling anyone yet – “

“She’s pregnant,” Milan whispered, verifying Tyler’s reasoning behind asking him. He always knew exactly what was going on, and valued discrepancy like no one else on the team.

A grin broke out on his face, confirming Milan’s statement. “I needed to tell someone,” he said. “I’m going crazy holding it in.”

Milan’s strong hand came down hard on his back. “I’d give you a hug right now, but I think the guys might catch on. I’m really happy for ya, Segs. Nicki must be ecstatic.”

“Honestly, I think I’m more excited than she is,” he admitted, looking down at his lap. Besides Nicki, no one knew just how badly he wanted children.

“You always manage to surprise me, man. I have to say, when you got drafted, I thought you were a little shit. I didn’t ever see you growing up. You really proved me wrong.”

The goofy, jubilant grin remained on Tyler’s face. “You should give yourself some credit for that. If you and Marchy didn’t go behind my back and set up that game night, I’m not sure I ever would have gotten my shit together.”

A laugh shook his burly shoulders and he sat forward. “Sure, I’ll take some credit. Does that mean you owe me?”

“I guess. Why do I feel like you’re gonna be cashing in on that?”

“Ah, because I am, Seggy. Since you’re so keen on having a bunch of mini-me’s running around, would you mind watching mine for a night? We really need a break.”

Tyler chuckled and stood up, ready to head out onto the ice. He held out a hand to help Milan up, keeping his sprained ankle in mind.

“We could do that,” he said, no longer shy about being around kids. “Just tell me when.”

Milan accepted his offer and took his hand. “There’s kinda this concert she wants to see tonight… is that too soon for you?”

He’d been hoping to have a romantic night celebrating with Nicki, but he couldn’t bring himself to refuse.

“Tonight’s fine. They’ll have to come over our place though, we can’t leave Marshall, and I don’t think we could get him in the car without freaking him out. The meds are making him act weird,” he explained, still sensitive about nearly losing him. “Are they spending the night?”

“If you don’t mind…”

“As long as they’re okay with sleeping in the same bed. Only one of the guest bedrooms is finished right now.”

Tyler was greeted with another slap across his back. “Segs, you’re the best. You’re all excited now, but once that kid is old enough to wander into your room at night, believe me, there are gonna be some regrets.”

“It’s that bad?” he asked, unable to picture a time when he and Nicki wouldn’t find some way to satisfy their needs.

Milan gave him a firm nod of the head. “I would tell you the last time I had sex to prove my point, but I can’t even remember when the last time was.”

“Are you serious?!”

“Unfortunately.”

As much as it frightened Tyler to think of a day that might happen to him, it still wasn’t enough to thwart his excitement. So, it would suck pretty bad. But he couldn’t imagine a better trade off than spending the time they normally would in bed with his son or daughter.

Tyler could feel someone standing behind him, and turned quickly to see who it was.

“What are you guys talking about?” Dougie asked. Although he’d aged, he hadn’t quite grown up yet. Something about his personality would forever be curious and naive.

Not expecting to be approached, Tyler stumbled over his words, trying to come up with a believable lie. There were hundreds of things he could have come up with, and not a single one was coming out.

“My dull sex life,” Milan responded, saving him from any further struggles.

A chuckle burst through Dougie’s lips. “Sorry Looch, I don’t know why I thought that was so funny. Don’t you think Segs is the last person you should be talking to about that? We’ve all seen the scratch marks.”

Tyler nearly found himself blushing. As the years went on, he became increasingly shy about sharing things of that nature with his teammates. They’d stopped asking, and he’d stopped telling. But when you’re constantly showering in front of a group of people, they’re bound to notice battle wounds that couldn’t have come from a hockey game.

“That was pretty sassy for you, Dougs. Better watch yourself on the ice,” Milan threatened, poking him in the chest with his hockey stick.

For a moment, Dougie actually looked worried. It wasn’t until after Tyler began to laugh that he lightened up and realized that Milan was joking. He began to follow them out of the locker room when he heard his ringtone go off. Since everyone on the team had the same phone, they’d all agreed to set separate ringtones for their wives, in case of emergencies so that they would know who was in trouble.

Of course, at first he’d picked their wedding song. After being royally shit on by the entire team, he told them to pick one. His phone ended up in the hands of Brad. Needless to say, he’d set it as Foxy Lady by Jimi Hendrix. He still hadn’t told her.

“You know you’re a cute little heartbreaker, foxy. You know you’re a sweet little lovemaker, foxy. I wanna take you home – “

“Hello?”

“Hi baby.”

Tyler attempted to hold back a smile. He’d gone years pretending to hate that word. He had to admit, it felt good hearing her say it.

“Hey,” he said, forgetting all about the practice he was supposed to be starting.

“Hi,” she said, followed by a giggle. “I just got off the phone with my doctor, they can take me today, but only if I can be there at eleven. I know you’ll still be at Ristuccia. What should I do? There isn’t another opening for a week.”

He thought it over for a minute. He wanted, no, he needed to be there with her. But there was no way in hell he was waiting an entire week.

“Shit,” he huffed, failing miserably at thinking on the spot. “Do you care if I tell Claude? He might let me leave for something like that.”

“Ty…”

“I know, I know. Just let me talk to him, okay? The worst he can do is say no.”

A sigh travelled through the line. Nicki had been unbelievably supportive the last few weeks, but she’d been a little bit of a hard ass. He knew it was good for him, but sometimes it was difficult to handle.

“Okay love. You know I’m just looking out for you, right?”

“I know,” he replied with a smile. “I’ll text you in a few.”

“Good luck, love you,” she said hastily, making Tyler wonder what exactly she might be doing back at home.

“Yeah, I love you too.”

Tyler chucked his phone back into his stall and bolted out of the locker room and onto the ice. If he was late, it certainly wasn’t going to increase his chances of Claude being okay with him leaving. The second he stepped into the rink, someone sent a puck flying his way. He drove towards Tuukka, dangling in front of him before slapping it to the back of the net. If only it was always that easy.

There was some scattered applause and chanting, most likely waiting for him to start the over animated celebration that accompanied a goal against Tuukka. Today, there were too many things on his mind. He skated away and grabbed another puck, trying to run through exactly what he might say to Claude. Doug was the only coach on the ice so far, and he used Claude’s absence to his advantage.

As Claude glided onto the ice with the remnants of the team behind him, Tyler took another shot at Tuukka. He wasn’t even looking as it slid right between his pads and into the net.

An exuberant “Woo!” came from Claude. Maybe this would be easier than he thought.

“Now that is how the new alternate captain should be shooting!”

Tyler’s head snapped towards Claude. “What?”

“Congrats, Seguin. You deserve it,” he said, sticking out his hand.

He shook off his glove and grasped his coach’s thick hand.

“Coach, I can’t thank you enough. I won’t let you down,” Tyler assured him.

“I know you won’t, kid.”

“So, this might be bad timing,” he said, hesitating.

Claude waited patiently for what he was about to say.

“Can we uh, talk over there?”

“Please don’t make me regret giving you this job, Seguin.”

Tyler let out a nervous laugh as he led Claude to the boards. “No, it’s nothing like that. Nicki needs to go to the doctor, and they can either take her today at eleven or a week from now, and I was really hoping to go, and it’s really important, and I really don’t think it can wait an entire week – “

“Stop your rambling, you sound like a madman. Is she okay?”

“Oh, yeah, she’s great.”

“So why does she have to see a doctor?”

Why was he having such a hard time? It wasn’t every day he opened up to Claude. But he’d been there for him more than anyone through the rocky start to his and Nicki’s relationship. It was the unexpected support from Claude that helped him the most.

The idiotic grin returned to his face. “Because she’s pregnant. I mean, she has to get some test done or something, but we’re pretty sure.”

“You shitting me Segs? You’re going to be a father?” Tyler glared at him. “Well that’s great, kid. Sometimes I forget you aren’t nineteen anymore. Congratulations. Does the team know?”

“Only Looch. If you don’t mind, she doesn’t want to say anything until after this appointment. I’d really like to go, coach. It’d mean a lot.”

Claude brought a hand down to his shoulder. “It’s alright by me. Just head back here after so you can share the good news with the team.”

Tyler nodded his head anxiously. “Will do, coach. Thank you.”

A rare smile formed on Claude’s face. “I hope everything goes well.”

“Yeah, me too,” he mumbled as he sped off of the ice and back into the locker room.

He got out of his pads in record time, not bothering to shower. He’d been on the ice for all of five minutes. When he went to grab his pants, his phone went tumbling to the ground. Shit. He had forgotten to text Nicki.

** * * * *

Tyler 09:56:18: he said yes. make the app. b there in 30

“Is that him?” Lisa asked.

Nicki looked up at her computer screen, smiling like she’d won the lottery.

“Yeah. Give me a sec? I have to call this doctor back.”

Lisa nodded and she pulled up the number in her phone as quickly as she could, praying they hadn’t already filled the spot. The secretary picked up on the first ring and confirmed her appointment. Hopefully they would make it in time.

“So you’re all set?”

“Looks like it,” she said, letting the relief flow through her voice. “I can’t believe you knew before I even said anything.”

“I’m telling you girl, you got the glow.”

Nicki glanced at her window at the bottom of the computer screen. “Nope, I’m not seeing it.”

Lisa laughed and shook her head. “That’s because you don’t understand the glow. If you don’t understand the glow, you don’t see the glow.”

“Then please explain the glow,” she said.

“The glow is the way your face looked the second you popped up on my computer screen. The expression you had when Tyler texted you. It’s something only mothers, mother-to-be’s, and husbands pick up on. Tell me he hasn’t been all over you since you found out.”

She giggled and felt her grin grow a little wider. “I have the glow to thank for that?”

“Thank the glow,” Lisa repeated, bowing her head. “Believe me, it only gets better. I don’t know what it is about swollen ankles and sore backs, but the guys love it. Well, except for Zach. But even he came around, thanks to your wonderful aunt.”

“I’m so glad. I thought you were gonna go crazy on me,” she joked. “So how’s my future nephew?”

“Fiesty! My Lord, the other day I honestly think he ruptured one of my organs. Bella and Danny barely even moved. I’m telling ya, this pregnancy is killing me.”

Nicki could feel her face contorting. The excitement she felt couldn’t entirely cover up the panic and the worry that haunted her. So many things could go wrong. Keeping her luck in mind, she was bound to run into some problems.

“Don’t look so worried,” Lisa said, picking up on her distress. “Even the worst of it isn’t that bad. I mean physically sometimes you’d rather get hit by a bus, but knowing you’re getting closer and closer to seeing that little face helps you through it. And I’m sure Ty is going to be fantastic. You don’t have anything to be concerned about hon.”

Thinking of Tyler helped ease her mind. Part of the reason she was so excited was purely because of how wonderful she knew he’d be; how wonderful he already was. It had only been a day and he’d already proved to her that he would do everything in his power to take care of her. The security he provided was unrivaled, and she knew just how lucky she was to have it.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right Lis. You know me, it’s my job to worry about everything.”

Lisa chuckled and sat up straight in her chair, giving Nicki a glimpse of her growing stomach. A hand subconsciously made its way to her own stomach as she tried to picture herself that way. She couldn’t, and frankly, didn’t want to. Nearly everything about pregnancies made her squeamish.

“Well sweetie you can’t be worrying like that now, it’s not good for you or for the baby. You can’t be stressing out over every little thing. And I’ll be sure to let Tyler know that when we have our little chat.”

Her eyebrows furrowed. “What chat?”

Another chuckle came from Lisa. “You don’t honestly think that I’m going to be minding my own business throughout this whole thing, do you? I just want to give him some words of advice, from someone who’s been there before. You’ll thank me later, I promise.”

“If you say so,” she muttered skeptically.

As Lisa began to speak again, a smile broke out of her face. Nicki cocked her head, attempting to figure out why, when a pair of arms wrapped around her shoulders. She would have jumped if he hadn’t been so gentle.

“I didn’t even hear you come in,” she said, still facing the computer.

Warm lips pressed against her cheek, followed by an “awww” from Lisa. Tyler’s chin dropped to her shoulder as he faced the screen with her.

“Hey Lisa.”

The smile on her face grew as she said, “Congrats, stud. I could tell how badly you wanted this. Do you have a minute?”

The arm Tyler had around Nicki lifted up so that he could look at his watch. “Nope. We have to get going. Later, okay?”

Lisa nodded. “Good luck, Nick. Love you girl.”

“Love you too, Lis.”

With that, her laptop returned to the home screen. Tyler reached out to shut it and simultaneously pressed his lips to Nicki’s cheek again. She turned her head and pulled him into a soft kiss, one slow and sweet enough to make her eyelids heavy.

“We should go,” he moaned between kisses. He’d obviously been as entranced as she had.

Nicki scowled as she let him go, suddenly wanting nothing more than to kiss him for the entire afternoon. Tyler laughed at her and offered her a hand to help her up.

“Can we do some more of that when we get back?” she asked, running a hand down the length of his torso.

“Sorry babe, I have to go back to Ristuccia right after.”

“Tonight, then?”

She wasn’t giving up that easily. Tyler sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, indicating he wasn’t extremely happy about the next thing to come out of his mouth.

“I kinda told Looch we’d watch Val and Demi tonight…”

The expression on his face made her smile. He looked like a child who’d just eaten the last of the cookies and was waiting to be sent to the corner. Nicki grabbed her sweater off of the back of the computer chair and swung it around her shoulders before grabbing Tyler’s hand in both of hers.

“Okay. So you’ll just have to find some way to make it up to me, then,” she said, winking at him.

“I will,” he promised, sealing it with another kiss. “My car or yours?”

Nicki let him lead her out of the study. “Yours. If everything goes well, I wouldn’t mind watching you practice.”

“Really?” he asked, twisting his neck to look at her.

“Course babe. I love watching you,” she answered, giving his hand a squeeze.

It was true. She could watch him out there on the ice for the rest of her life and never get bored. He was absolutely mesmerizing.

As she followed him out the front door, the weight of their situation finally registered. She didn’t understand how seven tests could all be wrong, but what if there was some weird imbalance in her hormones? Nicki wasn’t sure if she could handle finding out it wasn’t true. There was a small, nagging doubt in the back of her mind that wouldn’t allow her to relax.

Twenty minutes later, they’d arrived at the small doctor’s office. It wasn’t until then that Nicki noticed her clammy palms and shaking limbs. She reached to open her door and failed twice before getting it to swing open. When she stepped out, Tyler was directly in front of her.

“Are you okay?” he asked, wiping the sweat from her forehead.

“I’m just a little nervous,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Don’t be. It’s gonna be fine,” he assured her.

She forced a weak smile, trying to hide the fact that she was about to have a panic attack. She’d been so sure, and now her doubts were getting the best of her. Tyler wrapped an arm around her, and the physical support helped ease her worries. They walked together through the front doors and up to the receptionist’s desk, where a little, grey haired woman sat, typing away with her three inch long acrylic nails. She glanced up through her red, plastic glasses at them, but didn’t say a word.

“Uh, I’m Nicki. I have an appointment at eleven?”

The woman handed her a clipboard and a pen, and gestured for her to sit down and complete it. She wondered if she simply couldn’t talk, or if she was really just that rude. Nicki took a seat next to a girl who couldn’t have been more than sixteen. Tyler sat to her left and placed a warm hand on her leg. Even when she didn’t tell him, he always seemed to know exactly what she needed.

She scanned through the questions, most of them were simple yes or no. Do you smoke? No. Are you an alcoholic? No. Is there a past history of ovarian cancer in your family? No. Any existing medical conditions? No.

Within minutes, she had the entire thing filled out, front and back. She got up to hand it to the receptionist and was instantly greeted by her doctor, whose outstretched hand she gripped welcomingly.

“Nicki, it’s good to see you again. Congratulations on the marriage, your mother would have been so proud,” he said, using just the right amount of sympathy in his voice as to not make her feel uncomfortable. “Is your husband here with you?”

“Yeah, he’s right over there,” she said, motioning for Tyler to join them.

“Dr. Reed, it’s nice to meet you. I’ve known Nicki here since she was born. Her mother dated my son back when they were in high school.”

Tyler shook his hand. Nicki had always found it more than strange that her mother would have gone to her boyfriend’s father for a PAP smear. She couldn’t imagine having that kind of relationship with Tyler’s father. Just the thought was enough to make her feel discomfited.

“If you’ll follow me, we’ve got the room set up for you. Your husband is more than welcome to come, if he’d like.”

Nicki glanced at Tyler, who nodded firmly. She smiled at him, comforted by the knowledge that he would never make her go through anything alone. Not if he could help it. They followed Dr. Reed down a brightly lit hallway and into a room at the end of it.

“You can take a seat right there,” he said, pointing to the examination chair. “We’ll do the blood test first, and if it does come back positive, we’ll need to do a routine physical just to make sure you’re healthy enough to endure a pregnancy. I doubt that will be an issue, so don’t worry about that part.”

She sat awkwardly in the chair. It obviously was not meant for drawing blood. Tyler sat on a stool next to her and held her hand. He knew exactly how terrible she was with needles, and had witnessed firsthand what happens when she looks at them.

“Just look at me,” he whispered, flashing his flawless teeth.

Her head rolled so that she was facing him. Nothing came more easily to her than looking at him. She felt a pinch in her arm and winced, watching as Tyler’s face distorted with hers. He despised seeing her in pain, even more than she did him. She wondered if he knew exactly what he was in for the next nine months.

To keep herself busy, she studied his face. Not like she didn’t already have every inch of it memorized. Boy or girl, she hoped the baby got his nose. For some reason, unbeknownst to her, she adored his nose. It was one of the only soft features on his otherwise chiseled face, and it was much better than her tiny, curved one. She started to giggle softly, realizing how ridiculous it was to be putting so much thought into a nose.

What? he mouthed, looking nearly as entertained as she felt. When she shook her head, his lips formed a You’re so cute.

Whenever he told her that, she felt as though she could keel over and die. It sounded so foreign coming from his mouth, like the words simply didn’t belong there.

“Okay, you’re all set,” Dr. Reed said, giving her a light tap on the forearm. “I’ll run this right away. It might take over an hour. You can wait here or leave your cell number at the desk and come back once the results are in.”

He exited the room, leaving them to contemplate how to spend the next hour or so.

“Want to get something to eat?” Tyler asked, brushing his hand against her cheek. “You look a little pale.”

She was feeling a little queasy. Nicki leaned into his touch and nodded her head, sighing softly as he pressed his lips to her forehead. She’d made up her mind the previous night that if he wanted to spoil her while she was pregnant, then that might just be okay. It’s difficult to not give in when you’re being showered with affection from the person you love most.

“Come on, let’s get you up,” he said, grabbing her hands and pulling her out of the chair. Once she was up, he kept pulling until she was smothered by his chest.

Another giggle escaped her lips and she threw her arms around his waist, accepting whatever offer he was making her.

“Where do you want to go?” she asked, unaware that a disheveled looking woman had entered the room. “Oh, sorry,” she mumbled, breaking Tyler’s grip on her. Apparently he hadn’t noticed her, either.

She grabbed him by the arm and dragged him out of the room.

“What was that about?”

Nicki shook her head and attempted to organize her scattered mind. “That woman…”

“Yeah, she was pretty weird.”

“Ty, she looked just like my mother.”

A soothing hand rubbed across the small of her back. “Oh. I thought – “

“She’s dead. I watched her die. I know it isn’t her, it just gave me the weirdest feeling. I’ve barely thought about her since it happened and now all of the sudden her long lost twin shows up the afternoon I find out if I’m really pregnant… it’s just so coincidental.”

“Babe, I’m not trying to be insensitive here, but I really think you need to eat something,” he said, slinging his arm around her.

“You’re right. I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me.”

“Don’t worry about it. I still love you even if you’re going crazy,” he teased, placing a gentle kiss on the side of her head.

“Aw, you’re so supportive.”

His humor helped snap her out of whatever she’d been caught up in, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right.

** * * * * *

“You feeling any better?” Tyler asked as they awaited Dr. Reeds reappearance into the room. He’d told them he would be five minutes at most, but they were now going on twenty.

“Much,” she said, truly meaning it.

“I told you grilled cheese fixes everything.”

She laughed and played with his hand in her lap. “You did. I can’t thank you enough Ty. You’ve been so amazing, and it’s only been a day.”

Whatever he was about to say was interrupted by Dr. Reeds entrance. In his hands he held a manila folder, which Nicki assumed held the answer to her most driving question. Her eyes were glued to it, and the doctor had noticed.

“I won’t be cruel,” he said, waving the folder in the air. “Your tests were right, you’re very pregnant.”

She felt an involuntary breath escape her lungs; she hadn’t even realized that she’d been holding it in. Tyler’s hand clenched around both of hers, squeezing the impending tears from her eyes.

“I’ll give you a moment, then we’ll begin the physical.”

The second he left, Tyler had his lips locked onto hers, showing no mercy. He pulled away slowly, taking her composure with him. She collapsed into the chair, weakened by both the relief of the test result and Tyler’s reaction to it. His face stayed within inches of her.

“So I guess now would be a good time to tell you that Claude made me alternate captain.”

“What?! Are you serious?! When?!” she shrieked, pulling him back to her.

“This morning. Looks like I’m gonna have to get you a new jersey.”

“Oh Tyler, I am so proud of you,” she said, tightening her arms around his neck.

“It’s just been a really good day, huh?” he asked, leaving a kiss on her temple before leaning back into his chair.

“Too bad we can’t celebrate.”

“I mean, I don’t see why not,” he said, raising an eyebrow. “As long as we wait until they’re asleep… it’s a big house. And I doubt they’re gonna be wandering into our room.”

“That’s pretty risky, Ty.” She paused and watched his face drop, just a little. “I like it.”

“Now that’s the girl I married.”

She flashed him a grin and winked an eye. So maybe she had issues. At least he accepted it.

Dr. Reed came back as promised, this time with a chart instead of a folder. Nicki cooperated fully as he took her height, weight, blood pressure, and checked her ears, eyes, and mouth. He took a saliva sample, checked her heartbeat, and much to Tyler’s alarm, did a PAP smear. She nearly laughed at his expression when Dr. Reed peered underneath the sheet, and could literally read the words being formed in his mind. That was for him, and him only. She couldn’t imagine what he would have expected from a man whose job it was to check women’s private parts.

After a tedious hour passed, Dr. Reed blessed them with the news that she was perfectly healthy and able to carry a baby. To Nicki, it was a small miracle. Her entire life she’d been terrified that for one reason or another, she wouldn’t be able to be a mother. After thanking Dr. Reed five or six more times, Tyler pulled her out of the front doors, eager to get back to the rink and tell his team.

“Just make sure Brad doesn’t say anything to Candace yet. I want to tell her in person,” Nicki said as he turned into the parking lot at Ristuccia.

There were dozens of extra cars in the lot, which she realized belonged to fans who had come to watch the training camp. It hadn’t dawned on her that there would be other people there. And media. At least one of which would be sure to spread the news like wildfire.

“Maybe you should tell them in a huddle,” she suggested, suddenly worried that it would reach the entire country before they could tell their own families.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be careful. Can you even imagine what my mom would be like if she found out from someone other than us? I really think she might start breathing fire.”

A small laugh forced its way from her. It had been the third time that day his humor had relieved her stress, and got the feeling it wouldn’t be the last.

Before getting out of the car, they exchanged quick I love you’s. It had been exciting when just the two of them had known. It was enthralling to tell Lisa. It was going to be overwhelming to have his entire team know.

She followed him through the player’s entrance, which she’d been through countless times before. Normally she would sit with the other fans in an attempt to blend in, but today felt the need to hang as close to Tyler’s side as she could.

Nicki hesitated before entering the locker room, unsure if she was allowed to be in there. Tyler assured her it was fine, that they would be the only ones in there anyways. She watched in agony as he stripped and began to put on his pads. It was an art that she would never fail to appreciate, and decided she now had a new favorite part about hockey.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were eye raping me right now.”

She ripped her eyes away from his half dressed body and forced them up to his face. “No, you’re right. I was,” she admitted, grinning goofily. Why lie about it?

“I hope you still do that when I’m sixty and saggy,” he said, bending over to lace his skates.

“Yeah, me too.”

He looked up at her, still bent over. If her morals had been any lower, she would have taken full advantage of him in the middle of the smelly locker room. But something about carrying a child had raised her standards slightly. He stood, and she glanced him over, head to foot. Somehow, she preferred him in hockey gear to anything else. The added inches from his skates and added bulk from his pads made him seem like a giant next to her, and she fully appreciated it.

“Damn baby,” she muttered.

Tyler shot her a grin, one both boastful and thankful for her compliment. As a last addition, he shoved one hand into a glove, and tucked the other under his arm. His bare hand grabbed hers.

“You ready?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” she said, finding the support she needed in his gaze.

When they came into view of the ice, his teammates instantly picked up on their presence.

“Segs! Where were you?” asked Tuukka, who left his place at the other end of the boards to see them.

It caught Claude’s attention, and he waved Tyler over before calling the guys into a meeting.

“Bring Nicki!” he shouted, further confusing the already perplexed team.

Tyler looked down at her. “Piggy back?”

“I’ll try,” she said, reaching up as he squatted down.

She managed to get her arms around his neck, but didn’t have the grip to pull herself up. His hands on the back of her thighs assisted her, and eventually she found herself somewhat stable on his back. Her legs didn’t fit around his padded waist, so she held on for dear life with her arms.

“I haven’t been on the ice with you since Christmas last year,” she whispered into his ear, reminiscing of the romantic Christmas Eve they’d spent in a light up TD Garden with the married portion of his team and their wives.

Nicki saw the corner of his mouth pull up into a smile, letting her know he’d heard. When he arrived at the huddle, he let her down carefully and stood behind her with his gloved hands hanging over her shoulders.

“Hi Nicki! What are you doing here?” Dougie asked curiously.

She smiled at him, not sure exactly how to answer, or what the plan was for telling everyone.

“Boys, your new alternate captain has some exciting news,” Claude said, providing an introduction for their first official proclamation.

“Oh my God are you pregnant?”

Nicki giggled and instinctively reached for her stomach. “Yeah, Dougie. I am.”

Before she could fully comprehend the situation around her, she was bombarded by large men, made clumsy by their skates. She received too many congratulations to count and an equal amount of hugs. It brought the tears back to her eyes to feel so much love from people whom she didn’t consider to be her best friends. It never failed to surprise her; the sense of family that is established between the members of a team and their families.

A kiss on the cheek from Milan and one from Andrew inspired the water works to flow.

“If you ever need any help, you know Krista and Britt are there for you,” Andrew said as he hugged her.

“Even after little Seggy’s born, the offer still stands. Thank you for taking the girls tonight,” Milan said when it was his turn. “I see a beautiful tradition in the making.”

Nicki laughed and tried to wrap her arms around the enlarged monster of a man. No wonder people were terrified to fight him.

“It’s no problem. And I’m sure once ‘little Seggy’ grows up a little, we’ll be partaking in your services.”

She didn’t try to hide her heightened level of sexual activity from the team. For God’s sake, they still called her Foxy.

Lastly, she received a firm hug from Claude. It threw her off guard, he didn’t strike her as the type to be affectionate whatsoever.

“I’m real happy for you two,” he said. “Watching the two of you grow up has given me some weird attachment to this kid.”

Nicki laughed again, not quite sure how to respond. Never would she have expected him to say something like that.

“It really means a lot,” she said as he let her go.

He smiled and nodded. “I hate to kick you out, but we have to get back to practice.”

She held up a hand. “Understood.”

Nicki turned to ask Tyler for some help back so that she wouldn’t fall and make a fool of herself, and found herself wrapped up in his arms, being whisked towards the gate to get off of the ice.

“You nearly gave me a heart attack,” she said, placing a hand on her chest.

His lips landed on her nose and nearly made her heart stop again. She wondered if he knew how adorable it was, or if he was blind to it. Something told her he wouldn’t have done it if he knew. Tyler lowered her down and planted another kiss, on her lips this time, before skating off.

She spent the remainder of the practice standing against the boards, unwilling to miss a single second of the action. Well, of Tyler. The power he displayed when he rushed down the ice ignited something inside of her, something she was having a lot of trouble controlling. It gave her a rush to watch him, so natural at something so difficult. He was absolutely glorious.

That is, until he stuck out his tongue. Usually it turned her on like there was no tomorrow. But when it happened out of concentration, it looked like there was something wrong with him. She couldn’t help but notice his striking resemblance to Marshall on a hot day. Regardless of how foolish he looked, it kept her entirely entertained.

When four o’clock rolled around, Claude hosted one last meeting before sending them off to shower. Tyler sent one of the equipment boys out with his keys, a gesture that told her to wait for him in the car. She guessed he’d been summoned by the media, and prayed that he was crafty enough to avoid answering their suggestive questions. Maybe it was about his promotion. Hopefully.

As she exited the building, she exchanged hello’s with a few familiar faces. She noted the fans waiting for the players to come out, and did her best to seem nonchalant. Of course, when you’re getting into a quarter million dollar car, it’s difficult to remain inconspicuous. A few people shouted out at her, trying to draw any kind of attention they could. She gave a subtle wave before climbing into the car and starting the ignition, imagining Tyler would want to make a quick getaway.

She decided to use her time productively and dialed her father’s number into her phone.

“Hello?”

“Hey dad!”

“Hi sweetie, how are you doing?”

“Great,” she answered, dying to tell him everything. “What about you? And Diane?”

“We’re doing pretty good, hon.”

“Good. Listen, would you mind if Tyler and I stopped by after his practice? He’s just getting out now.”

“Of course you can. You know you don’t have to ask,” he reminded her. They went through it every time she wanted to come over. It never felt right coming over unannounced. Ever since their encounter that day in the kitchen, a new level of privacy had been established, and she didn’t want to intrude on her father’s, either.

“Okay dad, see you soon.”

“Yup. Bye Nick.”

She closed the call and instantly pulled up her conversation with Candace.

Hey girl. Want to come over for dinner tonight?

At least once a month they made sure to have her over for dinner, attempting to keep Tyler’s only family member in the country close. Nicki hoped she wouldn’t read into it too much that it had only been a week since she came over last.

Candace 16:23:19: What? Miss me already? ;) I’d love to. I’ll be there at six, unless that’s too late.

Six is perfect. See you then <3

Nicki adored the relationship that she’d formed with Candace. She had a strong bond with the rest of his family as well, especially Cassidy. But having Candace so close had been wonderful. They were sisters by law, but it felt as though they were sisters by blood. If Lisa hadn’t had such an impact on her life, it would have gone without saying that she’d make Candace the godmother. Well, it was just another reason to have more than one.

They had never discussed legitimate plans for a family, but Nicki was sure that he would want more than one child. She’d always just wanted one herself, until her family began to fall apart. The lack of family she had as she got older only made her want a bigger one. They had so much space, and it wasn’t like money would be an issue…

A door swinging open barged in on her daydream.

“That was a disaster,” Tyler said, heaving.

“What happened?”

“Oh, nothing out of the ordinary. Just got assaulted by media wondering why I piggy backed you onto the ice.”

“What did you tell them?” she asked, beginning to worry. Who knew how fast it would spread?

“I told them my personal life wasn’t up for discussion. Let them assume whatever they want, I’m not giving them the satisfaction of confirming it.”

For a moment, she worried about all of the possible things they might come up with. If people believed that Bella was his illegitimate love child, there was no telling what other kinds of things they were willing to believe. It scared her, but she knew that whatever story or article came out, they’d make it through unscathed. If they knew the truth, and so did their families, that was all that really mattered.

As Tyler sped past the screaming group of fan girls that had lined up to see him, she realized she should probably mention that they wouldn’t be going straight home.

“Do you mind going my dad’s on the way back? I figure we’d just stop by, drop the bomb and run. He’s probably been expecting it for a while now, I doubt he’ll be very surprised.”

He glanced at her out of the corner of her eye as he turned out of the lot to head home.

“That’s fine. But you can’t seriously think that this won’t be a big deal to him. Finally you’re going to be adding a family member instead of losing one.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s true. I just really can’t see him being really excited over anything,” she said, staring out the window. “Oh, and I invited Candace over for dinner.”

“You really want to knock all of this out in one day, don’t you?”

Nicki let her head fall against the cool glass. She was already exhausted from the emotional ups and downs of her day, and just wanted to climb into bed and curl up in a ball.

“I just don’t want someone finding out before someone else and then telling said person before we get the chance. We should Skype your mom and call your dad at some point, too.”

“Or we could go to bed,” he said, indicating that he was as tired as she was, if not more. She hadn’t just suffered through Bruins boot camp.

“Babe, you read my mind. At least you have tomorrow off, we can do nothing the whole day if you want. Maybe I’ll even throw in a massage.”

Tyler’s hand reached across the car and landed on her knee. “That sounds perfect. Just gotta make it through today… and tonight. I almost wish I’d said no.”

“It won’t be that bad. How old is Val? Four? They’ll be in bed by seven or eight. Maybe we can convince Candace to entertain them.”

His fingers clenched around her knee as he chuckled. “I knew there was a reason why I love you. I think that’s the most brilliant thing you’ve ever said.”

Nicki couldn’t stop her hand from moving over his. Even though he was joking about it, hearing him say that made her feel incredible. She didn’t say another word until they reached her father’s house.

“Here we go again,” she muttered, nearly wishing that they could hire a messenger to deliver the good news for them. She knew she should be excited, and she was. But there was only so much a person could take.

“Do you want me to tell them?” Tyler offered, trying to ease some of the stress off of her.

Interested to see what he would say, she accepted his offer. Even though she had a key, Nicki rang the doorbell once they approached the front door.

“Hi sweetie,” her father said as he held the door open for them. “Tyler.”

“Hey Bill. It’s been a while,” Tyler said as he accepted a hug from him.

Nicki felt the smile inching onto her face. She scarcely saw either of them hug another person, so seeing them hug each other was like watching a meteorite shower. Beautiful and rare. Her father led them inside, where Diane was cooking pasta in the kitchen. The smell reminded Nicki of all the times she’d cooked with him. It still felt like yesterday that she’d lived there.

After exchanging hugs and hello’s with Diane, they sat in the living room, where an NCIS marathon was playing on the TV. How surprising. Her father muted it and sat back in his recliner, which Nicki loved to remind him was an old man recliner. He didn’t take too kindly to aging, and it had become a bit of a game to tease him about it.

“So what inspired this visit?” her father asked, cutting straight to the chase as always.

Tyler wrapped an arm around her back and pulled her closer to him on the couch. He obviously noted the change in position and straightened up in his chair.

“You’re going to be a grandfather,” he said, rubbing his hand up and down her side.

“What?”

“I went to Dr. Reed today,” Nicki explained, taking the reins. Tyler had done a fine job, but she wasn’t going to put all of the pressure on him. “He did a blood test to confirm it.”

She watched as he rose out of his chair, eagerly holding out his arms. Nicki could have sworn she saw a tear in the corner of his eye.

“Nick, that’s the best thing I’ve heard in a real long time,” he muttered as he pulled her to him.

“I know,” was all she could manage, trying to fight back the tears. Suddenly, it seemed much more important than having a baby. It was the ultimate sign of hope for her and her father. After everything they’d been through, after everything they’d lost, they were finally gaining something that could make up for all of it. To prove that they’d made it through all of the shit life had tossed at them.

In that moment, she knew exactly what to name it if it was a boy.

Diane got out of her chair while they were embraced to congratulate Tyler. After a minute they switched, and Diane gave her nothing but supportive words and great advice.

“If you ever need anything, I’m just a call away,” she said.

“Thanks, Diane. I’ll probably take you up on that.”

The amount of support Nicki had received that day was more or less the only thing keeping her going. Her family was so amazing, they all deserved to know right away. It wasn’t fair to hold it from them any longer.

They stayed until quarter of six, using Candace as an excuse for their exit. Her father had thoroughly surprised her; he was nearly as exuberant as they were.

When Tyler pulled into the driveway, Candace’s bright red car was already parked off to the side. She must have used her key and let herself in, because she wasn’t inside. Once Nicki was inside, she called out Candace’s name.

“In here!”

Nicki followed her voice into the kitchen, where she stood over the stove, Kiss the Cook apron tied tightly around her waist. Nicki wrapped her arms around her.

“What the hell are you doing?”

“Cooking dinner. What’s it look like I’m doing?” she asked, smile wide on her face.

“You’re too much. We were supposed to cook you dinner.”

“Well, I felt like being an adult and making something. Now leave me to my work,” she said, flicking a wrist in the air.

Nicki couldn’t tell what she was making, but it smelled delicious.

“We’ve got company coming at six thirty, hope you don’t mind they’ll be joining us,” she said, attempting to discern what in the world had been thrown into their frying pan.

“Who?”

“Your two favorite divas.”

“No way!” Candace shrieked, almost dropping the spatula that was in her hand. “Val and Demi?”

Nicki nodded, relieved that she was happy about it. “Tyler told Milan he’d watch them tonight. I was kind of hoping, if you don’t mind… maybe you’d want to entertain them for us? We’re exhausted.”

“I’d love to. What did you do today that’s got you so beat?”

She decided to just come out with it. “I went to my OB-GYN and got some blood work done… did I mention I’m pregnant?”

Maybe it would be fun discovering different ways to tell everybody.

This time, the spatula went tumbling to the floor. A shocked Candace turned slowly to face her.

“You’re what?!”

Tyler came running into the room, coming to a halt by her side.

“You told her without me?”

“Wait, hold the fuck up! You’re being serious?”

Nicki nodded and smiled at her. “Didn’t you wonder why we were inviting you over again so soon?”

Candace was clearly still stunned. “Yeah, but I… how could… holy fucking shit!” she screamed, throwing her arms around Nicki’s neck. “I’m gonna be an aunt?! This is the single coolest thing you’ve ever done for me, Ty.”

“Yeah, it’s all for you sis,” Tyler said sarcastically.

“Oh my God. Have you told mom?”

“Not yet,” Nicki answered, knowing it would be the most emotional reaction out of everyone’s.

“She’s gonna freak.”

“Mom? Never,” Tyler said, leaning back against the island. “We should just do it now, get it over with.”

“You set up the Skype, I have an idea.”

Nicki ran out of the room and up the stairs into their bathroom, where the collection of used tests laid in the trash bin. She grabbed one and bolted back down the stairs, realizing only once she’d gotten down all of them that she had to start being more careful. If she fell, which she was prone to do, it could be disastrous.

She heard Jackie’s voice before she even entered the room, and tried to sneak into the camera shot. Tyler caught wind of what she was going to do and urged her with his eyes to do it. Slowly, she held the test in front of the camera, waiting for a scream or a sob to let her know it had worked. When both came through the speakers, she dropped the test and joined Tyler in front of the screen.

“Is that…?”

Nicki nodded her head. “We found out for sure today.”

She watched the tears pour down Jackie’s face, too fast for her hands to wipe them away.

“I can’t believe it!” she choked. “I am so happy! Oh, sweetheart. You are going to make the best mother.”

“Thanks mom,” Tyler scoffed, pretending to be insulted.

When her attention was directed to Tyler, she lost it.

“My… son… a father,” was all Nicki could make out.

After an emotional twenty five minutes, a beep outside indicated that the rest of the guests had arrived. It took another five to get Jackie off of the computer, and a promise to call her later so that they could talk more about it.

Tyler went outside to chat briefly with Milan and Brittany, and Nicki stayed in to help Candace set the table. After her and Tyler’s lunch outing, she didn’t have an appetite, and chose to retreat to the comfort of the couch, sprawling out across the longest section.

Momentarily, Tyler joined her and moved her head onto his lap. She looked up at him, and noticed the bags forming underneath his eyes. She’d been officially pregnant for six hours, and it already had them drained.

His fingers sifted through her hair, evoking a long, satisfied moan from her. Somehow, it felt even better than it normally did, and she reached her head to his touch.

“What a day,” he murmured, already sounding like he was half asleep.

Nicki just nodded, doubting that any words would be coming out of her mouth. She sat up and leaned against Tyler, using him as a pillow. There was a good chance she wouldn’t even be making it to bed that night. So much for their nighttime rendezvous.

“Let’s just… go to sleep,” Tyler said through a yawn.

His arms wound loosely around her, and his hand fell directly onto her stomach. Nicki knew it would find its way there many more times over the next three quarters of a year. And she couldn’t wait. She drifted off, dreaming of the perfect family. The one that had seemed like pure fantasy. Until now.

Notes

To those of you who read this before you read the last four chapters because I idiotically posted the wrong one, I am so sorry. I am a horrible person lol I honestly can't believe I did that. I was in a rush and didn't realize it! >:(