It had been two weeks since Kendall had learned she was pregnant, and she had needed time to digest this information. Her doctor had told her she was already two weeks along, so now she was a month into this. Eight more months and a little Step baby will be making it’s way into the world. The hot July day wasn’t helping out her morning sickness, as she opened the door to the balcony off of the master bedroom and sat down on the Lucite chairs and table they had brought out there. Her legs out in front of her splashed across the balcony. This was insane. A month ago, her and Derek were barely back together, and now they were engaged and pregnant. Everything was coming at her at lightning speed. Not to mention that she did the math last night and the baby would be due in February smack dab in one of the busiest months of the Hockey season, two months later the playoffs would follow and she knew she would be a single parent to a newborn until the season was officially over, that made Kendall want to throw up even more. But Derek had been so happy the past two weeks since they found out, rubbing her stomach every night, massaging her feet and legs before bed, running her baths, throwing baby names at her. She was blessed to have him, her rock.

She couldn’t believe she had been questioning her future with the boy turned man in front of her, Derek was her soul mate and life partner and she knew it now and she could never thank him enough for taking her back. She took a sip of her hot water and lemon and thought about the fact that now it was official, she wouldn’t be playing hockey this next season. Which meant she wouldn’t be playing in the World championships, which probably didn’t help her chances at making the 2018 Olympics, but she was still determined to make it with a little more than two years until the event. It was possible. She would make it possible.

She also couldn’t believe that she was done training for the summer, no more not being able to eat anything and everything, no more skating until she puked (the baby was helping her do that) and no more exhausting days in the hot gym. “Baby? You up?” Derek’s warm voice filled the house as she heard the front door slam shut. “Up here.” She yelled hoping he heard her through the closed Master Bedroom door. She heard footsteps up the main staircase and knew he did.

“How’s my baby mama?” He chuckled as he took off his sneakers and joined her on the balcony, taking the seat next to her and pulling her legs onto his lap so he could rub her feet. She let out a moan as he kneaded them. “Feels so good.” She whispered taking another sip of lemon infused water. “How was practice?” She asked. “Same old, same old. Feeling back to my old self at least. Mac’s pushing me like always.” Kendall let out a smile. She was more than over joyed that Ryan and Derek had kept their best friendship all these years. “I can’t wait to tell him he’s going to be a god father.” It was very unlucky to tell anyone you were pregnant until you got through the first trimester, so Kaylee promised she wouldn’t tell anyone, even her husband until they got the go ahead. He would be as crushed as them if anything happened. “Little steps is going to be one spoiled child.”

She let out another moan after Derek started in on her other foot. Any touch these days made her feel more than good, it was the pregnancy hormones. “Deeper.” She announced taking another sip. “I am used to you saying that in various states of undress.” He smirked. “That’s what got me knocked up.” She teased. “I can’t wait to knock you up at least three more times.” He winked at her. Over the past couple weeks they had been talking more and more about their family, and agreed that they definitely wanted three more children. “Me either, the process is so much fun.” She bit her lip and smirked at him. Even though their first wasn’t planned, they were still wanted and she would make sure to let them know that.

Derek started placing kisses on her foot, then up her leg. “Derek what are you doing?” She knew exactly what he was doing. “Kissing my fiancé’s beautiful body.” He murmured as he pulled her closer to him, then picked her up and brought her into the room placing her on the bed. “Did I tell you how hot you look in my t-shirts and nothing else?” He whispered in her ear. She looked down at her body, she felt gross and a tad big last night so she threw on one of his old tattered Wisconsin under armor t-shirts and went to bed. “Not today you haven’t.” She said smirking as she pulled him onto her. His hands slipping under the shirt and slowly lifting it up and off her. “Are you feeling okay? I don’t want to...if you aren’t up to it. I know your morning sickness is bad.” She let out a laugh. “Derek Stepan you know how to score on the off, so how about you get to scoring off it.’ He let out a laugh this time. “I’ve still got it.” Kendall’s fingers worked at the hem of his sweatshirt, as she almost wanted to tear it off. She wanted him. And badly. He helped her with it, taking off his t-shirt and sweatshirt at the same time. He leaned back down and their lips collided together, their tongues old friends at this point. She strategically slipped off his shorts leaving him in the boxer briefs that made her swoon. “What?” He asked her when he saw the look on her face. “Nothing I just forget how much I love you.” She whispered as he smiled. “I love you more Kendall Brooks Stepan.” She liked the way that sounded.

Forty-five minutes later Kendall had the duvet cover wrapped around their naked bodies, her head on Derek’s chest, her favorite place on earth. “How are you feeling?” He asked as he stroked her hair. “I am feeling fine, the lemon water helped with the morning sickness. Thanks for making it for me.” She smiled planting a kiss on his chest. “I know when it’ll be hard when we go back to New York next month, I’ll start being busy with captain’s practices, training camp and pre-season, but I promise I’ll be around when I am not at the rink, I don’t want you to think your going to be alone throughout this pregnancy Ken.” She loved hearing her nickname spill out of his mouth. “I know. And our moms will be available to come down whenever we need them to. And I’ll have Shattuck to keep me company, and our New York family, the girls will be fawning over me at games, and wanting to be around you know how they’ve been throughout the other girls pregnancies.” He nodded.

“I thought of two more names.” He whispered into her ear. She picked up her head to look at him. “Tell me.” He gave her a half smile. “Brooks Herbert Stepan if it’s a boy and if it’s a girl I was thinking Ryan. I know it’s mostly a guys name but every Ryan-girl wise I met has been super rad and super hot. And you know with your genes our kids are going to be models. And Ryan means the world to the both of us, and since I don’t have a brother...It would be nice to honor him in a big way.” She let out a laugh. “I love that idea. Especially naming brooks after Grandpa. Keeping the brooks name alive. He would of loved it.” She couldn’t wait to tell her family the next opportunity she got. Her dad would be over joyed, her mom would lose it and her siblings would die. She also had a checkmark in her head to go down to Grandpa’s gravesite soon, she hadn’t been in a while.

“Promise me something Derek.” She whispered, her fingers brushing along his side. “Yeah baby anything?” She looked up at him again. “That our kids will know how much we love each other, and them. And that they will fall in love with the one thing that brought us together.” He rolled his eyes. “Obviously babe. Have you seen us? Our kids will be having ice run through their veins, just like us.” She nodded. She hoped she would be a good mother. She didn’t want to let Derek down; she knew he was born to not just be a hockey player, but a dad.

“We’re doing this. Becoming a real family.” He murmured into her ear. And she flashed him a smile. “One down, eight to go Stepan.”

Notes

Sorry it took so long!