As Kris poured the batter onto the hot skillet, the aroma of waffles filled the kitchen. Patrick turned to comment on how good it smelled, as Gia tore off from the kitchen to the bathroom.
"Ugh, she looked a little green,” Kat commented.
"Is she going to be okay? I mean, should she call the doctor or something if she keeps getting sick?" Patrick asked, worried. He knew nothing about any this.
Kat let out a little chuckle. "No Pat, she's fine."
"Fine? But–"
"Pat, this is completely normal. Yes she gets sick, but it is only like once a day, right?"
He nodded.
"Well, that’s normal. You don't need to worry, okay?"
When Gia walked back into the room, he rushed to her and cradled her in his arms. "You okay, baby girl?" he asked, kissing her on top of her head.
"I'm fine."
****
GIA
"Mom?" Gia said into her cell phone. "It's Gia." She decided to call her mom as soon as breakfast was over. Kris and Kat were cleaning up and Patrick sat next to her on the couch in the living room.
"Hi, Gianna. How are you doing dear? Everything okay?" Cece Torella asked. Ian cooed in the background.
"Aw, I hear my nephew. How was he last night?" Gia asked. She missed Ian not being here today.
"Oh, he was no trouble at all. We had a nice night, didn't we Ian?" Cece said. "Dad said it was a great game and everyone seemed to have a nice time. He enjoyed talking with Kris's parents and of course, was in his glory going to a game and sitting in a luxury box."
"I'm glad he enjoyed himself. So Mom, I actually called for a reason." Gia was excited and hoped her mom would be too. She was nervous.
"What's on your mind, dear?" Cece asked. In the background, Gia could hear her dad asking who it was. Cece called to him, muffling the receiver with her hand. "It's Gianna, dear."
Gia took a breath and Patrick grabbed her hand. "Well Mom, I have some news to tell you." Just like ripping off a band-aid, Gia blurted it out. "Patrick asked me to marry him." She sat silently waiting for her mom's response, holding her breath until her mom spoke.
"He what? Oh Gianna! That is wonderful, dear!" Cece exclaimed. "Jay! Gianna and Patrick are getting married! Wait, you did say yes, didn't you?"
"Yes Mom, of course I said yes."
"Jay! Our baby is getting married to Patrick!" Cece yelled.
Gia could hear her dad in the background yelling, "Congratulations, doll! Kris Lafleur and Patrick Dubois for son-in-laws? What more could an old hockey fan dad ask for?"
"Oh Gianna, I am so happy for you both! Any plans yet?" Cece asked.
"No, he just asked me last night. I’ll let you know as soon as I start making plans. Love you, Mom. I’ll talk to you soon, okay?" Gia said goodbye to her mother and hung up.
Patrick smiled at her. "So, I take it she’s excited?"
"Oh yes. And my Dad is going out of his mind. Lafleur and Dubois will now be his son-in-laws." She laughed.
"Anytime your dad wants to go to a game, let me know," Patrick said as he pulled Gia into his arms. "So, this is really happening, baby girl?"
"Yes it is," she said softly, looking at him and smiling.
"Hey, lovebirds," Kat called as she walked into the living room. "So did Mom lose her mind? Wait, I bet Dad went crazier than Mom did."
"He's going wild. Two famous hockey player son-in-laws." Gia giggled. "I bet he's on the phone right now, telling all his buddies the news."
Kat and Gia erupted into giggles.
CHAPTER 28
PATRICK
"So Gia," Patrick said as he grabbed a piece of pizza out of the box on his dining room table. "Did we get everything from Kris's house?" He flashed her a smile and then took a bite of the hot pepperoni pizza slice, sauce and cheese falling on his chin. He wiped it away with his napkin.
"Well," she said as she took a bite of her slice of pizza, cheese stringing from it. She grabbed it and tossed it in her mouth too. Her mouth was so full that she was unable to finish her thought. Still chewing on the huge bite of cheese she took, she nodded her head.
"Good, ‘cause I don't think we have any more room!" He laughed. He was joking, of course. It was fun to irritate her about all her stuff. He toyed with the idea of bringing up house hunting, but decided it would be better to wait a bit. He knew she wanted a house like Kris and Kat’s with a pool, hot tub and a nice porch. Plus, the baby would need lots of room.
It had been exactly one week since he’d proposed to her and they finally had her all moved in.
"Thanks Patrick, for helping me with my stuff." She grabbed for another piece of pepperoni pizza. "I'm so hungry!"
"Baby girl, I am so thrilled to have you moving in with me, it was no problem at all. You can't be lifting. I was just glad today was an optional skate so we could get it all in, and Kris could help with the heavy lifting." He stood up to close the lid to the pizza box "You done, baby?"
"Well." She thought for a moment. "I might actually have one more slice." He held the box open for her to take another one.
"Hungry?" Patrick commented after watching her take her third piece of pizza.
"Yeah, some days more than others." She smiled before taking a bite out of her third piece. "But pretty sure that’s normal," she said with her mouth full. "Especially when you're eating for two."
Patrick carried the pizza box over to the counter and got out foil to put the leftovers away. He tossed the box on to the kitchen garbage can. "So, someone's birthday is coming up in a few days." he hinted. Kris had reminded Patrick of his soon-to-be bride's birthday. He intended to make it special.
"Yeah, it's no big deal, really." Gia shook her head and shrugged.
Please, Patrick thought. He knew better than to believe that. Every girl wants a big deal made of her birthday. "Okay," he said. "No big deal. But you still better let me know what you want to do for your special day." He smiled at her as she shook her head again, this time laughing a little.
"Really, it's not a big deal," she insisted.
"Well, too bad, baby girl." He walked over and stood behind her, wrapping his arms around her. He whispered in her ear, "The evening is already planned, but you need to decide what you want to do with your day. Anything at all."
She closed her eyes as his scruffy face brushed against her neck. "I’ll think about it, okay?" He didn't look convinced. "I promise," she added.
"Okay." He seemed satisfied for now. "Now, we have to concentrate on getting this house in order." He stood up.
"Well, actually… I was thinking maybe I shouldn't unpack everything," Gia said nonchalantly. She looked up at Patrick with puppy dog eyes.
"And why would that be, baby girl? You’re not planning to stick around?" Patrick teased.
"Ha, Ha. I was thinking, I know all my stuff is still in boxes, but it seems little crowded now, don't you think?" She stood in front of him and slid her arms around his waist. Her eyes locked on his.
"Depends. What are you trying to say?" Patrick chuckled.
"I'm saying, would you consider looking for a bigger place? With the baby coming, we’ll need the room." She batted her eyelashes at him.
His eyes raked over that petite, amazing body and he knew no matter what she asked, he wouldn't be able to say no. "That actually sounds like a great idea." He smiled and kissed the tip of her nose.
"Why don't you unpack the things you need and we can put everything else in the spare room for now. No telling how long it will take to find a place we like." He had been living in townhouses since back in Los Angeles. It was the perfect time for a change.
****
GIA
Gia rolled over in bed, stretched and tried to wake up. The rain tapped against the window. She realized Patrick had already gone to morning practice. He’d promised he would be home before she woke up, so she decided she might as well stay in bed until he got home. Rolling over to reach for her phone, she groaned as she felt a wave of sickness wash over
her. "Aw hell," she mumbled.
Gia jumped out of bed and tripped over a pair of Patrick's tennis shoes. Silently cursing him out for not tucking them underneath the bed, she ran to the bathroom.
She whimpered as she pulled her head back from the mouth of the toilet and sat on the cool tile for a moment. Her stomach felt better now. She took in a breath and stood up at the sink. Leaning over, she looked at herself in the mirror and mumbled, "I wish this would stop." She rinsed her mouth then patted her face off with the towel.
She practically crawled back to the bedroom, this time kicking Patrick's shoes out of her way. She crawled back into bed, pulling the soft covers around her. That was not how she wanted to start her day off. She laid her hand on her stomach as she curled up and softly spoke aloud to her belly, "You know, little one, it's my birthday. Can we maybe not do the puking thing all day? I would like to enjoy my dinner and maybe some cake. Don't you like cake?"
She drifted back to sleep, curled up in the puffy blankets.
An hour later, she woke to Patrick's voice, "Good morning baby girl," he whispered.
"Oh, hey," she said as she rolled over to face him. She rubbed her eyes and moved the hair out of her face. She hoped it wasn't sticking up all over the place. His shirt looked damp and she could still hear the rain outside the window.
"How is the birthday girl?" He smiled. "You up for some breakfast?"
"Sure. Definitely some hot coffee." Gia sat up and ran her hands through her hair. She tugged at her pink nightshirt, a tee she’d worn since she was about sixteen. It was snug around her boobs and ended just under so her stomach was exposed.
Gia slid her legs out from under the covers as Patrick helped her out of bed. He admired the pink panties and she could tell by the greedy smile on his face that he wanted to put her right back into bed.
"I know what that smile means," she said slyly. The way he smiled at her made parts of her body feel on fire and gave her goose bumps all at the same time. "And I don't hate the idea. I just want some coffee first. Seriously." She giggled then slid by him to the bathroom.
"So, breakfast?" he called to her behind the closed bathroom door.
"I guess," she called back. She peeked her head out of the door and said, "Before you say it, I know I need to eat something. I'm just not terribly hungry." She shrugged. Ever since she was in the hospital, she made sure she ate something at every meal. It usually consisted of something healthy, which was no fun for her. She loved her junk food and some days, she just wanted a doughnut. Or two …
He was sitting on the bed when she returned from the bathroom, still in her little tee and panties, her hair now brushed and pulled back in a ponytail.
"So," she said, standing right in front of him as he sat on the bed. "What’s for breakfast?" She grinned, knowing she was driving him wild walking around in practically nothing.
He pulled her down to sit on his knee, ran his hand up her back and braced the back of her neck as he took her mouth with his. His free hand found her legs and slowly ran up from her knee to her thighs. His thumb moved to her inner thigh as his fingers grabbed for her hip. He moved his other hand down from her neck to her ass, cupping the exposed cheek. She let out a soft muffled groan from around his lips.
His right hand still on her thigh, Patrick’s fingers crept along her soft skin, his thumb leading the way between her thighs.
Gia took in a sharp breath, his hand was warm on her skin. His thumb rubbed against her swollen mound first, then teased her clit as his fingers glided down to cup her now moist area.
Gia's eyes closed as she let out a harsh breath into his mouth, which made him smile. Patrick flipped Gia onto the bed and pulled off her panties, tossing them over his shoulder. He pulled off his black tee and dropped his jeans shorts to the floor.
"Commando?" she commented, seeing he had no underwear on.
He nodded seductively and crawled on top of her.
"Guess my coffee will have to wait."
CHAPTER 29
GIA
Gia stood in the kitchen, wearing Patrick's number twelve Renegades tee and sipping her coffee. Patrick grabbed a container and bag off the kitchen counter and walked towards her.
Handing Gia the bakery bag, he smiled. "Here, sweet thing, breakfast for the birthday girl."
She smiled, put down her coffee, grabbed the bag and opened it. "Oooh," she cooed. "Is this a chocolate danish?" She loved Snickerdoodle's chocolate danish. They were a perfect combination of sweet chocolate and flaky pastry.
"Yep. Better than a doughnut, right?" he asked with a grin.
Gia loved that bakery. "So, what's in that?" She pointed to the container on the counter behind Patrick. She could see the writing on the top. "Looks like it's from the deli?"
"This," he opened the container and handed it to her, "is fresh fruit to go with your danish: kiwi, honeydew and pineapple. Sound good?"
"Yum, that sounds great. Thank you, baby." She set the container down on the counter and slid her arms around Patrick. What a clever way to slide in fresh fruit for my meal, she thought. "Okay, I'm hungry. Want to split this?" She sat down at the table.
"You know, that’s sweet of you to ask, but it's your birthday."
"C'mon, I don't want to eat alone. Please?" She opened the fruit container and fed him a piece of kiwi. "At least have a bite of it." She flashed him a sweet smile.
"Alright, just a piece."
Gia broke off a piece of the flaky pastry, dropping a small chunk of chocolate onto the napkin.
"Here." Gia picked up the chunk of chocolate after handing him the pastry. She put the chunk to his lips and fed it to him.
Patrick smiled as he sucked on her finger for a second. "So what are your thoughts on this afternoon? What are we up to, Miss Birthday Girl?"
She took a bite of her danish, savoring the chocolate-filled center. She smiled and took a sip of her hot coffee. Setting her coffee mug down, she responded, "Well, I had wanted to go swimming but …" She looked out the window at the rain still falling. "The weather is not cooperating. So maybe we can swim tomorrow?" She got up and grabbed his game schedule off the refrigerator. "You’re off tonight and tomorrow, no game till this weekend?"
"Yeah. Saturday's is at home then Sunday we leave for Boston," Pat recited the schedule easily. "Then from Boston, we go to Carolina."
Gia nodded. That was a lot of traveling, but she couldn't complain. At least it worked out that he was off on her birthday.
"Yeah, we could swim tomorrow afternoon. This evening we have reservations at ICE for dinner," Patrick said as she sat back down at the table.
"Ooh, that sounds nice. Well, since it is raining, maybe we could just lay around and watch a movie this afternoon?"
****
Patrick pulled his Hummer into the back parking lot of ICE, the team’s favorite restaurant. Kris had introduced Patrick to it. They liked it because it was private.
The hostess smiled at them and sat them in a corner booth. It was curved so if she wanted to she could scoot right next to her handsome date. The restaurant was dimly lit, with white Christmas lights lining the bar and booths. The staff was very professional. No one was running around asking for autographs or taking pictures. She noticed the city's star football player sitting at the bar with a busty blonde. He might be the quarterback, but she didn't really follow football.
They scooted into the booth and Patrick asked, "So, what do you think?"
"Very nice. I'm impressed." Kat had told her all about this place. It was where Kris had proposed to her.
The waitress brought them water and Patrick asked for a beer.
Gia was really hungry and everything on the menu looked so delicious. "What do you suggest?" she asked, hoping for some help.
"Well, I was thinking an appetizer. How about nachos?" Patrick suggested.
It was like he read her mind. She craved spicy.
"I usually get a salad as a side and I thought about getting a juicy steak. But the burgers
are really good too. So is the chicken, especially smothered in cheese and bacon." He practically drooled as he looked at each menu item.
Gia let out a chuckle. "Not that I am complaining, but doesn’t smothering chicken with cheese and bacon defeat the healthiness of it?" She giggled. "Again, not that I'm complaining. I think I’ll definitely get a salad and …" She paused, looking over the menu and biting her lip as she decided. "Um, I'm going to go with the smothered chicken."
Just then, the waitress reappeared with Patrick's beer. She took their orders then hurried away.
"So, having a nice time so far?" he asked, reaching across the table and grabbing her hand.
"Yes, I am. This place is really nice. Thanks for bringing me here." She looked around again. "I know I’ve heard Kat say that a lot of the team likes to come here." she asked.
"Yeah, can’t blame them. It's a nice place. I’m amazed it’s so private. I’m not used to that. Don’t get me wrong, I love meeting fans, but tonight I wanted it to just be me and you. It’s your special day." He moved closer to Gia and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her to his side as their appetizer was brought to the table.
Love this curved booth. Being in his arms made this night perfect.
Just as Gia finished up the last few nachos on the plate, scooping up salsa, lettuce and sour cream with the last chip, their meals arrived. The waitress set her chicken in front of her and the steak in front of Patrick then took the empty nacho plate away. "Can I get you anything else?"
Gia shook her head, unable to speak with her mouth still full.
Patrick smirked at Gia. "Not right now, thanks," Patrick replied to the waitress and she left again. "Now, make sure you leave room for dessert, okay?" he said Gia dug into her chicken.
"Oh?" That peaked her interest; she did love desserts. She sliced her chicken in half, intending to take the rest home. "Good thing you brought that up, I would've eaten this whole thing, just like those nachos." She always ate a lot, even though she was tiny, but being pregnant she ate even more.
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