by Toni Aleo
“He’s proud of you, Dmitri—he doesn’t know how to show you.”
“He could tell me.”
She laughed. “That’s not your father. You know that.”
“You have to talk to him. Please. If he’s nasty to Angel I don’t know what I’ll do. I love her and we’re having a baby… I don’t want to lose her.”
“I’ll try, Dmitri, but you know how he is.”
He paused. “Are you upset, Mama?”
“Upset about what? Becoming a grandmother? No. I can’t wait to meet her and start buying baby clothes.”
“That’s it? I get my girlfriend pregnant and that’s all you have to say?”
“Should I give you a lecture on using condoms? Marrying her? Being a good dad? I think you know these things.”
“I love you, Ma.”
“Of course you do.”
Chapter Four
Dmitri got to the arena early, changing into his pads and jersey, trying to lose himself in the routine he loved. Normally, he was happiest at the arena, whether it was for practice or a game, but tonight he was distracted. The situation with Angel weighed heavily on him and he wondered if she would be at the game tonight. She was overwhelmed but so was he and his gut told him they needed to talk sooner rather than later. Especially since he still wasn’t sure what she wanted.
“Hey.” Royce Lenahan and Zaan Hagen came in, two of his closest friends, and they all high-fived each other before heading back to the dressing room to drop off their valuables.
When they came back to the locker room to finish putting on their gear, Dmitri looked around to make sure no one could hear him as he said, “Angel’s pregnant.”
Zaan froze, turning to stare at him but Royce merely nodded. “I knew something was up.”
Dmitri didn’t respond, focusing on taping his stick as the rest of the team began filtering in.
“You’ve been dating Angel? Brock’s Angel?” Zaan’s eyes were wide, as if he couldn’t quite believe it.
Dmitri nodded.
“You gonna keep it?” Zaan asked after a slight hesitation.
“That’s up to her, not me, but I think so?” Dmitri hated being so indecisive but he couldn’t pretend everything was okay and was hoping for some advice from his friends. “She’s scared, you know?”
“Aren’t you?” Royce asked.
Dmitri shook his head. “I know it’s weird, but no. I want kids and I love her.”
“Then what’s the problem? Zaan asked.
“She wants to finish college, my dad is going to blow a gasket because she’s not Greek, and even though we told Brock and Ashleigh, I think he’s pissed at me.”
Royce whistled under his breath. “When you fuck up, you fuck up good.”
“If you love her, it’ll all work out.” Zaan went back to getting dressed.
Unless she doesn’t love me back, Dmitri thought with a grimace.
“You look like a man with a lot on his mind,” Cody Armstrong, the team captain, said to Dmitri as he joined them in the locker room.
“My girlfriend’s pregnant,” Dmitri told him. He refused to hide it now that Brock knew and despite what felt like insurmountable obstacles, he was going to show Angel how he felt. One way or another.
“You have a girlfriend?” Another one of Royce’s buddies on the team, Tore Brekken, gave him a funny look as he ambled into the room.
Dmitri groaned; so much for advice.
Dmitri wasn’t sure how things would go when he saw Angel in the family lounge, but he hadn’t been expecting the wave of longing that washed over him. He’d missed the usual intimacy between them and she looked gorgeous tonight, reminding him why he’d gotten involved with her in the first place. He’d been falling hard before she told him she was pregnant and now he wanted to carry her off into the sunset like some kind of knight in shining ice skates. Except that didn’t seem to be what she wanted, which left him at a disadvantage. She was everything he’d imagined in the woman he wound up with: witty, smart, and sexually adventurous. Not to mention beautiful. With her blond hair and bright blue eyes, she lit up any room she walked into.
All the single guys on the team had been enamored the first time she’d shown up at a team event with Brock and his family, but they’d known she was off-limits. Dmitri hadn’t really thought about it because most girls who looked like her weren’t his type on the inside. Except Angel was. One conversation at a barbeque last summer had been all it took to become friends, take her to bed and then tell her he wanted to date her exclusively. The last thing had happened not long after his disastrous hook-up with Penny in September. He’d known immediately he felt nothing for her anymore and didn’t want to be with anyone but Angel.
“Hey, beautiful.” He brushed his lips across hers and was relieved to see her smile up at him.
“Hi. Nice goal tonight.”
“Thanks.” He rested his hands on her hips. “I want you to come home with me tonight.”
“I’m leaving for L.A. in the morning.”
“We need a little time alone, honey.”
“Okay.” Her eyes were fixed on his as she leaned up on her toes and whispered, “The whole room just noticed we’re together.”
“That’s okay. I’m not ashamed of anything.”
“There are going to be questions.”
“That’s why we need to talk.”
“I’ll meet you at your place in about an hour. I’ll need to go home and pack if I’m sleeping over.”
He nodded. “I’ll see you then.”
By the time she knocked on his door he’d changed into sweats and was drinking a beer.
“Hey.” He leaned against the door jamb, taking in her tight jeans, leather jacket and high-heeled boots. She looked good enough to eat, to sweep his tongue along her sweet—he managed to stop thinking about sex long enough to kiss her cheek and invite her in.
“Hi.” She put her bag down and walked into his arms.
He hugged her tightly, inhaling the scent of her shampoo and letting her nestle against him. She felt so right when he held her, he had a hard time believing she didn’t feel it too.
“Let’s sit,” he said after a moment, taking her hand.
She let him lead her to the couch and sank down next to him.
“I’ve been thinking since dinner the other night.” He gently lifted her chin so she had to look at him. “Do you want to be together, Angel?”
“Since the first time we met,” she admitted, blushing.
He leaned in and kissed her, his mouth claiming hers tenderly, parting her lips and searching out her tongue. She hesitated for a fraction of a second before winding her arms around his neck and kissing him back. Tongues tangled, their lips did a sexy dance and he had to force himself to pull away because they were going to be naked in no time if he didn’t.
“Everything is so good when we’re together, but I know something is bothering you. Talk to me.”
“In a nutshell, I’m twenty years old and pregnant by a guy I haven’t been with very long. I want to trust you, but you have to prove yourself to me and that takes time. That’s all. My feelings for you aren’t the issue.”
“That makes sense, but my main concern is that you’re okay, that even though this was unplanned, you’re not going to hate me for ruining your life.”
“I could never hate you. I’m scared, and I think your parents are going to be a bigger problem than you want to believe, but I won’t let anything ruin my life. Not after how hard I’ve worked to pull myself out of the hell I was living after my parents died.”
“You’ll never go back to that,” he whispered. “I won’t allow it, no matter what happens with us. I swear.” He took her face in his hands and looked deep into her eyes before kissing her again. He loved how she tasted and if tentative trust was the only problem, he wasn’t worried. There was nothing that would make him break her heart, not even his father.
He kissed her the only way he knew how, passionately and lo
vingly, hoping to show her how he felt in ways that words couldn’t quite articulate at this stage of their relationship. Their physical connection was stronger than anything he’d felt with anyone else, one of many things that made her special. She was petite, not much over five feet, but her body was flawless. She had small but perfectly rounded breasts that fit in his hands. When he cupped them they came alive, her nipples hardening against his palms as she moaned into his mouth.
He lost himself in her when they were together and tonight was no different. Kissing and touching her was all he thought about sometimes and before he knew it, they were naked.
“Dmitri…”
“You wet for me, beautiful?”
“Let me show you.” She crawled onto his lap, their mouths still fused together, and in one smooth motion impaled herself on his raging erection.
“Oh, fuck, honey, that’s hot.” His hands moved to her waist, circling it carefully, watching as she rode him. Her still-flat torso arched forward each time she moved, giving him access to those perfect breasts and he sucked a nipple into his mouth. With her hands on his shoulders, head thrown back and the sexiest sounds in the world coming from her throat, he let her take the lead. She rocked her hips forward, changing the angle of penetration and he nearly blew his load right then and there.
“You feel so damn good, Dmitri…”
The breathless way she said his name made him even harder, so much so it almost hurt, and he yearned to take control. She was so beautiful riding him like this, her body on display and her tight little pussy starting to convulse around him, he was reluctant to change a damn thing.
“That’s it, honey—give me everything.” He thrust up deeper, harder, until his hips strained from the effort.
“God, yes…” She sped up, breasts bouncing, fingers digging into his shoulders.
They lost control together, her screams bouncing off the walls and his own growl of pleasure nearly drowning them out. She collapsed against his chest, heart pounding and beads of sweat from her forehead wetting his skin.
“This is why I’m pregnant, dammit,” she muttered.
He kissed her temple. “I want to say I’m sorry, but I can’t resist you.”
“I’m thinking in the future we’ll need to be a lot more cognizant of birth control,” she said dryly. “But it seems kind of moot now.”
“Kind of.” He stroked her silky back, beyond content to sit here with her sprawled across him all night.
Until he heard the key in the lock and they both jumped.
Chapter Five
“Royce is home,” he said, lunging to his feet with her still in his arms and bolting down the hall. He’d barely closed the door to his room as Royce yelled out, “Were you seriously just having sex on the couch?!”
Leaning against the bedroom door, they both laughed.
“I thought he was going out,” Dmitri whispered against her ear.
She giggled. “I’m just glad he didn’t get home five minutes earlier.”
“Coast is clear!” Royce yelled out. “I’m going to bed.”
“I’ll go get your bag and clothes,” Dmitri murmured, lightly patting her on the behind.
“I’ll be waiting in bed.”
Familiarity felt good, Angel decided as she crawled between the sheets of his bed. She’d slept here a lot and Royce was funny and easy-going, though they’d never come so close to getting caught having sex before. In fact, whenever she spent time with Dmitri it was fun, light-hearted and familiar, as if they’d been involved much longer than a few months. From June until late September, it had been casual but passionate. Eight weeks or so ago, it had become sensual and more emotionally intense, both of them expressing a growing need to be together. She’d been happy because it had progressed naturally, friendship budding along with a lot of fantastic sex.
“You look beautiful in my bed,” he murmured, sliding in beside her and letting her move into his arms.
“Thank you.”
“I mean it. I love having you here. I wish you were here all the time.”
“I know, but school…”
“I know, but I want you to be comfortable when you’re with me.”
“I don’t need a specific place to be comfortable, Dmitri—I just need you.”
“You have me,” he whispered.
She wanted desperately to believe him and she promised herself she wouldn’t second-guess everything anymore. She had back-up. She had help. She even had money. Dmitri could turn his back on them completely and she’d be okay, baby or no baby. She wasn’t a scared teenager with no one to count on anymore and she refused to let hormone-induced insecurity overwhelm her. Dmitri loved her. That’s all she needed to know.
The first week of December came and went quickly. Between getting ready for final exams, doctor appointments and her job, Angel barely had time to miss Dmitri, though they talked every day. She needed time to do some Christmas shopping, especially since Dmitri’s parents were coming. He’d told her she didn’t need to do anything, but she wanted to make a good impression on them without overdoing it. Ashleigh had promised to help her but Angel was deep in her studies, trying not to think about anything but grades for another week.
Dmitri had been as attentive and caring as ever, even though he’d been traveling and she was back at school. Her doubts had begun to melt away, her heart overruling her skeptical mind. Letting herself get upset over things that hadn’t happened yet—and maybe wouldn’t happen at all—wasn’t worth it. Dmitri swore his parents would come around and Christmas was right around the corner. She had finals to get through, the holidays to enjoy and classes starting again in January. Her life was full and having Dmitri and the baby would only make it better. Right? She’d begun telling herself that several times a day, determined not to undermine her own happiness.
By the time she finished her finals, packed up her things and headed back to Las Vegas, she’d begun to relax. She’d gotten her first ultrasound pictures and a due date a little earlier than they’d anticipated. She was twelve weeks along now, almost through the first trimester, and though she’d had a little morning sickness it wasn’t bad. She hadn’t gained any weight either, so she was feeling okay. The doctor had told her there was a special blood test that would tell her the baby’s gender, but she’d decided to wait until the ultrasound at sixteen weeks to find out. She’d done the math and consulted the Sidewinders’ schedule, so she’d made an appointment with a doctor in Las Vegas who would do it. She’d decided to have doctors both in L.A. and Las Vegas, just to be safe, but had a feeling she would most likely give in and have the baby in Las Vegas. Dmitri was so stinkin’ excited it was hard not to share everything with him.
She’d told him about the due date and that she’d found doctors in both L.A. and Vegas, but she was going to surprise him with the gender-reveal appointment. She’d made it on a day off for him, late in the afternoon. Even if the team had practice that day, there was almost no chance he’d have to be anywhere in the evening, so she was hopeful she’d be able to surprise him with it.
In the meantime, she and Ashleigh were sitting down to talk about Christmas. They were having Dmitri’s family over on Christmas Eve in the hopes of establishing some sort of tradition with their integrated families.
“I want to be here when Bella opens presents on Christmas morning,” Angel said. “I’m not sure how to make that work. I don’t want to drag the whole family over here.”
“You’re welcome to, but I think the logistics will be difficult.”
“Dmitri said we’d probably open gifts on Christmas Eve before we take everyone back to the hotel and then go to brunch somewhere. He made reservations but I don’t remember what time.”
“Bella will be up at the crack of dawn,” Ashleigh said with a smile. “So we can do our gifts early and then you’ll have time to shower and get dressed for brunch.”
“Okay.”
“Don’t be nervous,” Ashleigh squeezed her hand. “I’ve got
more to worry about than you do—I’m entertaining people who own a restaurant!”
“At least you don’t have to buy new clothes...” Angel murmured.
“I thought you hadn’t gained any weight?”
“Not really, but Christmas is still a week away and I feel like I ate a whole cow at dinner.”
“You did seem hungrier than usual.”
“And the top button of my jeans was tight this morning, so it’s happening.”
“It’s going to be fine. Wait until you feel it move—that was my favorite part.”
“We’ll see.”
“By the way, I ordered something for you. I think it’s the perfect gift for Dmitri’s parents but I wanted it to get here in time. If you don’t want it, I’m sure someone else is having a baby soon that I can give it to.” She dug a package out from a cabinet and handed it to her.
It was a beautiful carved picture frame with a poem to new grandparents from a first grandchild, with a section for an ultrasound picture.
“Oh.” Tears stung Angel’s eyes as she blinked up at her. “This is perfect. Thank you!”
“You’re welcome. I know you were stressed about it.”
“I want something like this for Dmitri too…”
“We can order more. This place I found online is great…”
Chapter Six
Dmitri’s parents, Vassoula and Antoni, along with his sisters and brother-in-law, arrived on the twenty-third and he’d never been so nervous to see his family. His sisters had told him they were excited he was going to be a father, but his father hadn’t even mentioned it and his mother had said not to push it until they were together. He and Angel had both come to the airport because they needed more than one car to fit everyone as well as their luggage. She was pacing beside him now and he felt bad that she was so nervous, but there was no help for it.