“Yes, it sounds nice. I’m in.”
“Well, find something to wear. I’m going to go check on the twins.”
“Lizzy, wait,” I say as she’s about to leave.
She turns around. I half think she’d look expectant, as if she knows what was about to come out of my mouth, but she doesn’t. “What is it, Sylvia?” she asks when I stay quiet for too long.
“I want to tell you, but I kind of want to wait.”
“Oh. How about we have our spa day while you think it over? There’s no rush, right?”
I nod. “Right.”
Soon, I’m dressed and Lizzy is driving us to the nail salon for all of us to get our nails done. It’s been a good little bit since the girls have come with me to get their nails done too. They’re so tickled. They love getting pampered.
“Want to see something funny?” Lizzy asks. “I’m sure you’ll see it later tonight. Marc is supposed to be showing it to the guys today.”
“What is it?”
“He found these clips of Brayden online. He’s doing karaoke in a bar and singing ‘Low Rider’ and ‘Gettin’ You Home.’”
“Brayden?” She nods. “Are you sure? I mean, that man is as serious as he can be. Why would he do karaoke?”
“I think it was for a girl. It’s him, though. Here.” She pulls it up on my phone and shows me. The first one with “Low Rider” is hilarious, but the second one? It’s a bit swoon worthy. Who knew he could sing? He does say something at the beginning where he calls someone darlin’, so a girl could be involved, but I still can’t see Brayden doing this, even for a girl. “The guys will give him hell over this.”
“Marc couldn’t believe it. He had to call Noah immediately after watching it a dozen times. It’s starting to make the rounds because some hockey magazine shared it right before Marc left the house. I almost feel bad for Brayden.”
“He’s not going to like this. I wonder if he’s seeing someone, though. The man keeps to himself entirely too much. I know he hangs out with EJ some because Bree likes him, but other than that? He’s devoted to hockey. This is going to stir everyone up.”
Lizzy smiles. “It makes your little gossipy heart happy, doesn’t it?”
I laugh. “Yeah, a little.”
“Momma?” Stella pats my arm from her seat on the other side of me. “Can we go to the playground after this?”
Yeah. This is why the girls don’t get pampered but every blue moon. They are too quick to ruin their nails. However, I don’t say no.
“Do y’all want to go shopping first?” Lizzy asks. “Marco said I could buy you each something.”
That’s the perfect thing to say to them. Once our nails are done, we head to the mall. The girls want a new stuffed animal and it takes an hour for them to pick the right one and to pick out accessories for them. Then, we go to the playground. Lizzy and I take a seat on a bench facing the girls.
The urge to tell her keeps growing stronger and stronger. I even feel guilty for wanting to wait, considering how she rushed to my house and told me. The circumstances are a bit different, but she was trying to get a handle on it nonetheless.
“Are you ready?” I ask.
She straightens and glances over at me. “For your news?”
“Yes.”
“Hit me with it.”
“First, let me say, when Dr. Floyd told me, I had a meltdown. I panicked, fainted, and kept saying I needed Scott. He had to get someone to pick me up from the doctor’s office, so I wouldn’t have to sit there until he could get to me. I didn’t really snap out of it until after I talked to him.” I take a deep breath. “If things happen accordingly, you’ll be an aunt a week after you give birth.”
“Oh my god, Sylvia! Congrats!” Lizzy pulls me into a hug. “I’m so happy this is happening for you.” When she releases me, tears are in both of our eyes. “It’ll all work out. I refuse to believe that after all this time, you would get pregnant only to lose the baby. It’ll work out.”
I nod and search for the girls, who are in the sandbox now. “That’s what we’re hoping.”
Lizzy grabs my hand and squeezes. “Thank you for telling me. I’m assuming you’re keeping quiet for a bit?”
“Yeah. I feel like I need to do that, but I had to tell you. Meredith knows because she came to pick me up from the doctor’s office, but no one else does. I’ll understand if you tell Marc.”
“You ought to,” she says with a laugh. She came to me once, wanting me to keep something from Scott, and I told her there were no secrets between us. She told me, and I told Scott. It was something concerning his brother, so I thought he should know anyway. She was going to lose that one even had I agreed at first. “We’re in this together, Sylvia,” she adds quietly.
A smile tugs at my lips. “I’m pretty sure we were supposed to be sisters.”
“We were definitely supposed to be family,” she agrees.
At some point, I’ll tell my actual family and our friends, but for now, it feels so good that Lizzy knows. We have our moments, but aside from Scott and the girls, she’s the next most important person in my life. She’s had her weak moments in life. It’s only made her stronger. I’ve always thought Lizzy was a strong person. It’s good to have her by my side for this.
My body relaxes for the first time in what feels like months. I can do this. My body can handle this. In roughly T-minus twenty-nine weeks, I’m welcoming a baby into this world.
***
Preseason games are a bit crazy. You have the regular guys who are trying to warm up for the season, but aren’t getting too much ice time because the last thing anyone wants is to get injured during a preseason game. Then, you have these fresh, young guys with baby faces who are trying to earn a spot on the team and the coaches are watching them with the eye of a hawk looking for its prey, seeing what they need to work on.
So far, these guys need a lot of work. One is cocky as hell, yet he isn’t playing well enough to live up to his attitude. I hope they send him back to where he came from sooner rather than later. There’s one guy who has good instincts, but lacks the confidence and is like a deer in the headlights on the ice.
“Trust yourself and act,” I tell him as we skate down the ice to chase the puck.
Poor kid blushes.
We’re all disconnected, to say the least, but I manage to tally a goal and so does our captain, Brayden Hayes, and EJ Bertuzzi. Even so, we lose five to three.
“Sing for us, Captain!” someone shouts after the game.
“Where can we put in requests?” someone else hollers.
“All of you motherfuckers can shut the fuck up!” Brayden glares around the room. He’s been a grouch since Marco showed us the videos of him singing karaoke at a bar earlier this month. When asked why he did it, all he said was to get laid, but he wouldn’t divulge more than that. “I was forced! It was for sex! Leave me alone already!”
“Was the sex good at least?” Z asks.
Brayden curtly nods once. “Not sure it’s worth this shit, though.”
“It’s worth, as in it is? Present tense? You’re still seeing her?” Marco asks.
Brayden groans. “Fuck off, Marco. This is all your fault. There will be hell to pay, know that.”
Marc holds his hands up. “Hey, I didn’t record or post the videos online.”
Brayden doesn’t seem to care about that. This has seriously soured his mood. I mean, I’m sure it’s not exciting to know that experience is online, but he seems to be overreacting a bit. Then again, if I was as private of a person as Brayden is, I’d probably be rocking in a corner from panic right now. He seems pretty close to that level.
“Let’s see the dance again,” Bruiser pushes like an idiot.
Brayden decides to ignore the guys.
“Are you bringing her to the BBQ?” Rossy asks.
Brayden tenses, so I’m taking that as a no. They keep peppering him with questions, but he stays silent. This will all be forgotten about soon, I�
�m sure. I forget about it the moment I step out of the building and head to my car. There are a few texts from Sylvia, so I check them as I walk.
Sylvia: There’s dinner here if you’re hungry after the game.
Sylvia: I told Lizzy.
Sylvia: What the hell is Brayden doing singing karaoke?
“Scotty!”
I turn around at the sound of the rough tone and see one of our new teammates, Sergey Orlovsky. “What’s up, Serge?” I ask.
“Where’s good place for food?” Sergey is still learning his way around, obviously.
“What are you in the mood for?” He just shrugs and pats his stomach. “My wife already has dinner ready if you want to follow me to my house.” When he frowns, I add, “It’s fine and I promise the food will be good.”
“Okay.”
I text Sylvia to give her a heads-up. He follows me to my house. I expect Sylvia to greet us, but it’s Stella and Stephanie who rush over. They skid to a stop and glance back and forth between me and our visitor.
“Hey, this is one of the new guys on the team, Sergey Orlovsky. Serge, these are my daughters, Stella and Stephanie.”
“What position do you play?” Stella asks.
“I’m winger,” he answers.
“Hey, where’s Momma?”
“In here,” she shouts from the kitchen. “Go sit in the dining room.”
Sergey follows me, the girls follow him, and I tell him to sit. The girls start to show off the nails they apparently had done while I see if Sylvia needs help. She’s coming out of the kitchen with two plates loaded with food, though, so I walk by her to grab a couple of bottles of water from the fridge.
“Are you dating anyone?” I hear her ask when I reenter the room.
“Sylvie, stop. He’s still trying to learn his way to and from the arena and everything. He doesn’t need you trying to set him up.”
“I’m married,” Sergey gruffly tells her. Sylvia’s eyes widen and I know she wants to ask why he’s not at home eating food his own wife cooked instead, but Sergey adds, “Thanks for food.”
“Of course.”
Stella asks where he’s from. While she’s distracting him, I grab Sylvia’s wrist and pull her over to me to kiss her real quick. She looks better than usual. Happier. Less burdened. At ease. That’s the best term. She doesn’t seem so anxious anymore.
“Quit ogling me and eat your food,” she whispers before giving me another kiss and then turning to our daughters. “Stella, there will be plenty of time to talk to Sergey later. Let him eat in peace.”
“She’s fine,” he tells her.
I pull Sylvia to sit in my lap while Stella starts asking Sergey all about Russia, which is where he’s from. He genuinely doesn’t seem to mind telling her everything she wants to know and he adds on to answer more than her questions. I have to admit I’m a bit curious about him being married. I didn’t know he was married. He doesn’t wear a ring. But the last thing I need to do is turn into my wife. That’s his business and none of mine.
Soon, Sylvia pulls the girls away for a much-needed bath and Sergey thanks us for dinner before he makes his escape. I change into a pair of pajamas before slipping into the bathroom.
“He seems nice,” Sylvia says as I lean against the door.
“Yeah, seems to be. How was the day with Lizzy?”
“We got new bears,” Stephanie answers. “Mine is wearing a tutu!”
“Mine is a baker.” Stella frowns. “They were out of skates and jerseys; only had stupid football stuff.”
I listen as the three of them alternate in telling me about their visit to the nail salon, shopping, and going to the playground. Once they’re all dried and dressed, we move to their bedroom. Sylvia takes Stephanie and I get Stella. We brush their hair until it’s free of tangles.
“Daddy, will you read to us tonight?” Stella asks.
“Of course.”
“What am I, chopped liver?” Sylvia teases.
“Daddy’s better,” Stephanie says bluntly.
“Don’t y’all love me at all?”
“Duh, Momma.” Stephanie rolls her eyes. “You’re good at cooking and—”
“You help us with our homework,” Stella finishes.
“I get it,” Sylvia waves them off. “Daddy gets to do all the fun stuff.”
“You take us shopping and get our nails done,” Stephanie points out.
“We’re equally awesome, aren’t we?” I ask them. That, they can agree on. I’d like to think our kids love us equally just like we love them equally, but Stella is more of a daddy’s girl than Stephanie is. Stephanie is a lot like Sylvia. She might not be hers biologically, but she takes after her nonetheless.
With their hair tangle-free, we get them tucked into bed. I grab a book and sit on the floor between their beds in my normal reading spot. The girls lie on the edge of their beds so they can peer down and look at the pictures. Sylvia leaves us, like she sometimes does. I think she likes them to have time with just me, especially if it’s during hockey season.
The girls fall asleep quickly tonight. Their day must’ve worn them out. I quietly leave to find Sylvia. She’s washing dishes. We have a dishwasher, but it never gets used. For some odd reason, she likes to do them by hand. I take my place next to her to take over rinsing duties.
“This kid better like me more than you,” she blurts out.
I laugh. “You know they love you.”
“Yeah, but you’re their favorite.” She pauses, her hands freezing over the plate. “It feels weird to say something lighthearted like that.”
“Lighthearted is good, Sylvie,” I reassure her.
“I keep thinking of all these things we need to do, like transform the guest bedroom into a nursery, but at the same time...” Her voice trails off.
At the same time, she doesn’t want to start a process only to have to revert things back to the way they were for one reason or another. “Make a list,” I tell her, “of everything we’ll need to do, and every week, we’ll do one or two things and that’s it. The further along you are, the better you’ll feel. How’d Lizzy react?”
“She’s convinced that since I got pregnant in the first place that it’ll all work out.”
“I like the way she thinks.”
Sylvia laughs. “She’s also very excited for us.”
“Of course.”
“I’m going to try to make another appointment Wednesday. I want to make sure you can come before things get crazy and you’re gone for that big road trip. Plus, I wasn’t exactly listening last time, so I figured a redo would be great.”
“Try for first thing in the morning,” I tell her.
“I know.”
I lean over to press a kiss to her cheek. “Anyone ever tell you that you’re the best wife I’ve ever had?”
She laughs. “I’m the only wife you’ve ever had, so that automatically makes me the best.”
“Not necessarily. Could make you the worst,” I point out, but that earns me a glare. “I’m just saying.”
“Well, don’t.”
“My point,” I continue, “is that I love you and you are the best.”
She hums as she glances at me from the corners of her eyes. “Sounds like you’re trying to butter me up, Scott.” She’s lifted one of her legs at the knee and is rubbing her foot up and down my calf. My first thought is that she’s on to me. My second thought is that she shouldn’t be balancing on one leg. “Are you?” she asks.
“Not yet.”
She grins as she grabs the last pot. “I was about to say.”
“Say what?”
“That after ten years, it appears you’ve lost your edge if you were buttering me up already.”
I let my jaw drop. “Are you trying to say that my seducing skills need work?” I don’t give her a chance to answer. I take the pot from her hands, drop it in the sink, and pick her up, causing her to squeal in surprise. “Be quiet; the girls are sleeping.” Then, I kiss her hard and qui
ck.
“We can’t leave that last pot,” she says as I start walking toward our bedroom.
“We can, and you won’t be thinking about it at all in just a minute.” I close and lock the door with one hand. A moment later, I’m laying her down on the bed. I’m about to yank my shirt off, but Sylvia puts her hands on my chest to stop me. “What is it, Sylvie?”
The lamp on the nightstand is on, so I can see her eyes water. “I love you, you know? I don’t know what I would do without you.”
A tear manages to escape. I lean down to kiss it away. “I know and I love you too.”
“You’re so good to me.” She takes a deep breath and moves her hands up to cup my face. “I just wanted to say thanks for being a good man. I appreciate all you do for us, too.”
Speechless doesn’t feel like the right term, but I’m not sure what to say in return to her. I love Sylvia and my girls and they’re my world, so I do right by them. Treat them well. What am I supposed to say when she thanks me for doing what’s right? For doing what I want to do for them—things that come as easy and natural to me as breathing?
When words fail, actions speak.
Leaning down, I kiss her. Unhurried, soft, and deep, I kiss her until she’s reaching for the hem of my shirt to move things further. My mouth, my hands, and the movements of our bodies manage to give her a better response than one I could ever say.
Wednesday morning comes sooner than I thought possible. I got in late from Buffalo, so Sylvia gets up with the girls in an effort to let me sleep in just a little longer. She wakes me up by rubbing my back and giving me a quick kiss.
Today is a big day. I get to see our baby and hear the heartbeat. To say I’m excited would be the understatement of the century. Sylvia was able to get the first appointment of the day, so once we drop the girls off at school, we head right over to the doctor’s office.
“Will you stop it?” Sylvia laughs, pushing my hand away from her stomach, which has a barely there bump. At this point, one would just think she’s gained some weight. “It’s not a genie lamp, Scott.”
An Unexpected Life Page 7