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He shrugs. “Fuck knows, but whatever he thinks is going on, he has it wrong. She’s ghosting my calls and texts.”

“Fuck man, I’m sorry.”

He shakes his head and grabs his stick. “You coming to Riley’s after the win?”

“Nah, got an evening check-up with Kate’s doctor. Now that she’s twenty-eight weeks, they want to keep a closer eye on her and get the birthing plan all straight.”

“It won’t be long now. Have you spoken to Coach about how much time off you’ll get after the birth?”

I grit my teeth in frustration. “Yeah. Next to nothing, but thankfully, her due date doesn’t clash with a game. If she goes either side, though, there’s a chance I’ll be fucked.”

And if I’m on the ice at the time, best believe nothing will stop me from getting to my girl. I’ll leave the goal wide fucking open.

“All looksto be great and coming along well. The plan is to take you to a maximum of thirty-six weeks. You’re twenty-eight now, so we really are in the home stretch. Is everything set at home?” the doctor asks.

“I’m building their bookcase and toy box tonight,” I reply, keeping one eye on my wife, who has been withdrawn and closed off since the game ended, which we won, and then we made our way to the hospital.

“And your overnight bag? Have you got all of that ready to go?”

Kate nods. “Yeah, breast pads included.”

The doctor chuckles and removes her latex gloves. “Do you have any questions at this stage?”

Kate chews nervously on the edge of her thumb, and the urge for me to reach up, grab her hand, and kiss it is overwhelming.

I got you, Princess. It’s going to be okay.

“I guess as I get closer, I’m starting to think about the birth more and more. My friend is having a baby at a similar time to me, and she’s been going through pain relief options. I’m hoping to do it without too much medical interference, but it got me thinking: what are my chances of having a natural birth?”

The doctor takes in a deep breath. “As we discussed in the previous appointment, birthing twins can bring more complications for obvious reasons, but everything I’m seeing right now tells me you can still hope for a vaginal birth. We can provide pain relief options and have everything available since you don’t have any allergies.”

Kate bites on her thumb again, and this time, I reach up to her as she sits on the bed. I take her hand in mine, brushing a kiss across her knuckles. “Nothing bad is going to happen to you, Mrs. Jones. It’s just not possible.”

The doctor looks over at me and smiles. “We have some of the best trained staff and most equipped delivery suites available to us here.”

“And there’s not a fucking chance I’m going to let anything happen to my wife or babies. Anything you need, it’s yours. Anything. All of it.”

“Well, it sounds like you have the best support available.” The doctor finishes up and signs off on some paperwork.

Kate climbs down off the examination bed and shrugs on her coat. Stepping over to her, I pull on her cute black toque and hold out her matching gloves.

“I can still dress myself, even in pregnancy,” she jibes.

Shoving my hands in the pockets of my post-game pants, I lean down and whisper in her ear. “Are you being a brat, Mrs.Jones? Pregnant with my babies doesn’t mean you’re exempt from a spanking.”

She flushes and side-eyes the doctor, who’s already halfway out the door.

“Like I give a fuck if she heard.”

She rolls her eyes as she reaches into her bag for her cell, and it’s at that moment that I start to piece together why she’s been off today.

I nod at the phone in her hand even though I can’t see the screen. “Who’s that?”

She quickly locks it and throws it back in her bag. “No one.”

Wrapping my arms around her, I breathe in her citrus shampoo and kiss her hair. “You’re not keeping secrets from your husband now, are you, Princess?”

“Leave it alone,” she snaps, but I know it’s not at me, and that pisses me off even more. Who the fuck is bothering her?