Page 80

Chapter forty-two

Cecilia

Don’t forget the brownie!

~ Three Weeks Later / October ~

Silas and I found out the sex of our baby earlier this week, and today we’re having a little gathering with everyone to share the news.

I’m excited, and Silas is over the moon.

He’s been going crazy all week, buying new things for our child even though we already have a spare room filled with baby gear.

We haven’t done the nursery yet, but we plan on getting it set up before the end of the month.

With the regular season starting next week, Silas will be busy and away most of the time.

And I swear, I grow an inch every time I blink.

So we decided we would tackle the room before I’m too big to fit through the door.

This baby is definitely taking after his dad.

The sleepiness finally started to go away, not completely, but I feel like I have a lot more energy now. I only have one little nap during the day rather than three, which is a big upgrade. I’m pretty sure I could skip my afternoon rest and still be able to manage until at least nine at night.

But I like my little naps with Milo. Ever since I got pregnant, he’s been stuck to me like glue. It’s as if he can sense the baby. And every chance he gets, he rests his head above my bump and licks my belly if it’s showing.

I can’t wait for him to meet his baby brother.

Silas and I have taken the time to discuss all our fears and worries about the pregnancy, and how we would like to raise our child.

It’s not something I thought we needed to talk about right away.

But with all the books we’ve been reading about parenting, we realized there are so many different techniques to consider, and we wanted to be on the same page.

My main worry at the moment is that I’m not working.

Sy pretty much disagrees and thinks it’s a good thing because I can fully concentrate on me and the baby.

He’s also been very clear about the fact that I don’t need to work at all, even went to the point of showing me our bank account balance.

Like I didn’t already know how much money he makes.

We came to the decision that I won’t work during the pregnancy, and that I’ll wait until our baby is at least one before looking into what I’d like to do. I think it’s pretty decent and gives me the chance to have one full year with our baby.

My husband has been an absolute wonder since I got pregnant. He’s so attentive to my every need. He even gets up in the middle of the night when I have cravings and doesn’t complain once.

The other night, I woke him up at 2 a.m. because I was craving pickles, the big juicy kind. I tried not to disturb him since he had an early practice session the next day. So I went down to the kitchen on my own to get the jar from the fridge.

But when I opened it, they were all hard. I had a mini meltdown on the spot, and that’s how Silas found me a few minutes later. Sitting on the floor in front of the open fridge with a jar of hard pickles between my legs, bawling like it was the end of the world.

He ended up going to an all-night convenience store and came home with twelve jars of pickles. Apparently, he had to open every single one until he found one with soft pickles. Like I said, he’s truly amazing.

He definitely won the award for husband of the year that night. If I thought I loved him before, it’s nothing compared to how I feel about him now.

Our home is in full swing with all of Silas’s teammates and their partners, some people from management are also in attendance. Silas’s family and some of my old coworkers showed up, too. Rows of gifts litter an entire wall in the living room.

These guys really go overboard with gifts for a baby, and it seems they all went with the same theme. Hockey. I’ve seen at least ten small hockey sticks peeking out of bags.

The house has been fully decorated by Steve and Amanda.

They’re the only two others who know the gender of our baby.

Silas insisted on hiring help to decorate for the party, even though I told him I could do it.

But he was afraid it would cause me and the baby too much stress, and he didn’t want me worrying in any way.

I’m pretty sure he would spoon-feed me if he could.

When I called my old boss, Amanda, to invite her to the party, she begged me to let her plan it.

So I did. And since she needed a helper, I gave her permission to have Steve help.

Our house now looks like a showroom for a baby shower, a boy baby shower.

Blue balloons in every shade imaginable are everywhere, arches built out of them .

Blue and white ribbons hang from every corner.

There’s also a huge banner with ‘ It’s a boy ’ hanging from the ceiling.

And in every corner, there are three big blue boxes, each with the letters ‘ B, O, and Y ’ on them.

Even the drinks are all different tints of blue.

Some alcoholic and others virgin for me and those who don’t want to drink.

Two tables are set up beside the gift section with baked goods that Aubrey made and decorated... in blue. Now that I look around... All the gifts have blue on them, whether it’s the bag, the wrapper, or the tissue paper.

Either they were all pretty convinced it was a boy, or someone spilled the beans. And since only four people know, it won’t be hard to find out who.

I walk to the kitchen where my mother-in-law stands as she people watches with a smirk. Sidling up beside her, I look in the direction she’s spying on and find her gaze on Shane, the Griffins’ head coach.

He has a plate in his hand with a few different sweets on it, but his eyes are completely focused in one direction. Every now and then, he takes a step forward, but quickly retreats, shaking his head. He seems nervous.

When I glance to where he can’t seem to look away from, I find... Aubrey Ford. Well, that explains it.

Mira tilts her head my way and whispers over, “Seems our young lady has an admirer. He’s been like that for the past fifteen minutes. I keep thinking he’s finally going to talk to her, but he backs out every time.”

“You should have seen them when I introduced them at the wedding. They were both smitten, it was adorable to watch. Aubrey turns bright red every time I mention Coach,” I whisper back, keeping my eyes on Shane.

I notice Aubrey looking his way, and their eyes connect for a moment before she looks away. Even from this far, I can see the blush spreading on her cheeks. Shane looks down at his feet and frowns. The poor guy looks defeated and about to give up.

“We should go help him out.” I link my arm through my mother-in-law’s and walk us over to Shane. He’s so lost in his own head that he doesn’t even see us standing beside him.

I lean over and say quietly, “She’s beautiful, isn’t she?”

He startles, eyes going wide when his head snaps my way. I smile brightly at him, letting him know he’s been caught and can’t deny it. He clears his throat and turns slightly toward Mira and me, but not enough to make him lose sight of Aubrey.

“Cecilia, congratulations again. Pregnancy definitely suits you. You truly are glowing.” He kisses my cheek, then turns to Mira. “And Mrs. Hayes, always as beautiful as ever. ”

“Always such a charmer, although you seem to be charming the wrong women,” Mira says with a raised brow.

“Excuse me?” He fakes confusion, but we both catch his eyes flick to Aubrey and back, then watch his Adam’s apple bob.

“You know, you can talk to her. I’m pretty sure she’s just waiting for you to approach her,” I tell him, hoping that will give him the courage to finally go for it.

His mouth opens and closes a few times, as if he’s going to deny what I already know. Finally, he sighs when he sees I’m not backing down. “I’m thirty-five, I’m too old for her. And besides, I wouldn’t even know what to say.”

Mira pats him on the shoulder. “Age is just a number, don’t let that stop you.”

That doesn’t seem to convince him. I glance at the plate he holds, and an idea pops to mind. I look back at Aubrey, who side-eyes us but pretends not to. These two are really not discreet.

“Hey, Brey. Come over here for a second,” I call out, and her eyes widen, traveling from me to Shane, then back to me. I can tell she’s looking for an excuse not to, but I crook my finger, beckoning her over.

When she takes her first step our way, Shane tenses beside me. His eyes stay glued to her, but he whisper shouts from the corner of his mouth, “What are you doing!?”

“Just trust me.”

Aubrey reaches us and I notice the slight tremble in her hands as she clasps them together to stop the nervous tick. Shane murmurs her name in a way that probably should have been said in private, “Aubrey.”

Her cheeks turn red when she hears her name coming from his lips, and a slow smile takes over her face. “Hi, Shane.”

And then they do that thing again where they just stare at each other. Smiles on both their faces and lust in their eyes. I look at Mira, who has a hand to her lips and is trying to suppress a giggle.

I clear my throat, letting them know we’re still here. Brey jumps in place, coming back to the present, while Shane pulls on his tie, loosening it slightly. “Shane, did you know Aubrey’s actually the one who made all the baked goods you have on your plate?”

His brows jump up, and he looks from his plate to Aubrey. “Really?”

Aubrey goes even redder, if that’s possible, her blush now all over her neck and upper chest. She bites her lip and nods, making Shane’s eyes drop to her plump mouth. He swallows thickly, then glances away, but only for a second.

“And Aubrey, Shane seems to have quite the sweet tooth. Why don’t you two discuss that?” I nod my head at both with a huge grin, encouraging them. “We’ll leave you to it.” I grab onto Mira’s arm once more and walk away.