Page 114 of Pinch

It’s the words I’ve wanted to hear for so long, and every time she says it, it’s like one of those confetti guns going off in my chest. Only, instead of confetti, it’s like sparkles of 100 percent pure joy.Damn.

“You said something at the arena about the knob?” My brow furrows, and I turn onto my side to face her.

Our heads are on the pillows, and our faces are a breath apart. I could lift my chin and kiss her, but I’m curious.

“What did you mean? Why would he make you not trust me?”

Her chin tucks, and she blinks those eyes away from me. She almost seems embarrassed, which I don’t like. She never needs to be embarrassed in front of me. I love her.

“He cheated on me.” She says it so quietly, I almost lean forward. “It’s why I believed Karen, because I was hurt and humiliated. I thought she and I shared that. I thought you were like him.”

Rolling onto my back, I press my fingers to my forehead. All this time, I was fighting to make up for someone else’s sins. Someone else had hurt her, and she couldn’t let it go.

“Gavin?” She scoots closer to me, her pretty eyes so full of sadness. “Now I know who you really are. I think I knew months ago you could never be like him.”

Reaching for her shoulders, I pull her into my arms, careful to avoid crushing little Lucy.

“It all makes sense now.” Sliding my hand up and down her slim back, I kiss the top of her head. “And I want you to know, if I ever see that guy again, I’m going to…”

She groans, falling onto the bed beside me. “I hope we never see him again! And you know I don’t condone violence… off the ice.”

“I feel like you have a big but in there.”

Her body bends forward with her laugh. “But you are so hot when you fight on the ice.”

“You like that?” Pride swells in my chest as she nods quickly before stretching higher to kiss the side of my jaw. “Okay, babe, in that case, I’ll just pants him.”

Another burst of laughter comes from her throat. “That would be so hilarious!”

“He embarrassed you. I think it’s only right that he should be embarrassed as well.”

She relaxes from her belly laugh with a contented sigh. “I’d rather just not see him again. He really damaged my trust, and I just want him to go away and never come back.”

“Okay, but just know.” I lift her chin to kiss her lips again. “Nobody messes with the mother of my child.”

Her nose wrinkles, and she kisses my lips. “Your baby mamma.”

“That’s right.”

“Usethe pillow to lift your pelvis into the correct, birthing position.” The instructor’s voice is warm and encouraging, and Haddy’s back rests against my chest.

We’re at the New Beginnings Birthing Center taking aclass on water birth, which Dr. Barry tells us sounds old-school and hippie, but is actually the most relaxing way to give birth.

They have actual rooms here at the birthing center with beds and large, shallow pools in the center. When Haddy goes into labor, we will come here and do it all on-site.

We toured them, and they’re really nice. Haddy said it looks like a spa, and it’s fucking expensive as hell—and I don’t give a shit. Anything for my girls.

She’s curious, but first, we have to take classes about it, which brings us to this evening.

“Breathing technique and massage therapy are essential for comfort during a water birth.” A woman in a chocolate brown yoga outfit is in the front of the room walking slowly through the pairs of expectant couples. “Water immersion promotes relaxation, but it also provides a sense of weightlessness…”

She’s got a soothing voice, and I check out the other couples. They’re all listening closely like Haddy, who I’m sure is applying that scientific brain to everything this lady is saying.

“It makes sense that buoyancy would ease the pressure,” she whispers in my ear. “But I’m not sure how this helps with delivery.”

See? She’s already doing the math. It’s like I can see the equations floating in the air above her head.

“The most inefficient way to give birth is lying flat on your back,” she continues. “Gravity should be used to help bring the baby. In primitive cultures, the women are advised to squat, which makes total sense.”