Page 41

THIRTY-THREE

HANNAH

The ride to Ford and Lake’s house is a beautiful one. Especially in late summer, when the sky is almost iridescent magentas and fuchsias and the air is balmy against my sun-kissed skin. After brunch, I took a nap on the roof of the Langfield Corp building. It’s surprisingly quiet up there when there’s no baseball to be watched.

On game days, it’s a great spot to catch the game, not that I’ve ever had the opportunity. I’m always in the stadium, available for whatever may arise.

With no game until tomorrow night and the lecture Daniel gave the boys, I’m hopeful the evening will be a relaxing one.

The drive to Bristol is an hour, and though we’re quiet, Daniel peers over at me every few minutes.

“Are you nervous?”

Because, god, he’s making me nervous.

“No.” A slow smile spreads across his face. With a hand on my bare thigh—I’m wearing a sundress since I’m meeting the parents tonight and it felt like I should be dressed up for that—he squeezes. “Just trying to figure out how I got so damn lucky.”

“ Daniel .”

“Baby, don’t say my name like that. You know it makes me hard, and I can’t walk into my dad’s house hard.”

I giggle. “I’m sure it wouldn’t be the first time. Lake Paige is your freaking stepmother.”

He shrugs. “Honestly, you might not believe it, but I never really crushed on her.”

He’s right. That’s impossible. Every human on the planet under the age of forty—and plenty over forty, including her husband—has a crush on Lake Paige. Even me. She’s the biggest popstar of our generation. She’s absolutely brilliant when it comes to music and she’s freaking gorgeous. How could Daniel spend so much time around her and not have a crush on her?

Not that it matters. Lake is obsessed with Ford, and Daniel is clearly obsessed with me.

My man is not a cheater, nor has he ever made me feel like he’s interested in another woman. In fact, if I think back to every moment since I met him, he’s always made it clear he’s only got a crush on me.

“How long have you liked me?” I shift in my seat and study him.

Lips tipping up, he side-eyes me. “Ah, she’s catching on.”

I cough out a laugh. He does that often. Takes me by surprise. Makes me light up with joy.

“I guess I am a little nervous,” he admits, though his smile is still firmly in place.

“Yeah?”

“This only happens once. Bringing the girl home to meet the parents for the first time. This is a big night, Han.”

A bolt of anxiety shoots through me. “Damn. I wasn’t nervous before.”

Daniel keeps saying I’ll catch up, and every time I think I have, he goes and moves the goal post a little farther. This man is playing the long game. I’m not complaining. How could I? Who wouldn’t want to be adored by a man like him?

Even so, if I put too much thought into it, it’s all a little overwhelming.

“Don’t be, dream girl. That’s the thing about being the girl . You don’t have to be anyone but yourself tonight. And there’s not a damn thing you could say or do to change how I feel about you.”

I try hard to come up with some type of response to this man’s swoony statements, but even the writer in me is completely speechless.

Daniel Hall on the ice is hot, but he’s got nothing on Daniel Hall with two babies in his arms. Nash, Lake and Ford’s son, is in one arm and Vivi is in the other. Vivi is two, but Nash, who just celebrated his first birthday, is a chunky, happy baby who’s nearly as big as his…niece? Every time Daniel turns his head in his direction, he lights up. And when Daniel looks at Vivi, the little guy pouts dramatically and grabs Daniel’s face with his chubby hands.

My ovaries are screaming, and I’m pretty sure our baby is itching for his or her daddy’s attention. I think that’s what these tiny flutters in my belly mean.

We’ll find out what we’re having this week, but as I watch him with both kids, I know for certain that I couldn’t care less what the doctor tells us. Daniel will be a great dad no matter what.

“Come here, bestie. Your uncle is being a brat.” With a grin, Millie takes her daughter out of Daniel’s arms.

“You’ve got to stop pointing that out, Mills. You’re going to give Nash a complex.” Daniel lifts Nash into the air and gives him a raspberry on his big ole belly. The little boy scrunches forward, giggling and squirming.

“You’re slobbering all over your brother,” Millie replies. “It’s never not going to be weird.”

Pure contentment settles over me as I watch them. Daniel and his twin absolutely kill me with their dry banter. And Millie is right. It’ll always be strange that Nash has a niece who’s older than he is. And soon he’ll have a niece or nephew who’s only a year younger than him.

But every person here glows with happiness, despite the non-traditional family dynamic. Ford is pressing a kiss to Lake’s neck as if he doesn’t even notice any of us are watching, or maybe he just doesn’t care. Gavin—who is Ford’s best friend—is motioning for Millie to settle on his lap with their daughter. If anything, they’re all watching Daniel and me like we’re the new, shiny toy—Daniel, reformed playboy, having a child after a one-night stand with the older divorcée he’s been crushing on for years.

Yeah, I can imagine that’s how our story could easily be spun. And might be, if the media takes interest.

But every one of us is in a happy, committed relationship. I have a feeling our children will be more well-adjusted than most kids born into traditional families. So I’ll take our crazy any day of the week.

Lake murmurs in Ford’s ear, then straightens. “Have you registered yet?”

Suddenly, every eye is on me, every smile directed my way. “Um, I haven’t had a chance to even think about it, actually.”

My stomach sinks. Shit. Mothers are supposed to be excited about shopping for their child’s nursery, but for me, it feels like one more item on a long list of things I don’t know how to do. And with every day, that list gets more daunting. What do babies need? Can the local baby store provide a checklist so I don’t forget anything?

Daniel settles beside me and rests a hand on my thigh while still holding Nash. He’s such a cute kid, with big blue eyes, dark brown hair like his parents, and the rosiest cheeks. “We can check out the stores together when you’re back in town next week.”

“I can help put together a list of the must-haves if you’d like,” Lake offers with a kind smile. “But I don’t want to overstep if either of your mothers has already done that.”

I snort. The idea of my mother even thinking of my child’s nursery is comical. She knows less about babies than I do, and she certainly hasn’t reached out to check in about my pregnancy since the day I broke the news.

Daniel’s eyes widen in response to the unladylike noise. Shit. I cover my mouth, hoping they’ll all assume I was choking. Choking on what, I don’t have a clue, since I haven’t had anything to eat or drink in quite a while.

Clearing my throat, I straighten. “We’d love any help you can offer.”

“Yeah, since you guys are the only ones with a newborn we know, I’d say you’ll be more helpful than either of our moms,” Daniel adds.

Ford squeezes his wife closer to him. “Lake researched every car seat, every bottle, and every diaper brand. I’m sure she can give you the pros and cons of it all.”

Lake’s cheeks go red. “I just want the best for Nash.”

I rub the little guy’s arm. “As you should. Seriously, though, with how busy I am at work, I’ll take all the info I can get.”

“How are the Revs doing this season? I haven’t made it into Boston to watch a game.” Ford, bless him, changes the subject.

Is it because he can see how unprepared I am? God, I hope not. I don’t want the grandfather of my child to think I’m incapable, or worse, that I don’t care about this pregnancy or my baby. It’s all just so overwhelming, and I’m still trying to come to terms with all the changes that are sure to come.

With a deep breath in, I push all my fears away and force myself back to the conversation. “They’re doing well. We’ll see how September goes. So much of the season will be determined in the next few weeks.”

“Do you travel with the team?” Lake asks.

“Unfortunately,” I hedge, my attention flitting to Gavin. His family owns the team, and I’d hate for him to think I’m complaining about my job. “But I don’t mind. I like to travel.”

“Me too,” Lake says. “But when I was pregnant, traveling was a nightmare. God, all I wanted to do was sleep.”

I nod. “The exhaustion doesn’t make it easy.”

“I wish I could say it’s only a pregnancy thing. The truth is, having a newborn is even more exhausting.” She chuckles.

Breath held, I assess the rest of the group, searching for signs of judgment. Do they see how unprepared I am? Do they know how hard my life is about to become?

But I don’t see a single shred of censure. In fact, Gavin launches into a lighthearted tirade about how exhausting kids can be while Millie nods along. Ford plants a kiss on his wife’s cheek. Here I am again, in my head. I have no fucking idea what I’ll do about my career when this baby is born, but I’m too scared to put my concerns into words.

Once again, Daniel’s warm palm finds another part of my body. With an arm around me, he pulls me against his chest. “We’ll figure it out together,” he mumbles in my ear.

While I know that he can’t possibly be around every day once the baby is born, somehow, I believe him.

Hours later, Daniel’s promise is still echoing in my head.

I enjoyed myself today, despite the realities I was hit with. Millie and Lake are wonderful mothers. Neither showed an ounce of judgment, and it took minutes in their presence to realize that they’ll be great role models for me as I navigate this new season of life.

It’s wild, how easy it was to spend the afternoon with the biggest popstar in the world. Lake’s incredibly down-to-earth. So much so that on more than one occasion, I had to remind myself of who she actually is.

I swear she was even a little shy and uncertain when she asked if she could throw a baby shower for us. Listening to her and Millie talk about who our child might favor, whether he or she will play hockey, and about how fun it will be once all three of our kids can play together made it all seem so real. I could picture all of those things, and none of them seemed scary.

Daniel walks out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel, and my mouth goes dry. My sex drive has always been on the high side, but now that I’m pregnant—and now that I’m in such close proximity to this man so often—it’s practically out of control. When I’m near him, all I want is for him to fuck me hard.

I’m just about to tell him that when the strangest flutter-roll-spasm thing happens low in my belly. “Oh!” I cup my abdomen and press my hand to where I’m pretty sure our baby has just kicked me.

Daniel rushes to me, concern written all over his face. “What’s wrong?”

Though my eyes well, there’s no tempering my wide smile. “I think the baby just kicked.”

“You think?” He kneels between my thighs and blows on his hands to warm them. Holding them inches from my bare belly, he peers up at me, hope swimming in his eyes.

I slide my fingers through his and drag his hand to the right spot. For the first time in a long, long time, I don’t feel lost. “I don’t think,” I tell him. “I know. Our baby just kicked me hello.”

“Hey, peanut,” Daniel murmurs, dipping his head close to my stomach. “Can you give me a fist bump? I’d really like to feel you.”

I can’t help but watch him, in awe of his gentleness. He’s folded over me, our hands melded together, his focus so earnest. And when our baby does it again, a tear slips down my cheek.

Daniel laughs. “Oh my god. I just felt him. That’s our baby, Han.” He blinks up at me. Then, with a shake of his head, he’s back to concentrating on my belly like he’s waiting for another kick.

“We don’t know he’s a him,” I tease, though my words come out a bit garbled because of my emotions.

Glassy brown eyes meet mine, but there are no tears. No, it’s all wonder. “You think he’s a him too, and you’re never wrong.”

I bite my lip, my heart fluttering. “I guess we’ll find out next week.”

While his head is bowed again, his focus intent on our child, I work up the nerve to bring up his comment from this afternoon.

“Did you mean it today?” With my free hand, I run my fingers through his dark hair.

He leans into my touch and lays his head against my stomach. “I mean everything I say to you, but be more specific.”

Warmth spreads through my limbs. Not just because of his words, but because of the way he says them. Because of the way he’s holding me and our child. His mere presence has the ability to settle the chaos in my head. He knocks down my walls before I have a chance to erect them. I’ve never been so comfortable with a person in my life.

Tears clog my throat, but I force the words out. “That we’ll figure it all out together.”

“Yes. Of course we will.” He nuzzles my stomach. “Right, peanut? It’s not all on your pretty mama. We’ve got this.”

That’s what does it. That’s what sends the tears cresting over my lashes and rolling down my cheeks. It’s so natural, the way he loves on us both. In this moment, I know I’ve fallen in love with the father of my child. The feeling hits me smack in the chest, the overwhelming tidal wave washing away every insecurity.

The how s, the what-ifs , the can we really s?

In their place is this certainty.

An overwhelming knowledge that, no matter what happens, I’ll be okay. We’ll be okay. And it’s all because of him. Because of the way he looks at me. The way he holds me. The way he has me.

“You’re going to be an amazing dad,” I rasp.

Daniel peers up at me, his throat bobbing. “Yeah?”

With a swipe at my cheek, I nod. “You were so incredible with Nash and Vivi today. I couldn’t stop thinking about how you’ll be with our baby. How, in a matter of days, we’ll know what we’re having and…you’re just going to be so good, Daniel. I’m so happy you’re the father of my child.”

I have so much more to say. There are so many words beating wildly against my breastbone. But they remain lodged there. I’m too overcome to let them out.

Daniel kisses my belly, whispers something to our little peanut, then climbs up my body. “Can I ask you a favor?”

“Anything.” I ease back, rapt by him.

He hovers over me, his elbows planted on either side of my head. “I feel like we missed out on the excitement of announcing our pregnancy because?—”

“Because it was more oh shit, we got pregnant .” I laugh.

He nods. “But now it’s more like oh shit, we’re pregnant .” The words are the same, but his tone is full of wonder. He strokes the hair from my face and cradles my cheek in his warm palm. “And I want to celebrate that we’re having a baby with all our friends.”

My heart trips over itself. “What do you have in mind?”

“Do you trust me?”

My response is immediate. “Always.”

“Then let me take care of everything, dream girl. I want to do a big gender reveal. Is that okay?”

“So we’ll find out with all our friends there?”

He nods and presses a kiss to the tip of my nose. “I promise I’ll make it fun. You’ll be happy.”

I pull him to my chest and hug him tight. “I already am. But yeah, we can do it your way, Playboy.”