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brOOKS

Beckett: Boys, we need a team meeting.

Gavin: You’re not on our team. Go call one with the Revs.

Aiden: Miller won’t allow him to do that.

Gavin: No. Coach won’t allow him to do that. Let’s be honest. That man controls Miller AND Beckett.

Me: LOL. He seems a lot happier since he got married.

Gavin: He married a younger woman. Of course he’s happier. Does wonders for a guy.

Beckett: Can we focus? This is serious.

Me: Shit. What’s up?

Gavin: It’s not serious. Don’t egg him on.

Aiden: Now my interest is piqued.

Gavin: You boys are pathetic…just wait until you hear about Beckett’s “serious” problem.

Beckett: It’s not MY serious problem. It’s OUR serious problem. Our podcast is in jeopardy.

Caught off guard by Beckett’s ramblings, I cough out a laugh right as my wife walks out of the bathroom, nerves written all over her face. Before Beckett’s text, I was sitting on our bed, feet touching the floor, elbows on my knees, staring at that bathroom door, and waiting with bated breath for the answer to a question I’m not sure Sara is ready for. My leg bounces as I take in her every expression right now. Her hair is blonde because we’re not in season, but even now, three years since we first got together, Sara dyes her hair blue for the entire season. She’s superstitious like any other hockey lover, and it’s just another one of the million reasons I love her. If you asked me to come up with a list, it’d be never ending. The girl is a dream come true. Our life is a dream come true. Though so much of it remains very similar to what it was when we first got together. We still share the same apartment in the Pad. Sara says it’s a requirement because of work, but we both know someone else could be assigned to deal with the neanderthals we call my teammates.

We’ve got a new round of young guys because all the guys that started with me are slowly retiring. I’m only thirty-three, but in hockey, that’s the tail end of my career. I’m savoring every minute of it so I haven’t minded living and breathing this season of life, but I’m not going to lie and say I’m not really looking forward to the next step too.

As long as I’m walking those steps with Sara, I’ll keep moving forward. In every direction she chooses, I’ll be right by her side, holding her hand, smiling down at the woman who constantly gives me a reason to not only smile, but breathe. She’s my why, and right now she looks like she’s going to cry, so I catapult myself off the bed and grasp her arms. “It’s okay, Sar; Whatever the outcome, it’s going to be okay.”

Big blue, watery eyes blink up at me. “How though?”

Rubbing my palms up and down her arms, I give her a gentle squeeze and press my forehead to hers. “Because it’s you and me, crazy girl. You and me, no matter what.”

“But Millie and Gavin have been trying so hard.” This girl and her freaking huge heart. Millie and Gavin have been trying to have another baby for over a year. They had one failed round of IVF, and now they’ve decided to take a break.

“I know they’re going through a difficult time but I also know that both of them would be incredibly happy for us, either way.”

“It just seems so unfair,” she says quietly. “We weren’t even trying.”

I squeeze her and mumble, “Well, we weren’t not trying. I happen to remember getting a lot of practice in this off-season.”

She snorts and rolls her eyes. It’s not a full smile, but we’re heading in the right direction. “What do you want, Sar? Don’t stress about my brother or Millie; tell me what you really want.”

Her lips twist, and she looks down. “You go first.”

“So stubborn.”

That makes her smile. She lifts her gaze, though she doesn’t move; she just watches me, waiting.

“Fine,” I grumble, pretending to be put out. “But let’s get more comfortable.” I scoop her into my arms, and she squeals as I march over to the bed, settling down on my side with her on my lap. I cradle her, and she smiles up at me, waiting. “I’m ready for this next step. I want this. I know we’re both busy with the season starting up, but Gavin and Millie make it work. So does Beckett. So do half the guys on my team.”

Sara peers around our bedroom. “We’d probably have to get a bigger place.”

“Probably.”

“And you’d have to agree, if it’s a girl, her name is Lake or Taylor.”

“Obviously.”

She smiles and then coughs out a light laugh. “Are we really doing this?”

“Guess we have to see what the test says first.”

I nod toward the door, but Sara grabs my face, drawing my focus back to her. “No we don’t.”

I frown. “We don’t?”

With watery eyes and a shaky smile, Sara delivers the greatest news of my life. “We’re pregnant Brooks. I’m having your baby.”

My heart pounds. “Sara Langfield, say it again.”

Her cheeks go rosy as her grin widens. “We’re having a baby, Brooks. We made a baby.”

“Whoooo!” I throw a fist up in the air, celebrating, and then pull my wife in for a kiss. It’s slow and desperate as I try to catch my breath, my heart beating a mile per minute. My life began the minute Sara walked into the arena and introduced herself to me. Until that moment, I lived for the sport, now I live for her. For us.

My hand slides across her stomach and I pull back so I can get a good look at her. Palm flat against her belly, I stare in wonder. “Our baby’s in there?”

Sara nods and places her hand over mine and I feel the warmth of it ricochet through every part of my body. “Our baby’s in there.”

My throat tightens as emotion wars inside me. Overwhelming happiness. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced this level of emotion. “We’re going to be parents.”

Sara hiccups between a laugh and a cry. “Yeah. You’re going to be a dad.”

Damn. I’m going to be a dad. I cradle my wife, unable to stop touching her, and let that sink in. From this moment on, our lives will never be the same.

Me: Hey, do you still have the name of that realtor you mentioned to me at dinner last week?

Beckett: The one I mention to you every week?

Me: Yeah.

Beckett: Yup. But before you call her, I’ve got something I want you to take a look at. And keep an open mind.

Me: Sure.

Beckett: You okay? You seem a little…off?

Me: Better than okay. But it’s time.

Beckett: Ah duck, Brooks. Congrats. You’re going to make one hell of a father.

Me: How did you…don’t say anything to anyone. We JUST found out.

Beckett: Come by the house later. I’ve got a glass of whiskey with your name on it. I won’t tell anyone until you’re ready.

Me: Thanks, Beckett. If I haven’t said it lately, thank you for everything. You and Gavin showed me what it means to be a dad.

Beckett: Well, like you did when we taught you to skate, you’ll blow us out of the water.