I grinned. I’d never sent out Christmas cards, but I would this year if that was what Rowan wanted. It was amazing just how far gone I was for him. He was the center of my whole world. It used to be hockey, and it was just him.
“Let’s go tell the team,” I said.
We each put on our skates and made our way out to the ice. Even though I knew it was safe for him to skate, and I was confident in his skills, it still terrified me to have him out there where he could fall at any moment. I had the same reaction when we were walking in the city. Basically, I just worried about him and our child constantly. The doctor had given me a pamphlet specifically about how safe the baby was in the womb. I still worried.
I clicked the button on my whistle and the team skated over to us. Evan looked at us a little quizzically, then realization dawned.
“You have an announcement for us, Coach?” he asked. His eyes twinkled.
“I might.” I looked around to make sure everyone was there and that they could hear me.
“You ready?” Rowan asked, his grin so big it lit up his whole face.
“Yeah, I’m ready.”
He pulled out the skates and held them up for all to see. “We’re getting a new team member!”
It took a few seconds for his words to sink in, for a moment we were met with blank stares, but when they did figure it out, the team hooted and hollered, some jumping up and down. There were handshakes and claps on the back for me and hugs forRowan. Everyone was careful not to jostle him too much while we were on the ice.
“We’re happy for you, Coach,” Nix said. “But mostly we’re excited for Rowan. He’s going to have the cutest little badger kit this world has ever seen!”
I laced my fingers into Rowan’s. “I can’t argue with that.”
Epilouge
Rowan
Last year during the off season, I took extra jobs in order to pad my bank account and afford my college tuition. I worked at the rink in the pro-shop during open skate, I did work around the marketing office, and I even drove the Zamboni for open skate and team practices. Plus, there was the occasional event I went to as the actual mascot. I kept busy.
This year... I got big. Really big. So big that putting on my costume wasn’t happening.
Reid kept busy with coach things. He reviewed a lot of games, kept vigorous notes, worked endlessly with Evan and Mario onnew strategies and plays. It was amazing to me just how much there was for him to do on the off season.
That didn’t stop him from doting on me. A lot. Non-stop.
So much so that I… maybe, kind of, sort of… got tired of it. Not that I would ever tell him that. I loved the attention, and I did my best to make sure Reid was taken care of also. I learned to make his favorite smoothies, and I noticed that on Thursdays he was slower to get out of bed in the morning, so I got up and made his breakfast and prepared coffee for him.
But in the last few days, he had turned a corner. A very protective corner.
I was due in two days, and perhaps I would miss all the attention he showered me with. Then again, I had a feeling he wouldn’t stop once the baby was born. He was already making plans for us to have a housekeeper come in twice a week, and also, he hired a personal chef so that we would have meals ready for us. It was a little over the top, but then I tasted Chef Mac’s meals, and I was on board.
I closed my laptop and sat back. I’d officially turned in my last assignment for school, handed off all my work to the marketing team, and I was now on extended omega leave. For as much as the league could do more to be welcoming to omegas, they did offer a good leave program. Since I qualified as a full-time employee, I got twelve weeks paid leave, and Reid did as well. He would take some time off, but I doubted it would be the full twelve weeks. Pre-season started in sixteen weeks, and there was a lot of work to do. I leaned back on the couch and closed myeyes. Before I knew it, Reid was there behind me, running his hands down my chest and over my belly. The baby responded with a resounding kick.
My body hummed with pleasure at having my alpha’s hands on me.
“How was your day?” I asked.
“Too long,” he said and kissed my neck. “Did you get all your work turned in?”
I nodded.
His hands rubbed over my belly in the way that he always did. He never seemed to tire of having his hands on me. Neither did I.
“Do you need anything? I can get you water, or juice, or those crackers you like lately?”
I shook my head. “I’m fi—” There was a weird tug between my legs and then a gush of liquid. “What the fuck?”
Reid went on high alert. “What? What is it?” Panic filled his voice.
