Derek shook Julian's hand. "So you're the reason he's been playing like this."
Julian glanced at me. "I don't think I can take credit for a shutout."
"You can," Raul said. "Trust me. He was a different goalie before you showed up."
Julian's ears went pink and I rested my hand on his back because I wanted to touch him and because I could.
A reporter caught me before we could leave. She had professional questions about saves and playoff positioning, which I answered in the clipped way I always did. Then she glanced at Julian.
"I noticed you had family here tonight. Does having that support make a difference?"
"It does. My husband was here for the first time tonight, so it was special."
"Congratulations on the marriage." She smiled. "Any other changes in your life this season?"
I looked at Julian. His bump was visible under the jersey. He gave me a small nod and squeezed my hand.
"We're expecting our first child in four months. We're very happy."
After she left, Julian leaned into my side. "You just told a reporter we're having a baby."
"Was that okay?"
"I wanted you to." His voice was quiet. "You just claimed me in front of everyone."
"You're not a secret. You never were."
Julian wasquiet on the drive home. The comfortable kind, not the worried kind, which I'd learned to tell apart. He kept glancing at me with a small smile and his hand rested on his stomach the way it did when he was content. He probably didn't notice he was doing it.
"What?"
"Just thinking about how lucky I am." He reached over and laced his fingers through mine. "I'm pregnant with our baby and you're telling reporters about us."
"I'm the lucky one."
At home, Julian carefully folded the jersey and set it on the dresser. He smoothed the number with his fingertips before stepping back, and something about the gesture caught in my chest. This mattered to him. Not the jersey itself but what it represented. He was claimed and visible and he was mine in a way that everyone could see.
"Keeping that?"
"I'm wearing it to every game."
"You'll need more than one."
"Good thing you can afford it, superstar." He stretched, one hand pressing into his lower back as he did when he was tired.
I helped him undress and placed my hands on his growing bump. Every time I saw it I was caught by the reality of it. Our baby was in there. My mate’s skin was warm and I traced the curve of his belly before pulling his shirt over his head.
In the shower I worked my thumbs into the muscles along his spine and he leaned into it.
"Your back's been more painful this week."
"Everything's been worse this week. My back's starting to complain. I can't sleep on my stomach anymore and heartburn is apparently a thing now." He turned to face me, water running down his face. "It’s worth it though."
"Absolutely."
I pressed a kiss to his shoulder and he leaned back against me and we stood under the water without talking. His hand found mine and placed it on his stomach. The baby moved under my palm, a slow roll that still amazed me no matter how many times I felt it.
"They like the sound of the water," Julian said.
