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A laugh hitches in my throat.
Hearing those words does nothing but make my heart swell. They’re the exact words I said to her the first night we met. I had no idea when she ran into me, drenching my shirt in the doorway of the bathroom, that I had just met my future wife and the mother of my child.
“You’re going to be a mom?” My voice cracks as the tears spill over the edge of my eyes again.
She nods repeatedly, her dimples lighting up my life. “And you’re going to be a dad.”
I take a moment to look her over, taking in every one of her perfect features. I’ve loved this woman since I met her, and now she’s going to have my babies. Our babies. She’s going to be the most incredible mother, and I’m the lucky son of a bitch who gets a front-row seat to the beautiful life we are about to start.
I cradle the back of her head as I pull her into me. I hold onto her as tightly as possible, my arms engulfing her back while I hide my face in her neck.
“You’re pregnant?” The tears fall down my cheeks. “We’re going to be parents?” I rhetorically ask in both shock and excitement as she wraps her arms around my shoulders.
Everything I want in life is right here in my lap—everything I could possibly need.
This is my family.
“Yes,” she repeats, the words tickling my skin. Logan tilts her head to look at me, both of our faces plastered with giddy smiles. “You’re going to be the most amazing dad in the world, Eli. I can’t wait to see it.”
I’ve wanted to create a family with her for years now, and finally, my dream is coming true. And even better, it’s Logan’s dream now too. I don’t know what I did to deserve this woman or the life we have together, but I’m not about to question it. I’m just going to bask in every beautiful moment.
“Logan, I’m so happy,” I cry out.
Today was the day I truly did get everything I’ve ever wanted.
I breathe in a deep inhale, the oxygen flowing throughout my entire body as the realization settles in. I’m going to be a dad. Logan is going to be a mom. We finally get to share this overwhelming, unexplainable love we have for each other with another person.
She wipes my happy tears away with the pad of her thumb as we smile like idiots at each other, and I can’t hold back my excitement any longer.
“We’re going to have a baby, baby!”
Chapter 61
Four Years Later
Eli
“Where’s my girl at?” Zanders looks around the arena.
“She’s not your girl,” I remind him as I lean back against the railing in front of our bench while our team warms up.
“Not Logan,” he brushes me off. “My other girl. My niece.”
“She’s not your girl either.”
“I don’t know, man,” Zanders says smugly. “She seemed real stoked when she got her new jersey with uncle Zee’s number on it.”
“She’s never fucking wearing that.” There’s no humor in my tone, causing Zanders to burst into a fit of laughter.
“But really, where is Logan?” He looks around again. “She’s usually waiting behind the glass for you by now.”
I glance around the rink, the United Center peppered with black, red, and white. My number thirteen jersey is scattered throughout the crowd, right along with Zanders’ number eleven.
“She’ll be here. She’s just moving a little slower these days.”
Looking around the arena again, an overwhelming sense of gratitude takes over. I should probably be getting fired up for this game I’m about to play, but I can’t help but stop for a moment and be thankful.
Chicago has been a perfect fit for Logan and me. Not only in hockey but the city as a whole. We’ve been able to build a home base here over the last five years. We have an amazing penthouse flat, right in the heart of downtown, and my brother, Marc, lives only a few floors below us in the same building. Not to mention that Zanders is right across the street.
