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“Believe it or not, everybody wants their family right now,” Ethan says, smiling. “Even Ruslav brought his mother into town.”
“That’s cute,” I say, holding Ethan’s hands against my stomach. “And you, what do you want to do today?”
“Hmm,” he caresses my tummy with all the care in the world. “All I want is to have an ice cream float, and then discuss baby girl names with my beautiful girlfriend. The rest, we’ll see.”
He kisses me tenderly. I take is as a sweet promise of things to come, not only for the night, but for our future as well.
Chapter Thirty-Six
ETHAN
Just one more game and then we find out if we are in the Stanley Cup Final.
We’re facing the New Jersey Thunderhawks. On the other side await either the Colorado Blizzards or the Vegas Cyclones. One way or the other, defeat is not an option. We’re taking this winning streak into the history books, and I won’t let anything stand in my way to lead the team to victory.
However, at this stage of the championship, the guys are all playing like a swarm of killer wasps. They are all fiercely focused but are doing things on autopilot.
Leave it to Mia to organize something to let us blow the steam off in a civilized manner. The kids are allowed to skate with us, as are the girlfriends and wives if they’d like.
And the best part of all? No jerseys, no pucks, no sticks at all. The last thing I want to think about is hockey right now, and the irony isn’t lost on me that skating on the ice helps to achieve that.
Senna has me chasing him around the rink for laps on end. It is a race just between him and me, and I have fun letting him beat me.
“I’m going to win, daddy!” he shouts from over his shoulder, while I keep on skating right behind him.
“Oh no!” I throw my hands in the air comically. “What will I do?”
“You’ll have to catch me!”
And the little rascal laughs, and I join in, teasing him by reaching forward as if I’m going to grab him by the collar, but he only laughs and skates ahead.
After a good while, he’s got me out of breath, so I decide to end the chase, scoop him up by his armpits, and twirl him around in my arms until his squeals turn into giggles.
“I got you!” I gloat, then kiss him in the cheek.
“Daddy!” He wipes the kiss off his face. “Not in front of the girls!”
“Whoa! You’re already worried about girls?” I step back to face him, still holding him in my arms.
“No! They’re icky,” Senna protests. “But they make fun of me when you or mom kiss me!”
“Oh! Okay…” I set him down, and hyper as ever, he immediately starts skating circles around me. “What do you want to do now?”
“Skate,” he immediately says.
I glance over at the hot cocoa and pretzel stand set on the sidelines, where kids and parents alike are waiting eagerly.
“Do you want some hot cocoa, buddy?” I offer, and he enthusiastically takes my hand.
“Okay!” he grins up at me.
“So, no kisses, but holding hands is okay?” I ask him, amused and shaking my head.
“It’s different daddy!” Senna insists. “I just don’t wanna lose you!”
“Oh, so you’re taking care of me?” I’m getting more and more entertained.
“Well, yeah!” he retorts as if stating the obvious.
