Awk-Weird (Ice Knights, #2)(80)

“Especially because of that.” And he’d never meant something more.

Tess went still, except for the smile beginning to tug at the corner of her mouth, and his breath caught. God, she was beautiful. Her hair was piled up on top of her head, but several strands had escaped, the curly lengths framing her face and tangling in her glasses.

“I love you, Tess Gardner.” He dipped his head lower, quieting his voice because the rest was meant only for her ears. “I want you and the baby in my life however you want. This isn’t temporary for me; it hasn’t been since the first time I saw you. You changed everything, and I’m so lucky you did.”

And there it was—everything he had to give her was out there in the open. Being vulnerable was new and scary and he fucking hated it, but it was worth it if Tess saw something in him like this that she could fall in love with. He dropped his hands and took a step back, not wanting to make her feel like he was forcing her into a decision.

“Well,” she said, stepping forward so that there was barely a hint of space between their bodies. “Kahn has been missing you, and you do have a very valuable piece of art that I would love to see.”

He hadn’t moved that ugly Bigfoot painting since she’d left, and as far as he was concerned, it should always be displayed. “Does that mean you’ll come home?”

She nodded, raising herself up on her tiptoes and brushing a kiss across his lips. “Permanently.”

He couldn’t imagine a better life than the new one he was about to embark on with her. Whatever changes there would be, they’d face them together, and there was absolutely nothing that would stop them.

They’d been weddinged good and proper.





Epilogue


Many months later…

The epidural hadn’t kicked in yet. There was no way it could have because Tess’s body hurt from the contractions like she was about to have an Alien-style baby. She had definitely not signed up for that. But here she was in the hospital room, Cole on one side of her trying not to show that he was six seconds away from hyperventilating, nurses on the other side looking like it was just another day in the office, and the doctor sitting on a stool between her feet that were up in stirrups and eating Cracker Jacks and spicy Cheetos for all she knew, since she could only see the top of his bald head.

“You’re doing great, honey,” Cole said, the tension in his voice and the slightly panicked look in his blue eyes giving away that he was just as overwhelmed and freaked out as she was. “Amazing.”

“You’re never touching me again.” Of that she was certain. How did women do this on a frequent enough basis to populate the planet? “Not a single time.”

“Ice chip?” Cole held up a cup full of frozen shards.

She was about to tell him where he could shove that ice chip when another contraction hit and hit her with enough force that it felt like the U.S.S. Enterprise had run her over, backed up, and plowed over her again for good measure. Somewhere in the back of her head, she got that the analogy of a spaceship running someone over was ridiculous, but she was in pain and her poor brain was doing the best it could.

“I can see the head; only another couple more pushes,” the doctor said from between her legs.

The contraction eased, and she took a deep breath, already feeling the next one starting to build at a rapid clip. She reached out and grabbed Cole’s hand, holding onto him as her body revved up for another go.

“We should get married,” he said, his words coming out faster than the beep-beep of her heart rate on the monitor. “I spotted a minister right outside in the waiting room. His niece is giving birth, too.”

“Cole,” she groaned through clenched teeth. “I love you but I’m gonna kill you if you try and drag a stranger into this room so we can get married while I’m in the middle of having a baby.”

“So no change in plans? No adjustments to the schedule?” he asked.

God love him, the man had taken to change and had become Mr. Spontaneity.

He went on, “Although I’ve been reading up in my 1001 Rules For Baby Scheduling and some routine is necessary.”

The change in him showed up in different ways. At home he’d learned to vary his routine—finally putting off the dumpster-diving raccoon that had been stalking his regular trash removal—and on the ice he’d become unstoppable with he and Coach Peppers seemingly trying to one up each other in the creative new plays department. The result? The Ice Knights finished the year with a record-setting winning streak and the Stanley Cup—which just happened to be in the hospital room with them right at this moment. And now he wanted to get married? The man needed to slow down just for a second.

“I’ve created a monster,” she said as her muscles started to tense in anticipation of the upcoming contraction.

He squeezed her hand. “The baby is gonna be great.”

Despite everything going on, she giggled. “I was talking about you.”

“What can I say, I learned from the best.” He leaned down and brushed his lips across her forehead. “And you’re doing great.”

She was about to tell the guy who was feeling none of the pain exactly what he could do with his coaching when another contraction struck and all she could do was follow her body’s orders. She bore down, giving the push her everything, Then all the pain was gone—or at least the epidural had finally kicked in—and an angry cry filled the air.