“Well?” I ask impatiently into the phone. We had been talking about this forever and we couldn’t agree on ANYTHING!
“I don’t know! This is difficult,” he sighs.
“It’s a very simple question. What do you want to name your daughter?”
“Simple question?! Please! How about this. What do you want to name your daughter?”
I let my head fall back against the pillow with a groan. How in God’s name did people name their children?! Naming dogs was one thing, but children had to stick with the name a lot longer. And unlike dogs, they would have an opinion about their name later in life.
“I don’t know”
“Not even one idea? You are a girl! You are suppose to have names picked out already and I have my veto card in my back pocket.”
“What does me being a girl have anything to do with this?”
“Well you named your dolls when you were little didn’t you?”
“I had a doll named Pebbles. Would you like to name our daughter Pebbles?” I ask, my voice dripping with sweet sarcasm.
“I had to fall in love with a tomboy…” he sighs sarcastically.
“Hmm… it does have a certain ring to it. Pebbles Crosby. Look out Apple Martin!” I laugh.
“… and a smart ass.”
“Sorry, didn’t you name… Oh, I don’t know your hockey pucks or something?” I mumble over my spoonful of cookies and cream ice cream.
“Oh yeah, I name all my hockey pucks and sticks,” he says (I swear I could hear him rolling his eyes), “I broke Phil the other day during the game, broke my heart. What are you eating?”
I quickly gulp down my ice cream and clear my throat, trying to get my voice back to normal.
“Nothing,” I say, cringing slightly when it still comes out a mumble.
“Ice cream or sherbet?” he sighs.
“Now I think our child will get teased with a name like that, even if her dad is Sidney Crosby, “ I respond.
“I’m going to say Ice Cream,” he sighs, “You know you have to watch what you eat.”
“I only had a little!”
“The last time you said that I came home and the whole half gallon was gone!”
“I told you we must have mice in the house.”
“That like to hang out in the freezer?”
“Yup. You probably brought them home from the rink, they’re rink mice. They’re used to the cold. That’s why they hang out in the freezer.”
“How do you even come up with this stuff? Your impossible,” he chuckles.
“-ly irresistible. I know,” I shrug, running my hands through Ty’s thick grayish brown fur, “When will you be home?”
“After the game tonight,” he says quietly.
“Oh, ok.”
“I’ll be home around 2am,” he replies.
I remain silent as my mind battles with it’s self. One half of me said ‘tell him to come over’ the other said, ‘be careful don’t move too fast.’ I wanted to have him next to me again, to feel warm and safe in his arms. But I didn’t want to move too fast. We were always moving too fast and look how that always turned out. It had been 6 years since we first met and fell in love at the beach. We had fallen in love in a week, head over heals, and it all crashed and burned. 4 years later we were together again. About a month into our 2nd chance we were moving in together. A few months later, it fell apart again. Now we were on our 3rd chance, a chance not many got, I didn’t want to screw it up again. I didn’t want to move to fast and have it all blow up in my face again. I couldn’t handle that, I couldn’t have my heart broken again. But boy did I want to wake up in his arms.
“Is it cool if I come over tomorrow morning?” he pipes up.
It was like he knew what I was thinking. We both had agreed to take it slower, but I think we were both realizing that that was easier said that done.
“Of course! After all it is your house.”
“But I don’t want to just barge in on your privacy.”
“Right, you wouldn’t want to see me with the pool boy.”
“We don’t have a pool. “
“Mmm… But the neighbors up the road do,” I say slyly.
“You better not be doing the pool boy,” he says lowly.
“Sidney Crosby! Get your mind out of the gutter, he just comes over for lunch,” I shout sarcastically.
I hear him laugh loudly on the other end, but it was slightly muffled indication that he had pulled away from the phone. I smile, I even missed the sound of his laugh, girly or not it was darn cute.
“I missed you,” he states simply.
“I missed you, too,” I smile back.
“My parents are going to get there tomorrow night and then we’re having brunch with them the next morning don’t forget,” he says reminding me.
“Oh, right,” I groan.
“It will be fine. Mom and Tay are both extremely excited, especially to see you.”
“And your Dad?”
“Well, we’ll work on him,” he sighs, “I better go.”
“Alright, go take your nap,” I laugh, “You do realize that the whole point of the this conversation was to come up with names and all we have is Pebbles and Ice Cream.”
“We’ll figure it out. We have time right?”
“Yeah, I suppose we do,” I sigh with a smile, my hand coming up to my swollen stomach. I couldn’t wait to see my daughter; it was just naming her that was the problem.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he sighs.
“Alright, go take your nap and then kick some ass, Crosby,” I smile.
“I will,” he says softly, pausing as if he wanted to say something.
I knew what it was. It had been a touchy subject, still, even if I had said it.
“I love you,” I say shyly, almost sure that that is what he was holding back on, but I wasn’t 100% sure.
I hear him sigh deeply, letting out a breath he had been holding it seemed.
“I love you too, babe,” he says softly, before we hang up the phone.
I bite my lip to hold back my grin as I place the phone on the bedside table. I felt the butterflies swarm through my stomach as I replayed those three words in my head. I snicker to myself as I run my fingers through Ty’s fur, I was acting like a high school girl who just found out her crush loved her back. Except it was far from a crush and the guy was Sidney Crosby.
“Ooof,” I breathe out as hand comes up to settle on my stomach where I had just felt a swift kick.
“Just wait until your father gets home, little girl,” I chuckle, knowing her father would be thrilled to know his daughter was kicking up a storm. And I would be thrilled to have her father home.
Sid’s POV
I find myself actually looking forward to going home again. I had someone to come home to, just like I had before. But now, there were two someones. I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face and Coach let me out earlier than usual. Grinning when he told me to go home and take care of Mommy. It wouldn’t be long before I would hear the pitter patter of feet hitting the hard wood floors and a little girl’s voice saying “Daddy” when I came home from road trips. I could already picture it in my head.
Before my imagination can wonder, I’m home. I chuckle as I see a few dogs laying on the porch, their ears perking up when they see my car pull in the driveway behind her green jeep. After grabbing my bag out of the back, I make my way up to the house, being greeted by a Hawkeye, Ty, Finn, and Sam. Tanger had dropped him off while we were on our road trip.
“Hey boys,” I say running my head through the various furs before walking into the house.
As soon as I walk into the house I’m greeted by the sound of mellow music and the smell of chocolate chip cookies. I make my way into the kitchen, knowing that’s exactly where she is.
I walk in to see her wiggling her hips slightly to the beat of the music as she took cookies off the cookie sheet. She wasn’t one of those women that didn’t look at all pregnant from behind. She had definitely gained a few pounds, not that I minded at all. She could gain all the weight she wanted as long as the baby was ok and she did the actual pushing a human being out of her pelvis part. Man did I have it easy.
“Smells good in here.”
She stills for a second, before putting her oven mitts and spatula down. She whips around with a huge grin on her face.
“Hi!” she replies enthusiastically, before kissing my cheek and hugging me, “Good couple games there, Crosby. Seems like you suddenly snapped back into action according to the announcers. 4 goals in 3 games isn’t too shabby.”
“Thanks,” I say rolling my eyes, letting my arms settling down on her lower back, as I held her loosely against me. She bites her lip and smiles up at me, making it damned hard to resist her. It slowly dawns on me however, that I don’t need to hold back like I used to. I smirk and bring my lips down to hers in a soft kiss. I can feel her lips smile against mine as she returns the kiss, her arms settling around my neck.
I pull away slowly, and smile down at her, “I missed you.”
“I missed you too,” she replies softly, “Oh God, we’ve become that sappy couple.”
I pause at her words, letting them roll around a bit. Should I say something? I didn’t want to ruin it.
“Couple?” I ask, hoping that I’m taking a step forward and not a step back.
Her eyes widen slightly as she replays her words in her head. Her lips press together and her eyes squint slightly as she thinks. Those big chocolately eyes look up at me and connect with my eyes, trying to read me.
“I don’t know,” she says slowly, struggling to verbalize what she is thinking, “I mean, you can’t really call us just friends, but …”
I press my lips against hers quickly, silencing the rest of her thoughts and words. To my surprise and delight she doesn’t pull away, we had made leaps and bounds since December, and it was only the beginning of February now.
“That’s all I wanted to know. Caitlin, I’m ready to go back to where we were. But I know that your not, just … let me know…” I say quietly, watching her as she diverts her gaze from mine.
She takes a deep breath before bringing her eyes up to mine, “I … not yet,” she replies sadly.
I smile weakly, knowing that she doesn’t trust me fully yet and it would be a long time before I got all her trust. We were getting closer to where we used to be, but we still… I still had work to do. Trust to build. But at the same time, we had been progressing, to “not just friends” anymore. She said so herself. And that thrilled me.
I suddenly feel something press against the back of my knee. I look back to see Maggie, with her ears perked up at me, wagging her tail hopefully.
“Hi, Maggie,” I smile turning around to greet her. Her response is to wag her tail faster before flopping on her back so that I can rub her tummy. “That’s my girl.”
“Just remember who’s carrying your baby there, Stud,” Caitlin laughs tapping me on the shoulder before going to finish the cookies she had baked.
Caitlin’s POV
I lie on the couch, my legs draped over his lap as we watched Pride and Prejudice. He agreed to watch as long as I didn’t tell the guys. I was so incredibly comfortable, my head pillowed on my arm as my other one rested on my stomach. My eyes were beginning to droop just as Elizabeth was reading Mr. Darcy’s letter, when suddenly I felt a sharp jab.
“Oooof,” I let out, putting my hand where I had just felt the movement.
“What’s wrong? Are you ok?” Sid asks looking over at me suddenly very panicked.
I chuckle and grab his hand, placing it on the place where I last felt the jab. He becomes very still and I swear he is holding his breath. I feel a sharp jab again; right where his hand is, and then one right by his wrist. I watch as his a grin slowly spreads across his face. His hazel eyes leave his hand and meet mine, shining with a smile and surprise.
“I hate to break it to you, but I think your daughter is a soccer player,” I say softly with a smile.
He smirks before leaning down to press his lips to mine in a tender kiss, his hand staying on my stomach as our daughter delivers another kick to his palm. I inhale sharply.
“Ok, now your just showing off,” I mutter.
Sid lets out a laugh and moves his head down closer to my stomach.
“Hey in there, we have plenty of time to practice when you come out. Hockey is way better than soccer though. I’ll teach you how to skate and shoot a puck…” he says softly, talking to our daughter.
I smile as he continues on his conversation with her. She was going to have him wrapped around her little finger.
