Delayed Penalty (Empire State Hockey #5)

Chapter 26 – Harris

Chapter Twenty-Six

Harris

T here comes a moment when you realize you’re changing—maturing, becoming more of a family man, and for me that realization happened today.

Hockey has always been my thing. It’s been the one thing I have always wanted, it’s been my happiness, my sadness, and every emotion in between. I’ve gotta rage out on the ice, whether skating until I collapse or dropping gloves, it was always where I went when I needed to find peace.

Until Avery.

As soon as Avery came back, she became the most important person in my life. Once we found out she’s pregnant, her and the baby became the most important people in my life. I still can’t believe that a couple of weeks ago we had our anatomy scan and we got to see the little one and they actually looked like a baby and not a blob.

We still haven’t found out if it’s a boy or girl. We’ve been waiting for the right time to open the envelope the doctor gave us. We ended up being too overwhelmed at the appointment, all happy emotions, it was just a lot. Getting to hear how they were growing, that everything was on the right track and just the little things like seeing their fingers and toes. It was the most incredible experience of my life.

Now that we’ve admitted our feelings, it’s even worse because I know the woman I love is sitting alone, missing me just as much which is why it’s just hard for me to be excited about spending hours at practice.

Which is why I have a plan.

I went to the shelter yesterday and checked in on Luna—who, unfortunately, is still there. They thought they had someone lined up, but the daughter of the family changed her mind because she wanted a fun puppy, not a sad, depressed puppy. That broke my heart.

That was the moment I decided Luna was coming home with me for us.

Fuck my rules. Avery is there and will provide Luna with love and snuggles and all the attention. I live across from the park and if I have to hire a dog walker, I will. Especially because I know Avery is missing Luna so much. I caught her looking through her phone pictures of them and it damn near broke my heart.

Once practice is over I’m making a couple of stops on the way home, the main one being to get our girl and bring her home. I haven’t told Avery I’m going to pick her up, figured I’d surprise her, as well as bring her fresh bagels and flowers.

“So, is Avery going to come to our first game next week?” Miles asks when we’re finally back in the locker room after a brutal practice.

Too many of the younger players weren’t taking it seriously and went out after practice last night which, unfortunately, means they were driving the struggle bus today and pissed Coach off. He made us bag skate for a while before ending practice with 1v1 until we all wanted to pass out. Hopefully, the younger guys understand this is their job, and if they can’t take it seriously, there’s a bunch of guys on the AHL who would be more than happy to take their place.

“Yeah, I guess she talked to Gwen and the girls are all going to come with, so they’ll be sitting in the suite.”

“Awesome. This is the first game she’s going to be at, right?”

“Not counting college games, yeah. When we dated in college, she would come to my games but yeah, first NHL game.”

“Is she excited?”

“I think so. But she’s definitely not as excited as I am. Something about having her there, for me, it’s making me so excited.”

“I’m not surprised. You two have definitely been getting closer and closer through this situation, I’m sure it’s exciting knowing she will be in your jersey watching you.”

“Definitely. Although, I’ll be honest, I’m more excited to see her tonight because I have a surprise for her.”

“Oh?” Miles says, turning to face me. “What’s the surprise.”

“You know how you always bug me for sneaking off from dinner or after practice?”

“Yeah…” Miles eyes me suspiciously.

“I volunteer at an animal shelter in the city, I have for a couple of years now and there’s a puppy that’s grown very attached to me and after meeting Avery basically decided she loved her.”

“Something you and the puppy share.”

I just shrug, unable to help myself from smiling. Not that I want to, I don’t care who knows that I’m in love with my wife. I don’t know, I guess it’s just surreal. I spent so long thinking I would never get to show the world how much I loved that girl, and now? Now, she’s my wife. I don’t care how it started, I don’t care that it was supposed to be a one-night stand and surprise, we’re getting a whole damn family. It’s with Avery, so I’m ready.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“Not even going to deny it a bit? Make me work for the declaration of love like in those cheesy romance books your sisters read. What was their book club name again?”

“Fucking hell, it’s like the swallows or something,” I groan, regretting the knowledge that this book club even exists. “But no, I spent too long denying it, I don’t want to for even another second.”

“I’m fucking happy for you, man,” Miles says. “You’ve wanted this girl for a long time. I’m glad she’s decided to take pity on your pathetic ass.”

I flip him off and shut my locker, eager to get a move on with my plan. “Gotta go, brother.” I nod.

Time to make my girl smile.

After a couple different stops to get puppy stuff and toys, and the flowers and bagels, I finally get Luna who’s the happiest girl in the entire world to see me. She’s even more excited when I put her in my passenger seat, probably remembering the last time she was in here was after she came to live with me.

Reaching over, I scratch behind her ear. “Don’t worry, little one. You’re coming home for good.”

It’s like she can sense what I’m saying, or truthfully understands me because she puts her head on my hand and immediately falls asleep, like she can finally have some peace knowing she found a home.

Not just a home, a family.

She sleeps the entire drive to my apartment and makes me carry her all the way upstairs as well as everything else, which is more difficult than you think it should be when she’s just a puppy, but that girl is dead weight.

“Avery?” I say as I walk in the front door.

“I’m in the living room.” I hear her say, so I set Luna down and let her go. The second her pitter patter feet start as she runs toward Avery’s voice, I hear Avery shout with excitement, and I know I made the right choice.

Setting the flowers and bagels down in the kitchen, I head to find my girls laying on the couch, Luna on her back rolling side to side trying to get Avery to touch every inch of her because she’s so excited. Somehow, this dog is so gentle around Avery’s belly, it’s incredible. Like she understands what’s happening and know it’s something we need to protect.

It was the other thing I noticed the last time we had her here that made me wonder if this was the perfect fit for her. She’s so gentle and protective over Avery and Avery’s belly that I knew immediately she would be an amazing family dog.

A puppy that could grow up with our human puppy.

“Surprise,” I say casually as I sit down on the couch next to Avery, the other surprise sitting in my back pocket.

“How long is she staying this time? I didn’t know she was coming to visit. This is the most exciting thing ever!” Avery says, Luna now curling into Avery’s side and snuggling in to sleep.

“She’s ours.”

“She’s… ours? Like, to keep-keep? The forever kind?”

“Always.” I smile, and she hugs me so hard I swear she’s going to suffocate me, but I embrace it.

“Thank you,” she whispers.

“What do you say we open the other surprise tonight? Together? I mean, now that our family is back together with Luna being home, I’m kind of curious if she’s getting a little brother or a little sister,” I say, pulling the envelope out of my back pocket.

“Yes, let’s open it,” she says, sitting back on the couch, closer to Luna.

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.”

“Do you want to?”

“Nope, I got to do the pregnancy test without you, you can do this one.”

Excitement fills me, my body tingling with anticipation as I move to open the envelope. Slowly sliding it up, at a pace that’s damn near torture, the word comes into view and I want to shout it from the rooftops.

Turning the envelope for Avery to see, she starts crying and smiling the second she sees it, laughing and hugging me. It feels like now that we know what we are having we can start thinking about names, more decorations for the room and even more clothes shopping that I swear my family and my friends’ girlfriends could slow down with any moment. They’ve been buying all gender-neutral stuff which is great and all, if I knew they weren’t going to buy even more the second they knew what we were having.

Boy.

We’re going to be the proud parents to a little boy and I couldn’t be more excited.

Pausing for a moment with our foreheads together, we just look at each other, so many words passing in the silence, and I’m so excited for our future. It’s scary, it’s unknown, but I’ve never been more excited for anything in my entire life. It’s in this moment that I feel it for the first time, a soft bump against where I’m touching her belly. Moving my hand closer, I feel it again.

“Is that…”

“Yup. He’s kicking. He’s saying hi to his daddy.”

Even he’s excited.