Twin Babies for my Pucking Defenders (Chicago Icebreakers #2)

33. Chapter Thirty-Three

Chapter Thirty-Three

Carter

Practice is rough today. Everyone’s pushing hard, probably harder than usual.

Coach Nate’s shouting directions from the sidelines, his voice carrying across the rink like a damn megaphone. But my mind isn’t fully here. Not with everything that’s gone down lately. Not with Jade. And definitely not with the baby.

Fuck, a baby.

I don’t know how to be a dad. I barely know how to handle my own shit most days. But now, a kid? And Jade—how the hell am I supposed to keep her in my life and deal with all of this at the same time?

I shake my head, focusing on the puck as it slides across the ice toward me. Axel slams into me, and I barely register it until I’m on my ass, staring up at the ceiling lights of the arena.

“Pay the fuck attention, Carter,” Axel grunts, skating past me, but I catch the hint of concern in his voice. He knows I’m distracted. Hell, he’s distracted too.

Coach Nate blows the whistle, calling practice to a halt. He skates over, shaking his head. “All right, enough. Get over here.”

We all gather around him, the ice crackling under our skates. My chest’s heaving, but not from exertion. I’m breathing hard due to the thoughts swirling around in my head, making it impossible to focus. I glance over at Axel and he looks just as lost. Shit, we’re both a mess right now.

“Good work today, boys,” Nate says, handing out small slips of paper. “Here’s your notes. Carter, you did well, but I need you to keep your fucking head in the game. Axel, same goes for you. Miles,” he pauses, glaring at our defenseman, “be careful with that goddamn wrist of yours, all right? Don’t need you snapping it like a twig before the next game. Got it?”

Miles nods, looking like a scolded child. Coach continues handing out the notes, keeping his tone gruff but encouraging. “We’ve got two weeks ‘til the next game. Rest up, focus, and I swear if any of you show up hungover next practice, I’ll beat your asses myself.”

There’s a general round of nods and grunts of agreement. Coach nods back, then dismisses us with a wave of his hand. “Hit the showers. Good job today.”

As the team starts to peel off toward the locker room, Axel and I lag behind. We don’t say anything to each other, just share a look. It’s that unspoken shit we’ve always shared, where we don’t need words to communicate, but this time it’s different. This time, I think we both know we fucked up, and neither of us really wants to admit it.

Once the locker room’s cleared out, and the rest of the guys have hit the showers or left, Axel and I head for the ice bath. We still haven’t said a word, the silence between us heavy as fuck. I lower myself into the icy water, wincing as the cold shocks my system. Axel does the same beside me, letting out a low groan as he settles in.

Finally, after what feels like forever, Axel breaks the silence. “We fucked up, didn’t we?”

I glance at him, rubbing a hand over my face. “Yeah. We really fucking did.”

He doesn’t respond right away, just leans his head back against the edge of the tub, staring at the ceiling. “I didn’t handle that shit with Jade well at all. When she told us...” he trails off, shaking his head. “I don’t know, man. I just...panicked.”

“Same,” I admit, clenching my fists under the water. “It’s like, I didn’t know what to say, what to think. We just sat there, staring at her, like idiots.”

“She deserved better than that,” Axel mutters, his voice tight. “She needed us and we just fucking...froze.”

I nod, the guilt gnawing at me. “Yeah, she did. We should’ve been there for her, not sitting there grumbling like a couple of assholes.”

Axel lets out a frustrated breath, his fingers drumming against the side of the tub. “We gotta fix this, man. We can’t leave things like this. She’s...she’s Jade.”

“I know.” I sigh, leaning my head back. “And now there’s the kid, too.”

“Yeah,” Axel mutters. “A fucking kid.”

We both fall silent again, the cold water doing little to numb the weight of what we’re dealing with. The baby, Jade, the future. None of it’s easy and I don’t have the answers. But one thing’s clear—we can’t keep running from this.

“I say we finish up here and go see her at the office,” Axel suggests after a few moments. “We gotta make shit right.”

I nod slowly, feeling the tension in my shoulders ease a little. “Yeah. You’re right.”

We sit there for another minute, letting the cold soak into our bones, before finally pulling ourselves out of the bath. We dry off in silence, both of us lost in our own thoughts. Once we’re dressed, we head out of the locker room together, not saying much but both knowing what we need to do.

By the time we reach Jade’s office, my stomach is in knots. I’m not sure how she’s going to react, if she’s still pissed or hurt or what. But we can’t keep avoiding this conversation.

Axel knocks on the door, his knuckles rapping against the wood. We wait, the silence between us thick with anticipation. After a moment, the door opens and there she is. Jade. Beautiful, strong and probably still pissed at us.

Her eyes flick between Axel and I , and for a second, I think she might slam the door in our faces. But she doesn’t. Instead, she steps aside, letting us in.

“Hey,” I start awkwardly, not sure how to begin.

Jade crosses her arms, leaning against the edge of her desk, her eyes narrowed slightly. “What do you guys want?”

“We fucked up,” Axel says bluntly, cutting straight to the point. “And we’re sorry.”

I nod, stepping forward. “Yeah, we didn’t handle the news well. At all. You didn’t deserve that.”

Jade’s expression softens a little, but she doesn’t uncross her arms. “You’re right. I didn’t.”

I glance at Axel, and he gives me a small nod. Taking a deep breath, I step closer to Jade, my heart pounding in my chest. “We’re in this, Jade. All of it. The baby, you, everything. We just...needed some time to process. But we’re not going anywhere.”

Axel moves beside me, his voice quiet but firm. “We’re sorry for how we reacted. But we want to be there for you. For both of you.”

Jade looks between us, her eyes searching our faces like she’s trying to figure out if we’re full of shit or not. Finally, after what feels like forever, she sighs, uncrossing her arms. “You guys are idiots, you know that?”

“Yeah, we know,” I say, rubbing the back of my neck. “But we’re your idiots.”

She shakes her head, but I can see the hint of a smile tugging at her lips. “All right. But you better not fuck up again. I’m serious.”

“We won’t,” Axel says, his voice firm. “We’re in this for the long haul.”

I step closer to Jade, reaching out to take her hand. “We’re with you, Jade. Always.”

For a moment, she just stares at me, like she’s trying to decide if she can really trust us. But then she squeezes my hand, her fingers warm against mine. “Okay,” she says softly. “Okay.”

Axel steps closer, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and I move in beside her, pulling her into a hug. It’s not perfect, and there’s still a lot we need to figure out, but for now, it’s enough. We’re together. And that’s all that matters.

We stand there for a while, just holding each other, letting the weight of everything we’ve been through melt away. It’s not easy, but nothing worth having ever is.

And as I hold Jade in my arms, I realize that maybe, just maybe, we can make this work after all.