“Not always,” she agrees. “But where it matters. I can’t wait to see you raise our child.”

“Together. I’m never letting you do anything alone. I’m going to be here to support you forever and always. I will always take care of both of you. And the ones after.”

“You might only want the one.”

“Nah, I want at least five.”

“Five?” Her voice comes out as a bit of a shrill, and I smile against her skin. “Are you insane?”

“No. Maybe.”

“Five kids?”

“Maybe four. I’ll let you decide.”

“How about we have the one first, and then we’ll go from there.”

“You think I’m going to only go through this one time? I’ve only known you’ve been pregnant for two minutes, and I’m already losing it. I love you like this.”

She laughs. “I don’t even have a belly yet.”

“I knocked you up, Snowflake. That’s enough ego boost for me over any goal I score or any crazy headline I make.”

“I’m about to depress every woman in the world when they find out we’re pregnant.”

I pull out from the safe space of her body and shrug dismissively. “Oh, fuckin’ well. They never had a shot in hell.”

Rory smiles. “Oh yeah?”

“Nothing compared to you. There are men wearing t-shirts for you, not me. And I’m the asshole playing hockey.”

“They’re just trying to rile you up.”

“They’re New Brunswick fans. They should watch the game instead of trying to steal you from me.”

“Well, the guy that said he’d be my sugar daddy was tempting.”

I glower at her. “I’m your sugar and baby daddy. You'll never have anyone else. I am yours, and you are mine.”

“I know.” She bats her eyelashes, and her eyes fall to my lips. “I don’t want anyone else.”

I lean forward, knowing she’s messing with me, but I still don’t like the idea. “I’m glad you see it that way because when I said forever and always in our vows, I meant that shit.”

“Good, because I intend to hold you to every word.”

"We've got a good thing, Rory. You, me, and our little bean. It's more than I ever dared to ask for."

"I always knew we'd have a good thing," she whispers back, her breath warm against my chin. "From that first game I watched you play, I watched you glide across the ice—so sure of yourself and of me.”

"I was showing off for you," I confess with a chuckle, though we both know she held my unspoken affections long before I dared admit them. “And I knew you were going to be mine.”

“Same. I knew you would be the craziest thing I’ve ever done. And I’m glad I kept that rebellious streak going.”

“Still a bad influence on me.”

Rory gives me a soft little shove, and I roll to my back while she straddles my hips. “Then let me show you how much of a bad influence I can be, husband. I’ll have you dazed by the time I’m done.”

“You do that just by breathing, baby.”