Page 52 of Coach Sully

“Goddamn it,” I mutter. “Raleigh!” Why the hell did she let him in? I’m not ready for this.

“I sent her home.” He raises his eyebrows, letting his blue eyes bore into mine. His voice is deep and commanding. “We need to talk.”

“Are you pregnant?”

Her chin quivers and her eyes fill with tears. Without answering, she drops her head into her hands and weeps. Shit. I sit next to her on the bed. I should be upset with her—Iamupset with her, but all I can think isplease be mine.

I wrap an arm around her shaking shoulders. She’s crying too much for telling me she’s pregnant, and it hits me that maybe something happened. “Are you and the baby okay?”

She nods, still bawling into her palms. I release the breath I was holding.

“Is it mine?”

When she looks up, she sobs harder. My eyes swell with tears to see her hurt this way.

“I’m the worst person. I’m so sorry, Sully. I’m so fucking sorry. I thought I couldn’t get pregnant. I wasn’t supposed tobe able to have kids. And then I didn’t know how to tell you. Everything was so complicated and-and…” She sputters, trying to catch her breath.

“Is it mine?” I repeat. If it’s not, I have a decision to make, but I’m prepared to fight for her.

“Of course it is!”

She’s pregnant with my baby. It’s mine.

She wipes her face on her two-sizes-too-big gray sweatshirt sleeve and takes a deep breath. “I should have told you earlier. I just didn’t know how to do it without jeopardizing our careers, and you have this new coaching thing, and I know how important hockey—” Her chest is heaving.

“Okay.”

“…and coaching is for you. But if I was going to keep this baby, I needed my job. I couldn’t do it without my job. I was going to tell you, I swear I was, I just wanted to wait until—” She’s practically hyperventilating.

Cupping her face, I swipe the tears away. “Breathe, Kendra.”

She sucks in two deep breaths back-to-back, like she can’t get in enough air.

“Slower,” I say in a calm voice.

I inhale slowly to show her, then exhale, counting to four. She matches her breaths to mine, and it’s not long before her chest softens and she’s no longer winded.

“We’ll talk about it later. Right now, just breathe. I’m going to get you some water.”

“I have water.” She tips her head toward her nightstand where a tall metal water bottle sits. I reach for it and place it in her hands, and she drinks without me having to force it.

“Have you eaten?”

She nods. “I had some strawberries and some of those spice cakes Micky makes. Raleigh brought me soup.”

I kick off my shoes, put my feet up, and lie next to her. When she’s done drinking the water, I place it back on the nightstand and pull her into my arms. Her tense muscles relax, and she rests her head on my shoulder, delivering a final shuddered sigh. Like I knew it would, her body fits perfectly next to mine. I stare at the ceiling.

Holy shit. I’m going to be a father.

My immediate reaction is to panic, but the smell of her shampoo invades my senses and brings me peace. I’m going to be a father… and she will be amother. She’s so young; I can’t imagine the stress she’s been under.

I curl my arm around her body and haul her closer, then skate my fingers up and down her back. It feels so good to touch her the way I want. She wraps around my middle, nuzzling into my chest. Christ, I missed this.

The show is over. Not sure how I’ll break the news that I’m out, but there’s no way I’m going back now. I’ll get my lawyer involved, and we’ll figure it out. It was one thing to do it for the coaching position, but there’s zero chance of me continuing to date other women while the mother of my child stands behind the camera and watches. It’s not likeScoring with Sullywas something on my bucket list. This simply makes the decision to leave much easier. I’m done fucking around. It doesn’t take an idiot to know Kendra will fight me on it. We can talk about that part later. I’m not about to send her spiraling into a panic all over again.

“Why are you so weird about making sure I drink water and eat and rest all the time?”

I sigh. “Just want to take care of you, Kendra.” She’s so busy all the time and takes care of herself last. “And now that I know you’re carrying our baby… it’s going to be double.” I pinch her side, and she retreats. Not willing to let her put an inch between us, I pull her into me again.

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