Page 31 of Make Your Play

His throat bobs. “Can I?”

“Of course,” I say, my voice soft as I reach for his hand and scoot closer. Nash twists his torso, extending his arm as I press his palm against my stomach. He warms my skin and my heart as he stares at my stomach, watching and waiting.

The baby moves again, his little foot hitting the exact spot where Nash’s hand is. He inhales sharply, his eyes immediately flashing to mine. “Oh my god, I felt him.” Worry crosses his expression. “That was him, right?”

“No, Nash, that was the alien I’ve been growing for the past thirty-five weeks.” I let out a soft laugh, watching the smile break out across his face. “Yes, that’s him.”

“Can he hear me if I talk to him?”

My heart stumbles all over itself as he looks at me with hope dancing in his irises. I swallow back the emotion welling in my throat as I feel the warmth from his hand still pressed against my stomach. “They said he can.”

Nash stares at me for a moment, his lips twitching as he begins to lower his face closer to my stomach. I watch him as his eyes scan my belly, his other hand coming to rest against me as he closes his eyes and brings his mouth closer.

“Hey, little bud.” I can see his lips lift into a smile as the baby moves once more, and he looks at me before looking back at my stomach. “I know we haven’t formally met, but it’s me, Nash. Maybe you’ve heard my voice in the distance before. I just want you to know that you have the most amazing mom in the world. She’s been working so hard to get things ready for you and none of us can wait to meet you—especially her.”

I quickly wipe away the tears that fall from my eyes, making sure I do it before he catches me. The baby moves again and Nash chuckles softly.

“I know, I know. You’re running out of space in there, but I’m going to have to ask you to wait a little bit longer. We’re excited for you to come, but we’re not ready just yet.”

An anxious feeling builds in the pit of my stomach. “No, we do not need you to come yet,” I add, smiling as Nash looks back up at me. His hands linger before he pulls them away and I instantly wish they were back on my belly. “I still have so much to do.”

“Don’t you worry about any of that. As soon as I’m cleared by the doctors, I plan on starting to check off the things left to do on the list.”

My breath catches in my throat, emotion washing over me again. “Nash…”

“I want to do it, Riley,” he says, his voice soft and pleading as he stares directly into my soul. “Please just let me help you.”

I get lost in the swirling depths of blue in his irises. “Okay.” I blink the tears away, rolling my lips between my teeth as I nod, feeling a smile tugging on my lips.

Nash’s eyes shimmer as a ghost of a smile dances across his face.

“Okay.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

NASH

Istare down at my foot, the feeling of the pressure of the pad against my ankle making it even more uncomfortable. My fingers slide along the sides of the boot, attempting to adjust it as I look back at Davison. “Can’t I just try skating without this?”

He clicks his tongue and shakes his head at me. “You heard what the doctor said. If you want to be back in the game this soon, we have to do everything and anything we can to protect the bone.”

“So, I just make sure I stay out of the way. If I don’t get hit, I’ll be fine.”

He stares at me with an unamused expression. “Nash, you know it’s not that simple.”

An exaggerated sigh escapes me and I reach back down to adjust the pad again. It’s supposed to keep the pressure off my ankle from my skate, but it still feels uncomfortable as hell. It’s still pretty sore and the padding just feels fucking weird.

“Do you want to play or do you want to have to wait a month or more?”

“I want to play.”

He nods, his jaw set as he gives me a stern look. “Then get over it and do what you have to do.”

After two days of complete rest, the doctors had me doing some rehab with the physical therapists, although with it mainly just being the bone, there isn’t much to do. I was cleared to skate again today, but ordered to go slow. No game play for at least another week, but they advised me to get back on my skates and start getting used to it. I’m no stranger to playing and skating through pain, so I’m not worried about it.

What I’m actually worried about is when I’ll have to go back home.

Even though I’m able to bear weight again, Riley told me to stay until I was back to one hundred percent. She claimed she liked having company. It makes her evenings a little less lonely, and I’m not going to pass up the option of spending time with her.

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