Page 56 of Wrapped Around My Heart
“Fuck them.” My voice is gravelly, and we both know I mean it. I let go of her hip long enough to tease along the hem of her pants. A quiet moan spills from her lips and it’s almost enough to lose me in the moment.
Except the little vixen twists from my hold, making me fall forward into the counter as she slips away.
“Sorry, but I can’t let you be late. Not when you’re this close to making it into the final four.”
Quicker than I can process, she sneaks in to kiss my cheek before darting away and out to the bedroom.
With one last look at myself, I push off and follow after her, ready to plead my case as to why it would be okay to be ten, maybe fifteen minutes late. Except I find her frozen between the bathroom door and the closet, the zip-up hoodie she was wearing now hanging in her fingers while she stares at the bed.
“Is that…” she whispers, and I nod, even though she can’t see me.
“A pregnancy pillow? Yes. It’s gotten really good reviews, so I figured we could see if it does better than all your?—”
My words are cut off as she flings herself at me, silencing me with a messy kiss. It takes me a second to steady us both, not once pulling away from her. Ari pulls away, cheeks flushed and a beautiful smile for only me.
“I love y—it. I love it so much. Thank you.” She stumbles over her words, and I don’t miss her almost slipup. I could walk on water at the heady feeling, knowing her unfiltered thoughts were about to rise up before she caught them.
It doesn’t bother me that she’s not ready to say it. I know she feels the same way I do. Even if she’s not ready to hear me say the words and she’s not ready to say them herself, I know they’re on her mind. And she’s still in my arms.
I kiss her, but before I can take things further, she backs away. This time, when she grins at me, there’s a mischievous glint in her eyes that has me raising an eyebrow at her.
“What do you think of the shirt I had made?” she asks and I finally look away from her face and notice her outfit.
Then I forget to breathe as I read her shirt once. Twice. And a third time after that.
She’s in a red shirt that matches the team’s colors, but instead of the Bobcats’ logo, the words ‘Daddy got one in the goal’ are in golden letters across her chest and an image of apuck with little white feet in a net. My vision goes blurry just as she turns around, showing me the back, and I swear I’m two seconds from passing out.
The words ‘Baby Hayes’ are across her shoulders right above the number seventy-four.
She’s worn my number before. Ari owns something for each of the guys on the team, always preaching about how it’s not just one of us that carries the team, so everyone should get some love.
But the sight of her proudly showing off, announcing to everyone that she’s not only with me, but she’s carryingmybaby, makes some unknown part of me puff with a pride I’ve never felt before.
When she spins back to face me, I prowl forward, only to stop when she holds up a hand.
“Oh no, I know that look.” She gestures to my face before pointing to her rounded stomach. “That look is what got us here.”
“And your point is?” I muse, taking another step, only for her to retreat again.
“That we donothave time for that again. Save it for after the game.” She crosses her arms, a smirk playing on her lips. “Ifyou win, that is.”
I narrow my eyes at her, and this time when I move to close the distance between us, she doesn’t stop me.
“I’m going to hold you to that, Freckles.” This time, when I kiss her, I try to keep it short but still longer than I probably should have.
When I release her, I place a hand on her stomach, taking in the shirt one last time before dropping to my knees and kissing her stomach. I peer up at her from my knees, flashing her a quick wink.
“Need a kiss from all my girls for good luck.”
“You better not forget to let Cora give you one on your way out then.”
“I always do.” I push to my feet, giving her one last peck on the lips before heading out.
There’s something about being in the locker room before a big game that helps me focus. Most of the time, the second I set foot in one, nothing else matters. Everything fades away until the only thing on my mind is the guys surrounding me or the rink on the other side of the brick walls.
Today, though, there’s a buzz humming through my veins, and no matter what I do, all thoughts circle back to Arianna and the baby.
I look around the room, watching as everyone starts getting into their gear or finishes some stretches. To my left, Dominik and Greyson are tying up their skates in silence. On my right, Carter sits between me and Landon, something the former has finally stopped giving me questioning looks for.
