Chapter 45

CHAPTER 45

I hold Sloane securely against my chest all night, not even being able to handle the idea of her not being near me right now.

It’s only now I realize how upsetting her bonding with Max must have been. Not only was she scared for her health, but she didn’t get the nesting she needed either.

But it’s checkout time, and I have to tell Coach that I’m not riding home with the team.

It’s not my ideal way to spend the morning, but I’d rather deal with him than have Sloane fly home without me.

I’m washing Sloane’s hair out. She packed all her own supplies, thank God. I could tell that she wasn’t impressed with the blankets or sheets at the hotel.

My Omega needs the best. I make a note for the next time we travel to bring our own bedding.

Not that I’m sure when we will travel, she’s pregnant after all.

“Maybe we could come back here during the off season,” she suggests.

“You’ll be very pregnant then. Are you sure you’d enjoy the heat?” I ask over the shower spray.

She scrunches her nose and nods. “Maybe not.”

“We should stay closer to home,” I tell her, my hand unable to stop itself from gliding down the front of her body.

It’s still crazy to me that she’s growing a human inside of her. I kiss her shoulder and hold her tightly as the water sprays against us.

“That’s probably a good idea,” she agrees, and I’m thankful.

“We should be near your doctors, just in case.”

“Maybe Bar Harbor or a cabin in Maine.”

“We can probably borrow Beckford’s cabin in Vermont,” I tell her, and she hums in approval.

“Like a little babymoon.”

“What the fuck is a babymoon?”

“Like a honeymoon but this time with a baby. I’ll need some more time with you guys before the baby comes or the new season starts.”

I nod, guilt hitting me hard. She spins in my arms and cups my face.

“Hey, I grew up with my dad playing hockey. I know what I’m getting into. There has never been a moment I don't feel loved enough, okay?”

“I just… don’t like the idea of missing anything. My father wasn’t a terrible man, but he wasn’t always present.”

She grabs my hand and holds it against her face.

“I’ll believe in you enough for the both of us. Okay?”

“Okay,” I tell her because that’s all I have for now.

My whole team, including Max and Ethan, are waiting in the lobby as I approach Coach with my arm tossed over Sloane’s shoulder.

He looks down at his daughter with affection and immediately clocks her two bond marks.

“Sloane? What are you doing here?”

Her cheeks heat, and she shrugs her shoulders and looks away.

“I can’t fly back with the team. I need to fly back with Sloane.”

“Okay,” he says easily, and Coach glances down at her. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

She nods and walks off with her dad. I try not to eavesdrop, but I keep tabs on her emotions throughout the conversation. They don’t appear to be arguing, so that’s something.

Max and Ethan both approach me, and we try to act natural as Sloane speaks with her father.

“Good or bad?” Ethan says, nudging his thumb in their direction.

“I’m going good for them, bad for us,” Max says.

“What does that even mean?” the Beta asks.

“That means it’s time to really meet the parents.”

This should definitely be interesting.

The Applegates’ home is clean, large, and opulent in a New England waspy kind of way.

“Well, fuck. I knew Sloane was out of your league, but I didn’t know you were marrying into a whole new tax bracket,” Dave, Ethan’s foster dad, says in panted breaths.

My Beta mate helps his ailing father through the house.

“Jesus, Dad, be normal.”

“Right, let me just go home and put my fancy house pants on,” the old man says, and Sloane grins, coming to his side and walking next to him.

“You don’t have to change a thing about yourself, Dave,” she tells him.

“See, she gets it. I bet you have all three of these bastards wrapped around your finger. If you need a fourth, let me know,” he breathes through his mouth heavily as Sloane leads us to the dining room.

I pull the old man’s chair out, and he sits down.

“I don’t know, Dave. Do you think you could keep up?”

“I would sure as fuck try,” he says with a laugh, and Ethan groans.

“Please, Dad. Coach is already pissed. Please don’t give him another reason.”

He swats his son’s hand off his shoulder. “I wouldn’t be scared of your daddy. I’m just saying,” he whispers to Sloane, making her laugh.

Her mothers walk into the room and hug their daughter and shake Dave’s hand.

“Well, I see where Sloane gets her looks,” he says.

Ethan groans, but Sloane’s Omega mother just grins at the old man and winks.

“Thank you, and you’re Dave, Ethan’s father?” she asks.

“That’s me. You’re Willow, and you’re Rosemary,” he confirms.

“Bram, do you have any family that will be joining us?” Rosemary asks. She’s intimidating, possibly even more so than Coach. She doesn’t wear her emotions on her sleeve like the male Alpha of her pack does.

“No, my mother passed away some time ago. My father is back in the Netherlands. We aren’t particularly close.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” she says.

The doorbell rings, and Sloane jumps out of her seat. “That must be Max, Lori, George, and Owen.”

Of course, the moment she leaves, her fathers both come into the room, giving their introductions. Henderson is much more easygoing, but Coach glares at me. He quickly stops when his Omega elbows him in the stomach.

I would honestly rather be anywhere except here at this very moment. There’s no way to know how they’re going to react to the news. But I know if there’s a moment of Sloane feeling hurt, we’ll be the fuck out of here.

Max walks in with his family, and I can feel his worry. His mom is even more lively than Dave.

The introductions are friendly and thankfully cure some of the silence as we all sit down. I’m thankful Sloane sits next to me, and I wonder if it’s because I’m the only one with no family joining us at the table.

She places her hand on my thigh under the table as the caterers bring out the food for the evening.

Dave is filled with joy as Lori leans into my side.

“Fucking fancy, huh?” she says, and I can’t help but to snort.

“I’m so glad we could all finally get together. We’ve been wanting to get to know Sloane’s pack and extended family better,” Willow says cheerfully.

“Not to mention, so this one can stop sulking,” Henderson says, squeezing Coach’s shoulders like the man doesn’t torture us on a daily basis. “Plus, we missed having our girl at home.”

“Ya know, I’d torture them too if I was in your position,” Dave chimes in, earning a rare smile from Coach.

“Dad, you’re not helping,” Ethan whispers.

“I mean, I’m sure he gave you all the ‘don’t touch my daughter’ speech. Not that I don’t blame you for not listening—look at Sloane. Despite that, you were all too hardheaded to listen.”

“We’re past that now, right, Kristoff?” Willow says to her mate with a glare that says he better not fuck this night up.

“Right. They’re mated now, so it’s all about getting to know each other better,” Coach agrees, even though it is under duress.

“Well, we appreciate the invite. It’s been such a blessing for both of my sons to have played for the Foxes and found their packs that way. So I’m forever grateful, so is George,” Lori says to her husband who is just eating a mound of shrimp.

“I’d like it to be on the record. I didn’t know they were together,” Owen says, and Sloane gives him a disbelieving look as he grins at her. “Though I’m very happy to have a sister-in-law. I guess this also makes me your brother too, Nilsen,” he says with a grin.

I always liked the other Connery, but right now, I could choke him a bit.

“Everything is water under the bridge. Right, Dad?” Sloane asks, and he looks at his daughter and nods. She takes a deep breath, and I squeeze her hand under the table.

Holy shit. This is it.

“I’m glad you’re accepting my pack because as you know, we’re bonded now,” she says, really drawing this out.

“Of course, honey. You chose great. We’re proud of you,” her mother Rosemary says, speaking up for the first time since introductions.

“Thanks, Mom.” Sloane takes a deep breath. “I’m glad you think so because there’s no one else I could imagine myself with. I’m genuinely happy beyond anything I could imagine.”

Coach tilts his head at his daughter. “And?” he asks, knowing there’s something else she wants to say.

“And I’m glad that we can all get to know each other because you’re all about to be grandparents come September.”

There’s a hushed moment of silence where no one speaks.

Max’s mom, Lori, is the first to speak, hugging her son and letting out an exploit of happiness.

“I’m going to be a fucking grandma?” she says, getting up and hugging Sloane next, as well as myself.

It doesn’t feel as uncomfortable as I thought it would, and I embrace her completely.

“Way to go, son,” Dave says to Ethan, clapping his back.

Sloane’s mother Willow is crying but is quickly on her feet, walking over to her daughter and wrapping her arms around her.

“My baby is having a baby, and hopefully it will be a Virgo,” she says, holding her endearingly. “I’ll be here for whatever you need.”

“Sloane never was one to do anything by halves,” Henderson says, getting up and joining the hug.

The two Alpha parents seem a little stoic.

Rosemary seems contemplative while Coach seems pissed.

“Pregnant?” Coach questions.

“That’s what I said,” Sloane replies, and I sigh.

He’s going to make my life hell on the ice.

“We have a pack contract ready to go, sir,” I interrupt, and he arches a brow at me. “I know things have been tense lately on and off the ice. But when I tell you the three of us are completely dedicated to Sloane and this baby, I mean it.”

“It’s not easy having kids in this profession,” he says, rubbing his chin. “I have a lot of regrets,” he says.

Willow comes to stand behind her mate and hugs his shoulders.

It all clicks to me now why he didn’t want his daughter with his players. It has nothing to do with us being good enough; it has everything to do with how he viewed himself as a parent.

“You were the best dad,” Sloane says. “I grew up loving hockey, being inspired by you and all my parents. I had the best life. I can only hope we can give our child half of what you gave me.”

The stern take-no-bullshit Alpha, Coach gets up and hugs my Omega.

“So I’m going to be a pop pop?”

“I think I’ll take pop pop,” Dave interrupts as we all break out in laughter.

It might not be conventional, but I think I finally found my family.

“You should probably get ahead of this before the media finds out,” Coach says, going from excited to concerned. “I know there’s been a lot of speculation and the Foxes haven’t commented on any of it. But if you all want to control the narrative, you should probably share the news on your own terms.”

“That’s a good idea,” I agree, but I’d probably agree with whatever he said as long as it wasn’t hurtful. I need this man to not hate me.

“Pussy whipped,” I hear Dave mumble, and I glare at the old man who just gives me a feral smile.

I see exactly why Ethan is such a fucking menace now.

“We’ll get ahead of it, but I think we want to keep this between friends and family for now.”

“Understandable, sweetie, we’re so happy for you,” Willow says again. “Oh, let me go get out your baby albums.”

“Oh yes, please. You know, Max has a ginger great-grandfather. Maybe the gene will pass on,” Lori says, and everyone is quiet for a minute.

Sloane and Ethan look at me, and I smile. “No matter what, the baby will be beautiful.”

Sloane’s eyes well up with tears, and for the first time this season, I seem to get a look of approval from Coach.

The rest of the evening is lighter conversation now that the big secret is off the table. As the night progresses, I swear Coach smiles more than I’ve seen in my life. Having Sloane in your life will do that.

“You did good,” I whisper to Sloane as her head rests on my shoulder.

“We did good. I’m tired. Can we go home now?”

I smile and nod. This isn’t her home anymore.

Her home is with me.