Chapter 27

Chapt er 27

Rico

I make myself focus on the game; I can't afford to derail like I did the last game. The crowd is depending on me to play my best, and so are my teammates. And I'm not going to let them down. Sebastian skates over to me and stops. "Did you see your girl?" he asks, smiling widely.

And just like that, the discipline I'd been using not to look for her dissipates. I turn my gaze to the stands and scan the spot where Bri and Stephanie sit, and there she is. "Okay. You saw her. Now focus on the game," Gunner says, coming to a stop next to me.

"He'll be fine," Aiden says, joining us. "He'll probably play the best game of his life."

Sebastian grins. "Ask us; we would know." He throws an arm around my shoulders, which is a feat with all the padding between us. "There's nothing like having your woman in the stands, cheering for you." He gazes up in the direction of where Stephanie sits before he lifts his hand in the air, pointing to his ring finger. He's done that ever since he started dating Stephanie. It's his tribute to her. Every single game. Sebastian is all or nothing.

We get prepared to start, and I make my way to my net. I am locked in and ready for this game. Aiden skates to the center to face-off, and I hit the sides of the net with my stick before shoving my face mask against my face, my usual pre-game ritual. Then I eye the puck and give it my undivided attention. It's not getting past me tonight.

Three periods later, we end the game five to one. It was almost a shut-out, but they managed to score during a powerplay when Aiden was in the penalty box. Still, it was a good game; it's always good when we come out on top. And that's what we did tonight. I follow the guys back to our locker room where we do our post-game celebration and talk. Usually, I'm in no rush to hurry, but tonight's different. As soon as we're given the clear, I head to the showers, anxious to see my girl. I strut back through the locker room, wearing only my boxers. "Somebody's in a hurry tonight," Zac, our team flirt, says.

"His girl's waiting for him," Sebastian says with a grin.

"You got a girl?" Zac asks in surprise. I don't even bother answering.

"Didn't you see the pics online?" Dylan asks. Dylan is in his second season with us, so he's no longer a rookie. But sometimes, he still acts like one.

"No, what was it?" Zac asks, taking the bait.

"Nothing," I say first.

"His girl is pregnant?" Dylan whispers loudly.

I pull my shirt over my head and slip my sweats on, hoping I don't run into Chloe. She'll give me grief over my casual clothes, but I don't care. I just want to see Amber. I'm on my way out when I hear something that makes me stop. I turn back around, eyeing Dylan. "What did you say?" It gets quiet really fast.

Dylan's grin drops, and Travis and Scott move away from him, obviously not wanting any part of my wrath. "Nothing, Man," Dylan says, putting up a hand.

I stalk towards him. "Amber's my girl, and her baby will be mine as well if she chooses that."

Dylan nods. "You're right. I'm sorry; I shouldn't have said that."

I eye him for a minute before finally nodding. I look around the room at my teammates, the guys who have become like family to me. "Amber's baby isn't mine. I'm sure you're going to read all sorts of crazy things online. Here's the truth. From me. The father of Amber's baby wants nothing to do with her or the baby. That's his loss and my gain because Amber will be mine and so will her little girl, if they'll have me."

"And they'll be part of our family," Gunner says. "And respected and protected as such."

I nod. "What Cap said."

"Got it," Sebastian says, backing us up.

"And she's my sister-in-law, so that goes double for me as well," Aiden pipes up. I watch more than one set of eyebrows raise. It's obvious that Amber and Brielle being related hasn't made it into the news yet. It will; of that, I have no doubt.

The guys nod and call out agreements. "Thanks, Cap," I say with a two-finger salute.

Gunner nods. "Now get out of here."

I grin. "See you, Losers." I'm out the door seconds later. I walk out into the friends and family lounge and see her almost immediately. She's standing against the back wall talking with Bri and Stephanie. Her back is to me, so she doesn't see me coming towards her. Stephanie does, but she stays quiet, though a smile crosses her lips. "Nice jersey," I say, right before I wrap my arms lightly around Amber. She jumps and turns in my arms.

"You scared me." Then she wraps her arms around me. I breathe in the scent of her, and my heart settles. When I pull back, her eyes are dancing with delight.

"Awesome game there, Mr. Goalie."

I can't keep the grin off my face. Aiden joins us a minute later, pulling Bri into his arms and kissing her. He wraps an arm around her looking as content as can be. "Where's Sebastian?" Amber asks Stephanie.

"Oh, he's always like the last one out. He takes longer to get ready than I do." She smiles with affection as she says the words, taking the bite out of them. Gunner comes out of the locker room and comes right towards our group. "We're going out. Who's in?"

A few minutes later, Amber is snug in my truck; and my heart feels like it's going to burst. Taking a chance, I reach for her hand. She lets me hold hers, and I sigh in contentment. "You really are good," she says, causing me to laugh. "What?"

I squeeze her hand. "You don't have to sound so surprised."

"I just don't remember you being that good before."

"Amber," I say with a groan. "You are going to be good for my pride."

"I'm not trying to be anything."

"I know." We make the twenty-minute drive to our favorite hang-out place after a win. The parking lot is already packed, but we manage to find a spot. "It's going to be crazy in there tonight. You good?"

"If this is you trying to get out of feeding me, it's not going to work."

"Never. You seem to be eating better," I comment.

She nods. "I am. I'm not exactly sure which of all the remedies that you gave me is the one that's working, or maybe it's all of them combined. But I can finally eat again."

"Good. Then let's go feed you."

We head inside, and I keep a hand on her back. It's as busy as I thought it would be, but we weave through the restaurant until we get to the large room at the back that they save for us after home games. It's loud and crazy with all my teammates and their extras. I lean down to Amber's ear, so she can hear me. "Is this too crazy for you?" She shakes her head and walks over to where Brielle is waving at us.

"Hey Guys, you made it."

I hold Amber's chair for her and settle into the one next to her. It's a tight squeeze with all of us around this high-top table, but it gives me an excuse to be close to Amber. I'm not complaining. "So Amber," Sebastian says, leaning forward to be heard. "What did you think of our boy here tonight?"

Amber gives me an assessing look. "He did okay."

I grin and shake my head as my teammates bust my chops over her answer. We order enough food to feed a neighborhood, and I eat my weight in wings. I find myself looking over at Amber so many times. Her eyes are bright, and she's been laughing almost all night. It's a really good look on her. Only when I catch her yawn for the third time in just a few minutes do I lean towards her. "You look tired. Are you ready to get going?"

She turns to me, and she's right there. We're so close, but I don't pull away. I watch her face for any sign that my nearness is bothering her. When I don't see any, I stay right where I am. "Only if you want to. I don't want to take you away from all this."

"I'm ready if you are. I'm tired."

She nods and immediately starts cleaning up. "Hey Guys, we're going to head out." We make the rounds and start making our way across the restaurant. I again put my hand on her back; the restaurant is packed. When we get close to the exit, she stops suddenly and I nearly bowl into her. I reach out my other hand to steady her. "You good?"

She turns to face me. "I'm just trying to decide if I should go pee before we leave."

I frown. "Didn't you just go?" I remember her leaving with Brielle and Stephanie from the table only like twenty minutes ago.

She puts her hands on her hips. "You did not just ask the pregnant woman if she really had to pee, did you?"

I put my hands up in surrender. "You're right. My bad."

"This little girl sits right on my bladder. Would you like to have something sitting right on your bladder all the time, making you feel like you always have to pee?"

Her eyes flash at me, and I have to bite my lip so I don't grin. "No, that does not sound appealing. Got it. Don't ask the pregnant woman again if she really has to pee."

"Thank you. Because the answer will be yes, Rico. It will always be yes."

This time the smile sneaks out. "Good to know."

"Ugh. I'm heading back to the bathroom."

"I'll walk with you," I offer, but she waves me off.

"I'm pregnant, not an invalid."

I nod. "Got it." I watch her go with a small smile in place. Mental note: Amber gets cranky when she's tired or overstimulated.

I watch her until she's out of my line of sight. "Thought you were leaving," Gunner says, suddenly appearing next to me.

"We were, but Amber has to go to the bathroom. And mental note, don't ask the pregnant woman if she really has to pee. You'll get a whole biology lesson."

He gives me a strange look. "I wouldn't."

"You heading out?" I ask. He nods. "Are you heading home or—"

"You going to keep asking everybody's business tonight?" he interrupts. I smirk and look away. Cap is cranky tonight and no wonder. He's probably irritated that he's the only one in our group without a girl. I know I would be. I don't know why he won't just go after Chloe. It's obvious he's interested in her. "Your girl's crying."

His soft words break through my thoughts and I whip around, eyes zoning in on my girl. I cut through the crowd, using my broad shoulders to get to her. My heart stutters at the tears in her eyes, but when she sees me she tosses her shoulders back. I reach her in seconds. "Amber, Sweetheart, what's wrong."

"It's nothing." She pushes past me, and I follow her. When it becomes obvious that she's having a hard time getting through the crowd, I take her hand in mine and lead. Within minutes, we're at the exit. Several people call out greetings as I walk past, and I smile but keep moving. Soon, we're outside. I don't drop her hand as I continue to lead her. When we reach the truck, I open the door and help her in. I head around to my side and climb in, settling behind the wheel. Once it's started and the heat is running, I turn to her; but her head is turned. She's staring out the window.

"You okay?" I ask softly.

"I'm fine."

The drive home is silent, and I don't know what to say or do to bring her smile back. When we get to her house, she climbs out before I can get to her side of the car. "Amber." I grasp her elbow gently, stopping her. "Can you talk to me, please? What happened back there?"

"It was nothing, just people being stupid." I open my mouth, but before I can say anything, she speaks again. "Please just let it go."

I stare down at her before walking her to the front door. It opens before we get there. "Hi, Mrs. Campbell," I say as I release Amber. She walks past her mom and into the house.

"Night, Rico."

I stare at her retreating back. "Night, Amber."

Mrs. Campbell looks up at me. "Everything okay?"

I blow out a breath of air. "I'm not sure."

She nods. "I'll talk to her."

"Thanks. Night."

"Good night, Rico."

I head down the steps and to my truck. The night was going so well. I hate that it went downhill so fast; I hate even more that I don't know what happened. I head to my truck, already planning on calling her.