Chapter Thirty-One

Bex

Rowan walks through the door, and it’s the first time since I left her standing in the stadium that my world starts spinning again. My breathing stalls and my chest tightens, being this close to her. I haven’t seen her since… well, since I’d let my own insecurities get the best of me, accusing her of doing exactly what every other reporter I’d ever known would’ve done.

The article.

I was so damn sure she’d betrayed me, and without a second thought, I’d thrown words at her that still haunt me. But I know better now, don’t I?

I’ve replayed every conversation, every look she’s ever given me, trying to figure out how I could’ve been so wrong. I should have known she was different. Hell, I did know. I was just too blind, too scared to see it. And now, here she is, standing in my office, and the look in her eyes, the determination shadowed by something else, something that cuts right through me says that this isn’t easy for her either.

She steps forward, and my mind races with how to begin. An apology? It feels so damn inadequate, but it’s all I’ve got.

“Rowan, I’m sorry—”

She cuts me off with three words that flip my world on its head. “I’m pregnant.”

The room stills. It’s as if those words have halted time itself. I feel heat rising up the back of my neck, that’s not what I thought she was about to say. I thought she was here to curse me out, to tell me that I’m right to believe that I should stick to hockey. That all I ever do is hurt people who care about me, put everyone second to hockey, too stuck in the game to notice that the article sounded nothing like Rowan at all.

I should have seen it like Leo did. For Christ’s sake, I should know her writing better than he does. I’ve read every article she’s ever written since the first time I saw her two years ago sitting front row during a post game interview with the press,

But that’s not what she said. And now I can’t seem to find my voice.

“You’re… pregnant?” I manage, my voice thick with disbelief, hope, and something like awe.

“Yes. And I promise, I didn’t know this could happen. My doctor told me it was impossible—at least, that’s what I thought. We tried… Drew and I tried… and nothing worked. I accepted it.” She pauses, her eyes dropping to the floor. “I didn’t think this was possible.”

I step closer, watching as she stares down, clearly wrestling with her own emotions. The sadness, the guilt—it’s all there. But there’s something else too, something softer, hopeful. I reach out, hooking a finger under her chin, gently tilting her face up to meet my gaze.

When her eyes meet mine, there’s a sheen to them, like she’s on the verge of tears, but she is one of the stronger women I’ve ever met and I know it would take a lot to break her down. Still, I can see it in her eyes, the same fears and uncertainty mirrored in my own. She’s pleading with me to be kind, to understand. If she only knew how hard the time apart has been for me too.

“Aren’t you going to ask if it’s yours?” she asks, her lips trembling. “No. I don’t need to. I already know it’s mine,” I say gently, trying to show her that she shouldn’t be afraid of what she has to tell me. “How could you know that?” she asks, searching my eyes for truth. “Because I wanted you pregnant in that limo. It was subconscious—I didn’t know it then, but I know it now. I wanted to give you something that Drew never could. And I think there’s been a part of me that’s wanted to tether us together for a long time.”

She has no idea that ever since the gala, her and this baby are the only things I’ve been sure of anymore. My heart is pounding in a way I’ve never felt before. I swallow, letting that truth settle deep inside, the reality of it all finally taking hold. She’s carrying my child. Our child.

She nods but her eyes don’t soften with relief the way I expected them to. “Then you should know that I’m keeping it,” she says, lifting her chin just a fraction, a flicker of defiance there despite the tears brimming in her eyes. “I’m keeping this baby.”

“Are you happy about it?” The words are out before I can stop them, and I realize, shamefully, that a part of me needs her answer more than I can admit.

She nods, a small, trembling smile appearing on her lips. “I’m happier than I’ve ever been.”

In that instant, I’m overwhelmed by a tidal wave of emotions. Regret, pride, longing—all tangled up in the thought of her carrying my child. And seeing her here, willing to bring this life into the world, even after everything I put her through… it’s humbling and I can’t help but want to make her dreams a reality in return. I take another step closer, reaching for her hand.

“Are you happy it’s mine?” I ask, needing to hear it, needing to know that she’s as certain as I am.

She studies my face, and I hope she can see it in my eyes how much she means to me, how sorry I am for not believing her. Her gaze softens, and her eyes well with tears, a soft, grateful smile spreads across her lips.

“I wouldn’t want it to be anyone else’s,” she says, her voice thick with emotion.

That’s all I need. In one swift movement, I pull her into my arms, my lips crashing against hers as if it’s the only way to tell her everything I’ve been holding back. She clings to me, her hands pressing against my jaw, her lips answering my unspoken question…Do you forgive me?

“I have to confess something about my birthday wish,” I say.

She giggles against our kiss, her arms snaking around the back of my neck to pull me closer. “Okay, what is it?”

“My birthday wish was a little different than what I told you. This is what I really wished for, to make something with you, something that’s half of both of us. And I promise you, I gave you my best half.”

Her laughter bubbles up again, but it’s softer this time, her gaze brimming with warmth. “Every part of you is the best, Bex. I hope our baby has all of you, not just the parts you think are good enough.”

I brush my thumb over her cheek, a grin spreading across my face. “I love you, Rowan,” I whisper, letting each word linger. “And I want us to be a family. I want to be by your side, through every step of this. I love you.”

She nods, her hands siding up the back of my neck, her forehead resting against mine. “I love you too. And there’s no one else I’d rather live this next chapter of my life with than you.”

In one movement, I lift her, her legs wrapping around my waist as I carry her to my desk, swiping everything to the floor in one big sweep—everything crashing down onto the floor. She lets out a surprised laugh, her fingers already working the zipper on my jacket.

I press my lips to her neck, savoring the soft sigh that escapes her. “Do you think I can get another baby in there?” I tease, reaching for the hem of her shirt.

“Twins?” she says with a raised brow. “Nice try, you're potent swimmers are potent but I think that only works for cats. You’ll have to try again in nine months,” she teases. “But then again, I didn’t think you could get me pregnant once.”

“Didn’t I tell you that I never miss a goal?” I tell her with a grin.

She hums with approval. “That’s some hell of a slap shot you’ve got there Townsend.”

Her fingers trace down my chest, while my hands move to her hips, pulling her closer, notching against her wet entrance with my tip, our bodies fitting together perfectly.

As we find our rhythm, our movements fall into place, her hands gripping the edge of my desk while I press into her, savoring each soft gasp, each desperate whimper, until she’s clawing at my back as she comes, muffling her sounds against my shoulder.

And then I come right after, spilling every drop I have inside of her, loving the way her eyes dilate when she knows I filled her full of me.

I stay buried in her as we both breathe through the aftermath of our climax, keeping her wrapped tight in my arms, her head resting on my shoulder, she tilts her head up, eyes shining with a mischievous light.

“You know,” she says, her voice light, “I might just take Leo up on his offer to work remotely until June of next year.”

My brow arches. “Next June? The end of my contract,” I murmur, recognizing the implication.

She nods, her smile widening. “It would put you in the perfect position for the daddy position I have open in Liverpool.”

I chuckle, kissing her gently. “Is the daddy position for you, or for the baby?”

Her face softens, her hand sliding over my cheek, her thumb brushing my jawline. “Both.”

Her answer floods me with a sense of relief, fulfillment and purpose. Something that hockey always gave me. But now my purpose of supporting Rowan as she navigates through a new career and a move across the ocean, as well as becoming a father, is bigger than anything before it. She’s thought this through, imagining a future that stretches beyond Seattle, beyond hockey, beyond anything I’ve ever dared to envision—and she wants to do it with me.

“If you’re moving across the pond,” I say, voice thick with emotion, “then that’s where I’ll be too. Hockey or not, all I want… all I’ll ever want from this day on… is to be with you.”

She smiles, reaching up to cup my face, her thumb brushing the corner of my mouth. “Are you sure you’re ready to give up the game?”

I nod, a peace settling over me that I’ve never felt before. “For you, Rowan? For you and our baby? I’d give up the world.”

She presses her lips to mine, sealing a promise that needs no words. And as I hold her in my arms, our future unfolding in front of us, I know that for the first time in my life, I’ve found the home I’d always been searching for. And it’s not an arena, or a stadium, or even a city. It’s her. It’s us. It’s this new life we’re building together.