Page 60 of One Pucking Heart

He releases my hands and leaps to his feet. Arms raised in the air, he howls, his face toward the ceiling as he jumps up and down on the sofa.

Startled, I spring off the sofa and stand beside it as I watch Beckett in what I can only assume is… celebration?

He bounces off the sofa. I flinch as he envelops me in an intense bear hug. He squeezes me tight, peppering kisses on the top of my head. Lifting me off the ground, he spins me in a circle, shouting, “I can’t believe I’m going to be a dad!”

He sets me down but doesn’t loosen his firm hug. “So you’re happy about it?” I say into his chest.

He takes hold of my arms and pushes me back. Bending down, he looks at me at eye level. “Are you kidding with that question? Of course I’m happy. I’m more than happy. This is the best news I’ve heard all day, second to the part about you not divorcing me. Are you not happy about it?”

“Well, I wasn’t thrilled when I thought about doing it all over again by myself.”

“Elena.” He shakes his head and pulls me into another embrace. “I love you so much, but the way in which you overthink things is going to be the death of me. If you thought for one second I wouldn’t want to be in our child’s life…” He doesn’t finish his thought.

“I’m sorry, I was just in a bad place, and everything felt so dire and sad.”

He tilts my chin up with his finger. “That’s because you left me and hid from me and tried forcing us into a divorce that neither of us wanted. But now that all that is settled… you can see this for the blessing it is, right?”

New tears fill my eyes, these ones carrying the weight of overwhelming happiness and relief. “Yeah. I never thought I’d get to be a new mom again. I thought those years had passed. And I never imagined that I’d get to experience it all again with someone like you.”

Beckett chuckles. “That’s because, for some reason, you have it in your head that you’re this decrepit old lady when the opposite is true. You’re young, healthy, and by far the most gorgeous woman in any room you enter. Of course your body is capable of carrying life.” He pauses, and his facial features soften as he holds me in a weightless gaze. “I’m so happy, Elena.” The warmth of his voice fills my soul with hope. “When you told me you wouldn’t be able to have more children, I admit, I was bummed. I’ve always wanted to be a dad, but I gave that dream up because I wanted you more. But a life with you and getting to be a parent alongside you is more than I could wish for. Thank you.” He kisses my forehead.

“You never told me your dream was to be a dad.”

“Of course not, and give you another reason to push me away?” He shakes his head. “I may be pretty, but I’m not dumb.”

“Or humble,” I tease.

“Agreed. Speaking of pretty. A kid with our genes… that child will be gorgeous!”

The smile that crosses my face is filled with genuine joy. “Sure will.”

“When’s the baby due?”

I quickly calculate the due date in my head. “Not sure, exactly. But the baby should be born sometime in June.”

Beckett’s eyes go wide. “June? We’re going to be playing in the Stanley Cup finals in June! What if the baby is born while I’m playing? I’ll either have to miss the birth of my child or miss one of the games I’ve been working for my whole life.”

“Calm down.” I chuckle. “You’re not even two months into the season. A lot can happen between now and then.”

“Yeah, and that is qualifying for the Cup playoffs and kicking ass while in them. I’m telling you, babe. We’re going all the way this season.”

“Okay, well, even if that’s the case,” Beckett’s eyes bug out, and I clarify, “which I have no doubt it is. The chances that I go into labor during one of your games is low. Don’t worry. You’ll be able to do both. See your child being born and winning the Stanley Cup.”

He blows out a relieved breath. “You’re absolutely right. Of course I will.” He digs his hand in his pocket and kneels on the floor before me.

I bring my hands to my face in a gasp when I see the diamond in his hands. It’s a 1920s-styled vintage ring. It has a platinum band with intricate filigree designs and a large round diamond in the center. If I had dreamed up the perfect diamond ring, it would’ve been this one. It’s elegant, sophisticated, and glamorous. It’s unique and feels like a one-of-a-kind, as if I’m the only woman in the world who will wear a ring this stunning, and in that way, it’s reflective of our love—unlike any other and completely beautiful.

“Beckett…”

He holds the ring out to me, and I recognize it as one I saw in Vegas. It was in a jewelry store window across the aisle from the salon. Beckett wasn’t with me when I saw it, so I have no idea how he knew.

“Elena, I want you to know that I love you more than anyone else in the world. When I married you in Vegas, in front of our friend Elvis with his weird puns and awful dance moves, I knew I’d never be single again from that day forward. We called it fake, but it never felt that way to me. You kept saying we had an end date, but I didn’t believe that to be true. To me, you were always more. Always incredible. And from the moment I said, “I do,” always mine. The connection we shared was special and intense from the very beginning. You are the person I’ve been waiting for my entire life. My love for you will never lessen. It is infinite. And the only way I can imagine loving you more than I do now is when I see you bring our child into this world. The mere thought of you holding the precious human we created blows my mind. I am so fortunate to have you, and I promise to spend the rest of my life making you feel like the most loved and cherished woman in the world because, in my world—you always will be. Elena, will you stay married to me?”

I release a half laugh, half sob of emotion and hold out my hand. “Yes, Beck. I will stay married to you.”

He slides the ring onto my finger and pulls me down to him. He sits with his back against the sofa, and I straddle his legs. He snakes his hands up my back until his fingers claw through my hair, and he pulls my mouth to his. I release a satisfied sigh as his tongue dances with mine. God, I love this man.

I pull away. “You know, now that I’ve agreed to stay real married to you, there’s no turning back. You’re stuck with me. When I truly am an old lady, you’ll have to take care of me.”

---