Page 99 of The Golden Goalie

“Yes. I couldn’t wait until we met again,” Peyton says in a dry tone.

“Your sister came to see me and…” I pause. “Set me straight about her little brother.”

Rico turns to Peyton. “You did what?”

She plops down into his chair and starts eating the food still on his plate. “Relax. It’s not like it didn’t work. She's here, isn’t she?”

“You and I are going to have a long talk later,” he says before reaching out and taking the plate she’s eating from. “That’s my food.”

“Hey, I’m hungry,” she argues.

I laugh softly and get up to make her a plate. When I put it in front of her, she stares at it. “Is it poisoned?” I laugh again because she’s awesome.

“No, I didn’t think that fast.”

She eyes me before she picks up the cookie first. Unlike her brother, she doesn’t question the validity of cookies for breakfast. She closes her eyes after the first bite. “Oooh, these are good. You couldn’t have made these, Heartbreaker. They’re way too good.”

Rico smacks the back of her head, but I can tell it’s not hard enough to hurt her. “You’re awful.”

She grins, and a few cookie crumbs fall out. “Just doing my job as your older sister, little bro.”

“Rico, maybe we should hook her up with my brother,” I say innocently.

He turns to me, a big grin splitting his face. “Oh, I think that’s a great idea.”

I laugh, and he joins in because we both know they would kill each other.

Chapter39

Amber

The next few weeks pass in a blur of exams, holidays, and hockey games. Before I know it, it’s the end of February. My due date is quickly approaching, and I am so ready to get this little peanut out of me. I’m as big as a barn, my ankles are always swollen, and I have to pee at least four hundred times a day and night. Rico has been so good to take care of me, but he’s also been in an intense hockey season. I’ll be honest—I'm ready for the season to be over as much as I’m ready to have this baby.

Don’t get me wrong. It’s been an amazing season! I’ve been at every home game and have watched my goalie play every away game on tv. They’ve had a great season, and everybody is saying that this is their year to go all the way. I’m super excited for them, but I’m also ready to just be done. I hear the front door open, and a smile crosses my face. I spend more time in his home than I do my own these days. Rico comes into the kitchen a few seconds later. “Hey, Baby.” He wraps me in his strong arms and kisses me until I can’t breathe. “I missed you,” he breathes out in between kisses.

“I missed you too.”

And then, as has become his ritual, he drops his hands to my stomach. “Hey, Little One. I missed you too.” She rewards him with a swift kick, as she always does. His eyes round in wonder; it never ceases to amaze him. “How are you feeling?” he asks, dropping another kiss on my forehead.

“Huge,” He smiles but doesn’t laugh. He might have learned that the hard way when he laughed once, and I burst into tears. These pregnancy hormones are no joke.

“You look beautiful.” He tells me that at least once a day. I lean my head on his strong chest and let him hold my weight. After a bit, he leads me over to a chair. “You sit; I’ll finish up.”

“I can do it; you have to be exhausted from your trip.”

“I’m not carrying a baby,” he says, pointedly looking at my stomach. He leans over and tastes the sauce I made for the chicken. “Mmm, this is good.” A few minutes later, we’re eating together at the table in his kitchen. “I know I tell you this every time, but I miss this so much when I’m on the road.” I smile and take another bite. “Did you do dinner with my mom and yours on Tuesday?”

I nod. We’ve continued on with his tradition of having dinner with his mom on Tuesdays. Now, if he’s at an away game, she and I still get together. More often than not, my mom joins us too.

“Good. I’m so glad they’re friends.”

I take another bite. “Your sister came too.”

His fork pauses halfway to his mouth. “Was she nice?”

I shrug. “As she can be.”

He shakes his head. “I’ll talk to her again.”

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