Page 8 of Breaking the Rules
“Not yet. I guess I’m kind of scared to.”
I want to tackle Harper with a hug and say,Me too. I’m pregnant too, and I don’t know what to do either! I feel what you feel!
But before I can say anything, she mumbles, “No offense, Becs, but I’ve seen how hard it is on you and Owen, having twins.”
“None taken. It is hard.”
Maybe it’s not what she wants to hear, but it’s the truth. I wish someone would have told me how difficult it would be. Maybe I wouldn’t be so hard on myself now.
“And if it could get any better,” Harper says, “they’re due in the spring, right around the playoffs.”
We all nod sympathetically. Each of us knows firsthand how tunnel-visioned our guys can be during playoffs. Owen does a good job of hiding it, but I can see it in small ways every year—he’s less talkative, adheres to a stricter diet, and a few more gray hairs seem to sprout from his temples.
“I’m scared to tell him,” Harper says.
Ana squeezes her hand. “I get that. Having kids is the craziest thing I’ve ever done. Half the time I feel like I’m one tantrum away from passing them off to the nanny for good.”
We all burst into giggles at that. It’s only funny because Ana would literally never part from her kids. They’re her whole world.
I can relate, but maybe I’m a little less well-adjusted about it all. Maybe I want a slice of the world just for myself, you know?
“Do you want to have kids?” I ask, since no one else has.
Harper looks down at her belly, rubbing a hand over her high-waisted leggings. “Yeah, I do.”
“Then he will too. Jordie loves you so much, Harp. He may be a little thrown at first, but he’ll catch up and support you through it. He’s gonna be an awesome dad. I promise.”
“Was that how Owen reacted when you told him about your last pregnancy?” she asks, genuinely curious.
Little does she know how recent that conversation actually was.
“Yup,” I choke out, refusing to eat my own words. Owen had better catch the hell up. Baby number four on my mind, I turn to Ana and ask, “Do you think you’ll have any more kids?”
“No way,” she says, laughing with wide, honest eyes. “My hands are full as it is.”
I’m silently stewing when Ana returns the question.
“Um, well ...surprise.” I force my mouth into a smile and place a hand on my belly.
I think by their reactions, my answer wasn’t the one they anticipated. This time, Elise holds off on the congratulations.
“Wait, seriously?” she asks.
I nod sheepishly. I didn’t mean to hijack this conversation. “We weren’t trying or anything. It kind of just happened. It was a big surprise for both of us.”
“A happy surprise?” Ana asks, testing the waters.
I catch Harper’s eye, and it’s like looking in a mirror. “Um, not anunhappyone. Just ... complicated. Three kids are a party, you know? Four are a circus. Owen freaked a little.”
“He’s probably just recalibrating,” Ana says. “Men take longer to process big life changes.”
Elise frowns, wrapping an arm around me and giving me a tight half hug. “He’ll come around for sure. My brother is an idiot for making you feel insecure like this.”
“But with retirement, he’ll be around even more than usual. It might be fun. A kid on each arm. That’s kinda hot,” Ana says with a ticklish poke to my side.
“He, uh, isn’t retiring.” That had been the plan when this season and his current contract ended. But things change. “Actually, he’s in talks with Nashville right now.”
“Nashville?” Harper asks, her nose wrinkling in disgust. “What the hell is in Nashville?”
