Page 102 of Player Misconduct

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Then she sinks onto the couch, hand on her belly, and I set the food on the coffee table before sitting beside her.

"How's he doing?" I ask.

"Active," she says. "I think he's training for the Stanley Cup already."

I laugh. "That's my boy."

She looks at me, something soft and unguarded in her eyes. "You really think he's a hockey player?"

"I think he'sourkid," I say. "Which means he's probably stubborn, loves carbs, and has excellent taste in parents."

She snorts, but her smile lingers.

We eat in comfortable silence. Pad thai and spring rolls and the kind of quiet that doesn't need filling. When she's done, she leans back against the cushions, eyes half-closed, and I reach for the heating pad.

"Here," I say, plugging it in. "For your back."

She doesn't argue. Just shifts so I can tuck it behind her, and then she sighs, long and relieved.

"Thank you," she murmurs.

"Anytime."

Her hand finds mine, fingers threading through mine like it's automatic. We sit like that for a while, her head tipped back, my thumb drawing lazy circles on her knuckles.

"Aleksi?" she says eventually.

"Yeah?"

"You're really good at this."

I glance over. "At what?"

"At… being here. At knowing what I need before I ask."

My throat tightens. "You make it easy."

She huffs a soft laugh. "I really don't."

"Yeah, you do." I squeeze her hand. "You just don't know it yet."

She turns to look at me, and for a second, I think she might say something—something big, something true. But then the baby kicks, hard enough that I feel it against my leg, and she gasps.

"Did you—?"

"I felt it," I say, grinning.

She guides my hand to the spot, and there it is again—a firm, insistent nudge.

"He's saying hi," I whisper.

"Or complaining about the pad thai," she says, but her voice is thick.

I lean down and press my lips to the curve of her belly. "Hei, pikkuinen," I murmur. "Your mama's tired. Let her sleep, okay? I'll tell you a story tomorrow."

When I sit back up, Kendall's eyes fill with emotion.

"You're going to be such a good dad," she whispers.

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