Page 72 of Player Misconduct
When the doctor leaves, silence settles again. Kendall sits up slowly, wiping off the gel with a towel. I hand her a tissue, still staring at the photo in my hand, and then when she’s done, I help her off the bed until her feet touch safely to the ground.
Neither of us speaks for a while. It’s not awkward. Just heavy–full of everything words would ruin.
I reach for the door but stop, turning back to her. “Thank you for letting me come.”
Her eyes soften. “I’m glad you were here too.”
Then her stomach growls. Loudly.
She freezes, eyes widening, cheeks flushing pink.
I can’t help the grin that spreads across my face. “How about lunch?”
“You don’t have to do that,” she says, reaching for her purse, voice light but deflecting.
“You didn’t eat breakfast,” I remind her. “And you’ve got a baby to feed now.”
That earns me the smallest smile. “Actually, you're right. And I’m starving.”
The moment our food arrives, Kendall cuts into her omelet like she’s as starving- as I figured she would be. We eat in silence for a few minutes before I say it.
“Trey and Hunter know you’re pregnant.”
Her fork pauses midair. “How did you—”
“They’re not as subtle as they think.”
She sighs, setting the fork down. “Well, I haven’t exactly been able to hide it that well from the team for the last few weeks. Pretty much everyone knows I’m pregnant, and anyone with a girlfriend or wife in our girls’ group knows it’s yours. Just the people inside the franchise,” she says quickly. “Outside of that…” Her eyes drop to her plate. “Gossip is still going around that it’s Tarron’s. Which has kept the medical board from suspecting anything.”
My fingers tighten around my sandwich, maybe harder than I mean to. “And you’re just letting people think that?”
Her head snaps up. She sees the flash of anger before I can hide it. “I haven’t confirmed it or played into it at all,” she says carefully.
“But you haven’t denied it either,” I counter, voice lower now.
I don’t want to get in a fight over this. Especially when everything today has been going well, but the idea that anyone thinks Tarron is my kid’s father is going to give me an ulcer if I don’t say anything.
She licks her lips, guilt flickering across her face. “For right now, I need to make the best decision for my license. For the Hawkeyes. For you.” Her hand drifts unconsciously to her belly. “And most importantly, for this baby. The less stress I have, the better. I just want this baby to come into the world with as little turmoil as possible. If I lose my job and you get traded or benched, it’ll make everything harder.”
“Kendall,” I say quietly, trying to keep my voice from shaking, “I don’t care what happens to my career. I want to claim this baby as mine. I don’t want to hide it away like it’s a dirty secret.”
“I know,” she whispers. “I’m sorry. But I need more time to figure things out. Penelope thinks the longer we lay low, the less media attention I’ll get for the pregnancy. And Tarron… he got what he wanted out of it. The small press interview already made him look good, and he hasn’t said another word. If we don’t draw any attention to this, people might forget about it soon enough.”
I take a deep breath, trying to swallow the frustration that’s crawling up my throat. She’s right–on paper, she’s right. Her license is at stake. The team could be fined or forced to trade me depending on the sanctions the NHL would come down on them with.
But it still feels wrong.
“Okay,” I finally say. “So how do you want to do this?”
“We tell as few people as possible. The ones closest to us already know, but anyone outside of that can’t be trusted until after the baby’s born and we figure out the best course of action.”
“I’m a public figure too, Kendall. Just as much—maybe more—than Tarron.” I meet her eyes. “And I want my kid to come to watch me skate. Don’t you think people are going to find it strange when I’m holding your baby and it’s wearing my jersey number?”
Her lips twitch into a grin.
“What?” I ask, a little confused.
“Just the thought of our baby in your jersey, pounding on the plexiglass.”
