“Team Empty Uterus.”
We fell into a fit of laughter.
“How’d Jaxon take the news?” I asked.
We were well overdue for a girls’ night. Even though we saw each other at Comets home games, I respected that she wanted to keep things quiet, so I hadn’t brought up the sensitive topic until now. Natalie had a thing about privacy, not that I could blame her after spending over a decade living life in front of the cameras.
Her brown eyes rolled in response. “About how you would imagine. He was like a giddy child on Christmas morning. I read him the riot act, but he couldn’t wipe the smile from his face.”
“Jaxon’s a great dad. He loves his kids more than anything.”
Rolling over onto her back, she stared at the canopy above us. “I know. It only makes me feel more guilty.”
“What’s there to feel guilty about?”
Natalie sighed. “Babies are a blessing. I know that. But I thought I was done. Hell, I thought I was done after Jameson, and then after Beau. I was making plans for our life with the kids getting older, and now it feels like I’m back to square one. And then there’s Jaxon. You’re right, he’s an amazing father. When I told him I was pregnant again, he explained how excited he was to experience the process as my true partner. It made me realize how much he missed out on with Charlie because I was too afraid of what letting him get close to us would mean. I wasn’t fair to him, and this is my chance to make it right. I just wish it didn’t come at the price of giving up my body for the next two years.”
I rubbed her arm. “I think your feelings are valid. You’ve got a lot of bad memories associated with unplanned pregnancies, and that colors how you see this one. You’re in a loving, committed relationship, and this baby was made with love. Give yourself a little bit of grace in mourning the loss of the life you were planning. But if I know anything, it’s that when this baby gets here, you’ll forget all the reasons you wanted to stop after Charlie. Imagining a life without them simply won’t be possible.”
Turning her head, Natalie gave me a sly smile. “When did you begin channeling your inner Amy?”
We all knew Amy was the one you went to when you needed comfort. She could put a positive spin on any situation.
“I have no idea where any of that came from,” I teased. “Total out-of-body experience.”
Grasping my hand, she winked. “It wasn’t half bad. Thanks, Hannah.”
A throat cleared behind us. “Who do I call to lodge a formal complaint with the league office about Comets staff members sexually harassing their players?” That voice belonged to myshirtless blond behemoth, and I smiled, turning around to find Cal, Benji, and Jaxon approaching our private lounging spot.
Jaxon came close enough to drop a kiss on Natalie’s lips, whispering, “What are you doing here, baby? And where are the kids?”
With Benji around and the rest of the team still close enough to see us on the beach, I couldn’t expect the same show of affection from my man. The secret-relationship crap was getting old fast.
Natalie beamed at her husband. “Hannah practically begged me to come and spend a few days in the sun with her. So, Preston and Lucy came up to watch the kids at the house.”
Jaxon’s eyes devoured Natalie in her bathing suit. On our private vacation six weeks ago, she’d felt comfortable enough to wear a bikini, but with more people around, her body dysmorphia had her covering up more. The pregnancy hadn’t yet begun to show, and she was rocking the hell out of a one-piece swimsuit.
Pretending to be annoyed, Cal stated, “I’m still waiting to lodge that complaint.”
Mindful of Benji’s presence, I shot back, “If you’re calling the league’s commissioner, can you forward him my petition to relocate all teams to warm beach cities?”
Benji gave me a playful wink. “I like the way you think.”
Cal crossed his arms. “How do you see that working out?”
Sighing, I laid back on the massive pile of pillows. “Something looking a lot like this?”
“That crosses off every major television market, including all of Canada.”
“Sucks to be them.”
A sharp whistle blew three times, and I heard a voice yell from a distance, “Berg, Mills, and Slate! Water break’s over!”
“Gotta go, ladies!” Benji called over his shoulder, jogging back to where the team was set up on the sand.
Jaxon couldn’t resist kissing Natalie once more. “Dinner tonight?” he asked.
“Table for four?” I requested sweetly, batting my eyelashes at him.
