“You were amazing!” she says, bouncing just like Mickey does. “Oh, my god, JT. I am officially a hockey fan. That was unreal. Do you have, like, six pairs of eyes or something.”
“Yeah,” I deadpan. “It’s a recessive gene, though, so Nugget might just have the one pair.”
She smacks my chest playfully as I lean in for a kiss. A throat clears behind me and for a second, I’m sure it’s Coach.
My whole body stiffens but then I turn to see the same reporter who was chatting with Will has set her sights on me. I’ve never been great in interviews, but it’s a necessary skill. And between Maggie, the baby, and our win, I’m feeling pretty damn good right now. I shoot her a smile and that’s all the invitation she needs to shove a microphone in my face. Maggie’s trying to duck out the frame, but I keep her close as the reporter fires a question at me.
“That was quite a save in the last minute of the game,” she says, looking at her cameraman then back at me. “You’ve had a stellar sophomore season with the Wolves. Tell me, JT, what’s the key to your success in the net?”
I don’t even hesitate. I wrap my arms around Maggie so that her back is to my front. My hands cup her belly as I smile broadly. “I’ve got the best support system a guy could ask for. My team’s got my back one hundred percent, and they know I have theirs. And I have my family,” I say with pride, rubbing my hand lovingly over Maggie’s unmistakable bump. “Couldn’t do it without my family.”
The reporter beams like she just got the money shot. “I guess congratulations are in order, and not just on your win here in Allentown tonight. Best of luck at the Frozen Four!”
A second later, she’s chasing down Mickey, her cameraman hot on her heels.
“Welp,” Maggie says, looking at me with wide eyes, “I guess there’s no hiding it now.”
I laugh. “Hiding what, Cinderella? You’re thirty-three weeks and change. Hate to break it to you, my beautiful princess, but you ain’t hiding shit these days. And I’m damn glad. I’m done hiding.”
Her cheeks redden. “I know, it’s just…”
“Just what?” I ask. I thought we were over all the sneaking around.
Maggie shrugs. “Do you really want reporters and analysts to talk about the fact that your girlfriend is pregnant? Don’t you want them to talk about your game? Your future?”
I hold Maggie’s face in my hands. “You and the Nugget are my future. End of story. Besides, I’ve got nothing to hide and everything to be fucking ecstatic about. And I don’t care who knows that I love you and that we’re having a baby. I’m damn proud of our family, Maggie. I don’t think a sweaty interview at regionals is going to make the highlight reels for years to come, but if Nugget ever catches any footage of us, Idon’t want them to think for a second that I had anything to hide or be embarrassed about. Unexpected isn’t unwanted, Maggie.”
“No, I know that. It’s not that I’m not?—”
“Shh, Cinderella. I’m not talking about you. I’m talking about my own blighted family tree. There’s no pride there, Maggie. Just disappointment and bitterness. But that’s not me. That’s not us.”
“It’s not,” she insists, kissing me soundly.
Ollie lets out a piercing whistle about a foot from my ear.
“You’re welcome, you’re welcome,” Ollie says, taking an exaggerated bow.
“For what?” I ask. “The fact you just split my damn eardrum?”
Ollie flips me the bird. “For being the greatest matchmaker, dumbass.”
Maggie laughs. “Woah, hold up. I met you in January and you’re taking credit for getting the two of us together?” she asks.
“Uh, yeah,” Ollie scoffs. “It was my idea to go to Kappa. Without my genius, this little bundle of joy might not even be here right now.”
Pete lets out a howl across the locker room and Ollie jumps over two benches just to join in.
“You know what’s crazy?” I ask Maggie.
“Your teammates?”
“Yeah,” I laugh. “And the fact that Ollie totally believes we have him to thank for the Nugget.”
“That is so messed up,” she says, shaking her head in wonder.
“You want messed up? Just wait until I show you the list of names the guys came up with.”
I hear Coach Anderson holler that one of our buses is out front, so I take Maggie by the hand. I am more than ready to get back to the hotel. It’s crowded in here, so I pivot to the leftto avoid a cooler and Maggie’s eyes widen when I let out a hiss of pain.
