I stepped out of my chair and stretched on the balcony. I closed my eyes and let the fresh, silky mountain air fill my lungs—something that never fails to make any of my stresses or frustrations or worries seem inconsequential. Yet another perk of living up in the mountains!
We bought our Boulder home shortly after Hunter signed his contract extension three years ago. Our home was the best of both worlds: being nestled so high in the mountains, it offered plenty of privacy. But, being in Boulder, it was only a twenty minute drive to the arena in Denver—which was great for Hunter, for obvious reasons.
I pulled the sliding door open and stepped in to find Hunter on his knees, playing with Ruby, our two-year-old daughter. Hunter always says that Ruby was blessed with her Mom's beauty and cursed with her Dad's stubborn drive.
I'm not so sure it was acurse… but she was definitely stubborn!
Ruby held a mini-hockey stick in both hands. She wore her Blizzard jersey, with “DADDY #37” on the nameplate, which was her game day outfit. Although she was too young to sit and watch a game on TV, she does happen to notice him sometimes when the camera catches him—which is always amusing! (“Daddy!” she squeals, confused but excited.)
Hunter placed a foam ball on the carpet in front of Ruby and encouraged her. “Okay, Ruby, show Mommy what you just did!”
Ruby eyed the ball, wound up with her mini-stick and slapped at it—and the foam ball went flying across the room and into the mini-hockey goal.
“GOAL!” Hunter yelled, his arms raised, and Ruby celebrated. “Did you see that? She's really got aslapper!”
***
Although I wished he didn't have to travel so much? Hunter was awonderfulDad.
I'll never forget the look on his face when I told him I was pregnant. Although we were already married, the pregnancy wasn'texactlyplanned. In fact, we'd barely talked of children at all …ahem.
But, as young newlyweds madly in love, we'd gotten into a bad habit of making love without any method of birth control. Sometimes you ran out of condoms! And, um, sometimes Hunter loved cumming inside me! (Okay—not just 'sometimes.'All the time.)
I know, I know:what were we thinking?
I guess we weren't worried about it—and we were fortunate enoughnotto have to worry about it, thanks to Hunter being a talented hockey player who could easily provide for a family.
Still, once I found out I was carrying, I worried how he might take the news.
“Babe, I have to tell you something,” I told him the second he came home from a morning skate—before he'd even shut the door. “I'm pregnant.”
Hunter's jaw fell, and he softly asked, “really?”
I nodded. Hunter dropped his hockey bag and took me straight to the bedroom, and even though he was supposed to nap anddefinitelynot supposed to exert himself before his game later that night, we spent the rest of the afternoon making love. Hunter came inside me, again and again, until he absolutelyhadto leave or he'd be late and get in trouble with his team.
There was another look I wouldn't forget: the first time he held his newborn daughter. When I was pregnant, Hunter joked around about how heknewthe baby was a boy, because he needed to pass on his hockey skill and knowledge to a son who could continue his legacy. And who knows? Maybe that day will still come.
(Or, heck, if Ruby keeps working on that slapshot, maybeshe'llcontinue Dad's legacy, and do what her Mom never could!)
But when Hunter held Ruby for the first time? That muscled man who made a living crushing grown men on the ice, melted like mountain snow in the summer.
“She's gorgeous! Oh my God! She looks just like you, Honor! Hi, little girl!”
***
“I have to go, sweetheart,” Hunter said as he rose to his feet. He had a game in a few hours.
Hunter wrapped me up with his thick arms for a goodbye hug, while Ruby fetched her ball, teed up, and unleashed a wild slapshot.
Ever since he re-discovered his love for the game—and re-focused himself to his fitness—Hunter looked better than ever. Bright, shining eyes and, of course, rippling muscles. And even better? The first signs of age had begun to show on his handsome face, with soft lines of wisdom etched around his eyes.
Well—hewasn't so pleased with the wrinkles. ButIwas. It was a nice reminder that Hunter was gracefully turning into a distinguished, wonderful, and wise man.
Myman.
Hunter kissed the top of my head. “Mm. You smell so good, Honor. You smell like the mountains.”
I giggled, squeezed him back and pressed my face against his hard chest and inhaled his masculine scent. The sweet and salty scent that always turned me on.
