We screamed, cheering and shouting our encouragement.
The rest of the skirmish was just as exciting. Our team managed a shutout, a hell of a feat given Rune, the team’s number one goalie, let two in. Everyone had off nights, but I bet he was kicking himself while we were riding a high.
***
I pulled Jacques’s SUV into the drive at Coach’s house, a sprawling estate high in the hills overlooking downtown. Cars were parked all along the sweeping driveway, and we could hear kids’ squeals and smell the smoker going out back. Coach was a master Texan barbecuer. He had a secret family recipe for a dry rub that was to die for. He wouldn’t share it, either, no matter how much I begged.
It was another tradition that the team had started in its first year—a get-together for the whole family after the first skirmish before the preseason training camp. It was a send-off to the summer, a cue for our excitement to ramp up for the fall.
Hockey season was almost upon us.
It was chaos when we walked around the back. Kids were running around. Some of the boys were in the pool with them, while a few others refereed a tiny tots football game. People were gathered around the coolers of beer and sodas, and others hovered near Coach, trying to get a glimpse in the smoker. Most of the wives and girlfriends were gathered around the outdoor sofas and trestle tables, enjoying a drink.
They were a great group of people, but I’d always felt like I was on the outside. Carina felt the same. Rusty and I were the roommates—no one even understood why we attended these things with Jacques—but Carina should have been accepted into the fold straight away. She wasn’t worried, though. Carina had a friend in Kamirah, and now that Cara was in the States, she was enjoying spending time with her too.
“Mum,” Cara called out and waved.
Cara and Monroe were sitting at the end of one of the trestle tables close to the railing. Tiki torches lit the full length of the glass balustrade. Beyond that was the most spectacular view of the city and the Pacific Ocean stretching to the horizon. The sun was setting, the last of its rays casting a pink-and-orange glow over the water.
We sat down after hugs all round, and Hux was there a moment later, carrying a tray of beers and two wines. He placed the wine down in front of Carina and said, “Hope you like wine, Mom.”
Carina grinned, her smile mischievous. “Thanks, son. But I’m going dry for a while.” She slid the glass to Cara, who happily accepted it. “Like, maybe, five more months.” Carina ran a hand down her belly, and Cara froze, her glass halfway to her mouth.
“Wh—” Cara stuttered and gently placed her glass down. “Are you?”
Carina nodded and beamed, her smile like the sun. “About sixteen weeks.”
“Oh my goodness gracious!” Cara whisper-squealed. “This is the best news ever.”
She jumped up and practically threw herself into Carina’s lap, hugging her hard. It took a second for Carina’s words to sink in, but then Hux and Monroe were on their feet and congratulating Jacques too.
When Hux moved onto Rusty and me, he nodded and murmured quietly. “Happy for you guys. Congratulations.”
“Thanks, man,” Rusty whispered with a grin.
It matched mine. Every time I heard the word baby, butterflies took flight in my belly and excitement pulsed through me.
Cara pulled back and narrowed her eyes at her mom. “That’s why you were leaving, wasn’t it?”
Carina nodded, and Cara hugged her hard again. She dropped to a knee in front of Carina and held her hands. “Mum, Jacques isn’t Dad,” she assured her.
I was so grateful that Cara believed in Jacques. Her support meant the world.
“He won’t leave you to raise the baby while he works nonstop.” She looked in Jacques’s direction and narrowed her eyes in a you’d-better-prove-me-right kind of way, then went back to speaking to her mom, adding, “You may have been the one to raise me, but you’re not alone this time. Jacques is here, and so am I.”
“So are we,” I added and wrapped my arm around Carina’s shoulders and gave her a small squeeze before dropping my arm again.
“Thank you,” Carina said. “I panicked for a bit there. But we talked—who would have thought that was important?—and I realized what a huge mistake I was making. I never wanted to leave. I just thought I had to.”
“Can I announce it?” Hux asked.
Carina looked between the three of us, and I shrugged and grinned. Rusty’s move mirrored my own, and Jacques laughed, then gestured for Hux to take the floor. “Sure, go for it,” he agreed.
Hux whistled, and the whole yard quieted. “Can I have everyone’s attention please?” he shouted. “We have an announcement to make. We’re gonna have another team baby.”
Cheers erupted, and I bit back a laugh. How long would it take for him to realize his faux pas?
I looked up and saw Kamirah walking around the house. Minns was behind her, frozen to the spot. He looked like he’d seen a ghost.
