The Sweetest Game

“Sorry, I’m here. Shit, Meli, you might be right.”



“I was totally joking.”



Intrigued by the idea, I sat up and leaned back against the plush headboard. “I know you were, but I’ve been really tired lately. Not to mention, stupid emotional. Like, I cry at everything!” I complained.



“Everything?” she droned, mocking my confession.



“Everything!” I said forcefully. “Commercials. A fucking tissue commercial wrecked me the other day. I had to go to bed to stop thinking about it.”



Melissa laughed hysterically on the other end of the line. I wanted to reach through the phone and smack her. “Oh, holy shit. You totally are pregnant.”



“Meli, I have to go. I’ll call you back.” I hung up before she could respond and forced myself out of bed.



I needed to find a drugstore of some sort and buy some home pregnancy tests. Unless the hotel sold them, which I highly doubted. And the last thing I wanted was to run into a player’s wife or girlfriend while I was buying something like that.



Like an idiot, I talked to my stomach, telling it to settle down enough to let me find a store. And then I promised it that if it let me not be sick until I got back to the hotel room, I’d let it make me sick all night if it wanted. I really needed to be able to find a store, buy some tests, and not puke while doing it.



Luck was definitely on my side because there was a drugstore right across the street from the hotel. I’d never purchased a pregnancy test before, so was surprised to find an entire aisle filled with shelves of them. I decided right then and there that there was definitely such a thing as too many options. There were plus signs, pink or blue, one line or two, yes or no, results before your first missed period or after, and more. My head spun and I had no idea which one was the best to buy. So I purchased four.



I raced back to the hotel, my ridiculous amount of pregnancy tests stuffed into a paper bag. Closing the door behind me, I removed the first box. I read the directions twice before attempting to follow them. The first time, instead of peeing on the damn stick, I peed all over my fingers. I wondered what kind of woman could control the direction of her pee the way the directions seemed to expect we could.



After washing my hands, I hurried into the living area and found my bottle of water. I chugged the whole thing to give myself plenty of ammunition before scooting back into the bathroom.



“Let’s try this again,” I said out loud, giving myself a pep talk.



Miraculously peeing on the proper part of the stick instead of my hands, I set the test on top of the sink counter and poured the rest of the tests out of the bag. They all informed me that they weren’t one hundred percent accurate, so I should take more than one before going to a doctor for final confirmation.



Cell phone in hand, I stared at it, willing the minutes to go by faster. Unable to wait any longer, I wandered back into the bathroom and glanced down at the test, which was changing as I watched. The first window darkened and two lines appeared. It stated on the test that one line meant you were not pregnant and two lines meant you were. But it said nothing about a faint line. What did a barely there second line mean?



I scanned the directions and focused on the Frequently Asked Questions. It stated that the appearance of a second line meant that you were pregnant, no matter how faint or dark the line.



Pregnant.



Not willing to trust the one test, I took two more. All three yielded the same results:



PREGNANT.



Oh my gosh. I couldn’t wait to tell Jack. He’d wanted to knock me up since the night he proposed. I fought the urge to call Melissa back and tell her, dying to share my news with my best friend. But Jack deserved to be the first person to know.



I laughed out loud when I realized why I’d been such a crazy freak lately. Thank heaven I had a reason for my incessant sob fests. I wasn’t going insane, I was just pregnant.



With a baby.



In my belly.



Holy shit.



What if I turn out to be a crappy mom? I wonder how far along I am?



I hid the tests in the closet and fell asleep waiting for Jack to come back. When the door burst open, I jumped, the sound scaring me half to death.



“Sorry, Kitten! My hands are full, that’s why I kicked the living shit out of the door here.” Jack appeared, his arms filled with what looked like grocery bags.



“What is all that?”



“I got you ginger ale for your stomach, plus a bunch of other stuff in case you don’t feel well. And then I got you a bunch of munchies and snacks in case you do. Do you feel better?”



“Much. How was the game?”



He grinned. “We won.”



“Did you throw?”



“Not until tomorrow, you know that.” He narrowed his eyes, looking at me closely before saying, “You’re acting weird.”



Jack couldn’t possibly know anything. I wasn’t acting weird; I was acting just like I always act.



Forcing an innocent look on my face, I asked, “How am I acting weird?”



“You have this look on your face. And your eyes …”



“What about them?”



He ran his thumb down the side of my face. “They’re hiding something, but they want to share,” he said as he lifted his eyebrows at me.



That’s it. He is magic. I knew it.



About to burst with excitement, I couldn’t stall any longer. “I don’t know how you knew that, but I do have something to tell you. It has to do with why I wasn’t feeling well earlier.” I pulled him toward the closet. “The reason’s in there.”



“Is there a guy in the closet?” He stepped back, his hands balling into fists. “There better not be a fucking guy in this closet.”



“What? No? I just hid something in here.” I rolled the door open and pulled one of the tests down from the shelf. Unfolding the washcloth from around it, I presented it to Jack like a crown jewel on a display pillow.



He peeked down at the test stick, his brow furrowing. “What is tha—” He stopped midsentence, his eyes huge. “Is this? Are you?” He looked at me, his face full of wonder, and I nodded.



Jack fell to his knees and pressed his head against my belly. He wrapped his arms around me and held on to me without saying a word, his breath hot through the fabric of my shirt. I’m not sure how long we stood like that, but it felt like hours. When he finally pulled his head from me, tears were falling down his cheeks.



“We’re having a baby?” He covered my stomach with both of his hands.



“Three tests said yes, so I think so.” I smiled down at him as he moved to sit on the floor.



He reached for me and when I linked my hands with his, he pulled me down across from him. “We’re having a baby.”



“Are you happy?”



“Are you kidding, Kitten? I’ve wanted to knock you up since the day I met you!”



“Liar!” I laughed out loud.



“Okay, maybe not the day I met you. But pretty soon after.” He reached for my face, palming it with both his hands. “I can’t believe you have our baby in your belly right now. He’s just in there chilling.”



I rolled my eyes. “Only you would call it a he already. And say that it’s chilling.”



“I love you.” He scooted closer to me, his lips frantic as he kissed all over my face. “I love you so much. Thank you. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for marrying me. Thank you for becoming a part of my family. And thank you for growing our love child in your belly.”



“Our love child?” I snickered. “Jack Carter, you never cease to amaze me.”



“You’re the amazing one. I fucking love you. More than anything else in this world.” He lowered his head back to my stomach and planted a kiss over my top. “And I promise I’ll be a good dad.”



I reached for his hand and caressed it. “I know you will.”



He looked up at me and smirked. “I wasn’t talking to you.”



Smiling, I swatted his shoulder and said, “Well then, it knows.”



“Stop calling our son an it!”



“You stop calling it a him! What if it’s a girl, Jack?” My eyes widened at the thought. “Holy shit, Jack. What if it’s a girl?”



His head tipped back as he laughed full and hard. “Then I’ll kill any guy who comes near her until she moves out of our house.” He took a breath before continuing, “Which will be, never.”



“Uh-huh,” I said, knowing damn well that if we had a girl, Jack probably would go nuts every time she left the house. He reached for my hand and pressed it against his lips.



“And if we do have a girl, Kitten, I hope she looks just like her mom.”



My eyes filled with tears. “Stupid pregnancy hormones. I’m going to spend nine months crying.”



“Then I’ll spend nine months wiping your tears.”



I sniffed, wondering how in the world I’d gotten so lucky. I knew we’d been through hell and back, but all of those times felt so far rooted in the past in this present moment. We were going to have a baby, and I couldn’t think of anything more amazing or wonderful.



“Kitten?” Jack’s hands burrowed into his hair as he tugged at it. “You think I’ll be a good dad?”



I pressed my hand against his cheek. “I know you will.”



“No doubts?”



“Never,” I said softly, longing with all my heart to reassure his worried mind.



“How can you be so sure?”



“Jack, I get to live every day surrounded by your love. It’s deep, it’s passionate, and it’s intense. But it’s honest and true. I know you’ll love our baby the same way. No matter what sex it is.”



“Damn straight!” he proclaimed, rubbing my belly as if it were a Buddha. “There’s a little Carter in there. And I’ll do anything to keep you both safe, protected, and provided for. That’s my job.”



“See? Right there. What you just said. That’s how I know.” I placed my hand over his and squeezed lightly.



Jack pushed himself from the floor before reaching for my hand and pulling me up with him. He wrapped his arms around me and held me so tight, I could literally feel the love radiating between us. With a firm grip on my hand, Jack pulled me toward the bed and sat down before making room for me between his legs. I sat on the bed in front of him and settled in, feeling the muscles of his chest press against my back as he spoke.



“When are you planning on moving, Kitten? I can’t have you all the way across the country. I’ll go fucking crazy knowing you’re alone. I need you with me.” He planted soft kisses along my neck and shoulders.



“I know. I’ll hire movers as soon as I get back.”



“What about your work? Does Nora know you’re leaving?”



I turned my body to glance at him. “Shit! I forgot to tell you. Nora told me I could work on an assignment basis. I had to give her a resignation letter and everything.”



“So, what does that mean? Do you still get to do the shoot with Matteo and Trina after the baby’s born?”