She nods her head. “Very.”
“Good, I’ll be sure to take the long way home so you don’t have any relief anytime soon. Serves you right for putting me through that shit.”
“Where’s your sense of humor?”
“Something you should know. Don’t fuck with the things I care about, and I care about you, Penny.”
Her eyes soften, and she wets her lips before saying, “And you care about our son.”
My heart warms immediately, and all the irritation falls to the wayside as the word “son” starts to sink in.
“Holy shit,” I say, gripping her hand. “We’re having a boy, Penny.”
“I know.” She smiles, and it’s the most beautiful, genuine smile I’ve ever seen. “We’re having a little boy, Eli.”
I bring my forehead to hers, where I rest it and press a gentle kiss to her lips. “The little guy is going to be like me, I know it. He’s going to be such a troublemaker.”
“No.” She gently shakes her head. “He’s going to be kind-hearted, funny, and handsome . . . just like his father.”
I’m not one to cry, really ever, but as I stare into Penny’s eyes, relief and appreciation pulse through me. I am so fortunate that she’s the one I’m going through this journey with. She makes me feel wanted, like I’m not a damaged soul trying to navigate his way through life, but rather someone who can contribute to this world and not just through his hockey talent.
“Fuck, Penny.” Tears well up. “You mean so much to me, do you know that?”
She smiles. “No, but it’s really good to hear.”
Chapter Thirty-One
PENNY
“So this is the infamous cabin?” I ask as Eli pulls his Tesla into one of the six garage bays. “Not very cabin-like if you ask me. More like a mansion in the mountains.”
“Yeah, but Taters, for some reason, thinks it’s a cabin.”
“He’s wrong.”
Eli chuckles as he puts the car into park.
After our doctor’s appointment, Eli “punished” me for my behavior, but I didn’t think it was much punishment at all, well, besides not letting me come for what felt like ten minutes. I was so turned on that when I did come, it dragged on forever. Probably one of the best orgasms I’ve ever had. So really, I think I won twice.
He then asked me if I wanted to come up to the cabin with him for a few weeks. It took me two weeks to wrap some things up at the office, but lucky for us, the Agitators always give staff time off once the season is over since we put in so many hours during the season. My mini vacation starts now.
The drive up was supposed to be eleven hours, doable in a day, but because I like to pee a lot, we split the trip up into two days, and we stayed at a hotel in Kamloops where we shared a giant cookie in bed while watching the final season of Ozark.
It was simple and nice.
And of course this morning, I knelt in front of Eli and gave him a blow job that brought him down to the ground, only for him to return the favor after he caught his breath.
Before getting out of the car, Eli turns toward me. “I haven’t said anything to Pacey about us being here . . . together. I haven’t really talked to him much at all, so I’m not sure if he’s coming up or not.”
“Do you not want to tell him?”
“I wanted to feel you out and see what you wanted to do. I’ll back whatever your decision is.”
“Well, I want to be with you. I don’t want to have to sneak around, hold your hand when no one is looking, or pretend we’re not together for the sake of someone else’s feelings.” I take his hand in mine. “I just want to be normal.”
He smiles softly and brings our connected hands to his lips, where he presses a soft kiss. “I want the same thing.”
“Good. So if Pacey does come up with Winnie, we can pull him to the side and tell him.”
“Or, I can text him.”
I pause for a second, thinking about it. “I mean, I’m not opposed to it. Better than having a long, drawn-out conversation.”
Eli picks up his phone, and he opens up a text message with Pacey. “Let’s craft a text right now.”
“Perfect.”
He pauses. “And you’re sure you’re okay with this?”
“Listen, I think I’ve been making sure everyone else is okay during this pregnancy. I think it’s time we worry about ourselves for once.”
“Good answer,” he says and then starts typing while reading out loud. “Dear Pacey—”