Hooking - Kristine Allen Page 0,97

can go open presents?” Mom offered.

“I need to go bleach my eyes,” muttered Cooper, and he turned and walked off.

“Wait for me!” I said as I closed the door and hauled ass after him.

We heard our parents laughing from down the hall.

Though that was definitely not how I would’ve wanted to find out, I had to admit it might’ve been one of our best Christmas surprises in years.

As I dropped to the couch, still stunned, Sydney sipped her cocoa, hiding a smile behind her mug.

“Merry Christmas.” She giggled. I could only shake my head slowly.

Then I busted out laughing.

“Daddy did it!” I shouted as I held my four-year-old son in my arms and grinned from ear to ear. My parents, brothers, their families, my aunt and uncle, and Alex’s parents cheered. The group of badass-looking bikers and their families made up the rest of our huge family and probably were yelling louder than anyone. We were up in one of the boxes because of all the kids.

My brother Jake held one of the twins, and Caleb held the other. Cooper was holding one of his little ones, and I still couldn’t get over how she looked nearly identical to the twins. People often though they were triplets when they were together.

“Give him to me,” my dad said with a happy grin as he reached for Gavin. “Besides, you shouldn’t be holding him. He’s too heavy.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m pregnant, not helpless,” I grumbled. Then my son squealed with laughter, and I knew my dad only wanted to hold him to spoil him some more. It had nothing to do with me. Laughter bubbled up in me when I realized I was chopped liver when it came to their grandkids.

“They’re going to the Stanley Cup!” Jurek, Alex and Cooper’s father, said with excitement to my uncle. Ellie started to fuss, and Jake quickly came toward me with her. Except Darlene, Alex’s mom, intercepted.

“Oh, give her here. I’ll take care of her.” As soon as her grandmother snuggled her, Ellie settled down. Except Emma got jealous and started wiggling to get down. Caleb let her down, and her chubby legs carried her to us. My mom scooped her up with a kiss to her cheek, and she was equally as happy.

If someone had told me the day I found out I was pregnant with Gavin that less than five years later this would be my life, I’d have laughed. Who knew I’d be watching my husband and his team win the game that took them to the Stanley Cup playoffs for the third time since we’d been together. Surrounded by our family, my twin two-year-old daughters, with another boy on the way, I couldn’t help but smile. Little Nick was going to be as spoiled as his siblings.

When Alex and several of his teammates joined us, there was another round of cheering. He stopped to kiss our son, then both of his daughters before he came straight for me. He wrapped his arms around me and swung me around, much as he had the night I’d asked him to marry me through the glass.

I’d never been happier than I was that night. Natalie made me go to the game after I’d stayed at her apartment crying the night before. She’d made me listen to Alex’s messages, put my big girl panties on, and deal with my shit. I’d realized what I wanted more than anything and I’d come up with the idea to ask him.

And I’d never looked back with anything other than fondness.

The past four plus years had been amazing, scary, and busy. I wouldn’t trade them for anything in the world.

It turned out Katie had been pregnant the same time as me, so in a way our “sickness” had been caused by the same thing after all. She’d decided to be a stay at home mom for a while and I’d stepped up into her position.

Alex had been so proud and supportive of the move up.

I still loved my job, but I was considering staying home after Nick was born. I was missing a lot that I wasn’t sure I wanted to anymore. At least until they were older.

“I love you,” he said as I cupped his bearded cheek.

“I love you too,” I replied with a grin.

“We’re going to the Stanley Cup,” he said with unbridled excitement.

“Again,” I said.

“Wanna make another baby?” he whispered in my ear.

“I think it’s too late for that,” I said as I looked at