Chapter 192 One Hundred& Ninety Two

Chapter 192 One Hundred& Ninety Two
EMMA POV

Ryan arrived at the apartment around 12 A.MM

He looked exhausted from the flight, but his face lit up when he saw me.

He pulled me into his arms and just held me.

"Hi, mama," he whispered. “Look whose going to be a mummy?”

I felt tears forming.

“Hey, my love,” I whispered, “welcome home. You didn't have to, you know.”

“I should be here, my love, we are about to parents.”

I took a deep breath. "I'm scared," I admitted.

"Of what?" he asked, pulling back to look at me.

"Of everything," I said. "Of being a mom. Of my body changing. Of having a baby while you're still in Toronto. Of messing this up."

He took my face in his hands.

"You're not going to mess this up," he said. "You're the strongest person I know. If anyone can do this, it's you."

"We haven't even talked about kids," I said. "We didn't plan this."

"I know," he said. "But you know what? The best things in my life have been the things I didn't plan. Finding you. Falling in love with you. Marrying you. And now this. This baby is exactly what we need."

He led me to the couch and pulled me against his chest.

"When's your due date?" he asked.

"I don't know yet," I said. "I haven't seen a doctor. I just took the tests today."

"We'll schedule an appointment," he said. "And I'm going to be at every single one. I don't care if I have to miss games. I'm going to be there."

"Ryan," I said, "you can't miss games because of my pregnancy. That's not fair."

"I don't care," he said. "You and our baby are more important than hockey."

I knew he meant it. That was just the kind of person Ryan was.

"There's something else I need to tell you," he said.

"What?" I asked.

"I got an offer today," he said. "Before you called. Coach wants to trade me back home."

I sat up and looked at him.

"What?" I said shocked

"I'm getting traded back home," he repeated. "The team's been watching our situation. They know we're married. They know you're here. They made me an offer. They want to move me back to play for the home team. It's a better contract. More money. And best of all, I'd be here. With you."

"Really? When ?" I asked, surprised, I couldn’t believe this was happening

"End of the season," he said. "So in about two months.”

Two months.

In two months, Ryan would be home permanently.

Everything was happening at once.

"Is this real?" I asked with tears in my eyes

"It's real," he said. "I signed the papers today. That's why I was thinking about you when you called. I was about to tell you in person, but you beat me to it with more amazing news"

He pulled me close again.

"We're going to be okay," he said. "More than okay. We're going to be happy. We're going to have our baby, and I'm going to be here to see everything. I'm not going to miss anything."

That night, we stayed on the couch talking about the baby.

About names. About what we hoped for. About how our lives were changing.

By the time we went to bed, my fear had shifted into excitement.

This was happening.

We were becoming parents.



By morning, I woke up feeling nauseous.

I ran to the bathroom and threw up for the first time.

When I came back to bed, Ryan was awake, looking concerned.

"Morning sickness?" he asked.

"Apparently," I said, climbing back into bed.

"I'm sorry," he said, pulling me close.

"It's not your fault," I said.

"I know, but still," he said. "I wish I could take some of it from you."

"Well, you can't, so don't be weird about it," I said.

He laughed.

Over the next few weeks, the morning sickness got worse.

I was throwing up every morning. Some afternoons too. I was exhausted all the time. I couldn't eat the foods I normally loved. The smell of Ryan's cologne sometimes made me feel sick.

But through it all, he was patient and supportive.

He'd hold my hair when I was throwing up. He'd make me ginger tea. He'd rub my back and tell me it was going to be okay.

At work, I was still crushing it.

I won another case. I was being considered for a promotion. My boss told me I was the best junior associate he'd ever hired.

But I also had to start telling people I was pregnant.

I told my boss first.

He was shocked, but supportive.

"When are you due?" he asked.

"May," I said. "Early May."

"You'll have some time after the baby is born before you need to come back," he said. "We'll figure it out. Your job is safe, Emma. We can’t lose you in our firm"

I cried in his office.

Happy tears.

Because my job was safe. My marriage was strong. My husband was being traded back home. And I was going to be a mom.

Life was actually working out

Ryan came home for the weekend like he always did. But this time, he was moving some of his stuff into the apartment.

"What are you doing?" I asked as I watched him carry boxes inside.

"Getting ready," he said. "If I'm being traded in two months, I need to start bringing my stuff home. Starting the move process."

"You're really coming home," I said, watching him unload hockey equipment, clothes, and photos.

"I'm really coming home," he confirmed. "And I'm going to be here when our baby is born. I'm not going to miss that, Emma. I'm not going to miss any of it."

That night, we lay in bed, and he put his hand on my still-flat belly.

"Hi, baby," he whispered. "I'm your dad. I can't wait to meet you."

"The baby can't hear you yet," I said.

"I don't care," he said. "I want to start talking to her now. I want her to know my voice."

“How are you so sure it’s a girl?” I asked smiling

“I can feel it..” he kissed my belly,” my little princess.”

I fell asleep listening to him talk to our baby.