Dean (Face-Off 6)

“He can be our ring bearer,” I say. “We should wait until the baby is born, so they can both be part of the wedding.”

“You want to wait that long?”

“Yeah, I think so. Why? What were you planning?”

“I would marry you in this apartment in sweatpants if you would let me.”

“Well, that’s not gonna happen. You’re cute, but not that cute.” I pinch his cheek. “Our families would kill us if they’re not included in our wedding.”

“No, you’re right. They have to be there.”

“My dad will spare no expense. Prepare yourself for every NHL Hall of Famer to be at our wedding.”

Dean grins like an idiot. “That alone makes me want to speed up this wedding.”

I roll my eyes at him. “I’m sure it does. When are you going to start acting like you’re a big deal? You won the Calder trophy. How many people can say that? One day, you’ll be up there with my dad and his friends.”

“That would be nice. I hope so.”

“I know so,” I say, confident. “I knew that after the first time I watched you play.”

He rubs his thumb along my jaw and smiles. “Thanks, Kitten.”

I sit up to make room for Dean, who takes Noah in his arms and sits with him on his lap. He kisses me but not for long before Noah demands our attention. We’ll never have a second to ourselves again, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Epilogue

Dean: Three years later

“Hold still,” I say to Kat, who is wincing in pain and squeezing the life from my hand. “It’s almost over.”

She sucks in a deep breath. “This hurts more than I thought it would, and I popped out two kids.”

I lift my other hand to show Kat the wedding band I had inked on my skin. Since hockey brought us together, we wanted to have a symbol to remind us of how we fell in love. Two hockey sticks wrap around our ring fingers and cross over the other, now marking the spot where my wedding band once was, branding our love for one another.

True to Baldwin fashion, Kat’s father had insisted we have our wedding at his estate outside of Chicago. Every hockey player I’d idolized as a child was in attendance to cheer us on along with some of my teammates. It was the wedding of the year. Nick spared zero expense.

Kat’s brothers and some of my teammates had dressed in their uniforms, holding out their hockey sticks to form the aisle that Kat lit up when she walked down it. Everything about that day was perfect. Our sons were part of our wedding. With Noah being the oldest, he was our ring bearer. Oliver was only a few months old when we got married. So, Nick had to hold him as we said our vows.

“Oww,” Kat says.

The tattoo artist lifts the needle from her skin and rolls his chair back. “All done.” He admires his handy work. “What do you think?”

Kat holds her hand up to her face, her mouth twisted in pain. “It’s perfect.” She peeks up at me, pinning me down with her bright blue eyes. “I can’t believe I let you talk me into this.”

I help Kat up from the chair. “Why? Are you regretting it already?”

She shakes her head. “No, of course not. I would never regret a single decision I made with you. Our tattoos are permanent.”

I take her and in mine and kiss her skin. “Just like our love.”

She smiles. “You and the boys are my forever.”

“Forever, Kitten,” I whisper in her ear.

Falling in love with my best friend led to some of the hardest years of my life. But in the end, every moment that led up to this one was worth it.

The Baldwin Brothers are next on the roster…