Thin Ice ✔️

bonus chapter #3: wedding bells and baby bumpin'

Worry? Surprise? Fear? Happiness?

I can't tell.

Now I'm the one to look up in confusion, "What?"

I don't anticipate the silence he offers in return but I'm definitely not prepared for the question he asks me. "When was the last time you had your period?"

My eyebrows draw together and my lip tugs upward. "Uhhh...like, last..." I trail off to think about it. Then it hits me. "Last November."

Hunter's eyebrows raise and his eyes blink a few times. "Last November?! That was four months ago Dani!" His shock makes my heart speed up a little bit.

I cover my mouth and look away from him. "I didn't realize. I–We just had so much stuff to do for the wedding, I haven't even been able to get appointments for anything," I stress. "God, we haven't even chosen a cake flavor yet–"

"Danielle Thompson, almost Zimmerman," Hunter cups my face with the joke. "I'm not thinking about any of that right now, and I especially don't want you worrying over it."

I don't know why my eyes start watering but the possibility of a child on the way has sent me into shock.

"Hey, hey," Hunter wipes my brimming tears away. "Look at me Dani. I'm gonna go to the store, I want you to stay right here, ok?"

I nod at him and he jumps off the bed, quickly grabbing his keys.

Leaving me in newfound state of anxiety.

• • • • •

Hunter's POV

This has got to be the longest fifteen minutes of my life.

I can barely even think about the fact that I have to be at MSG in less than an hour to play the Islanders.

And even if that was my priority, the first thing I would do is skate over to Carter on the other side of the ice and tell him about the news.

I mean, I could possibly, and part of me is screaming hopefully, be having a child with the woman sitting next to me.

"How long has it been?" I ask her, sounding more anxious about this whole thing than she is.

"Twelve minutes." she responds looking at the timer on her phone.

There are three sticks sitting on the counter a few feet away from us. Three different brands because in all honesty, I couldn't care what I fucking bought.

I just saw the words pregnancy test and picked it up.

I sigh as the timer dwindles down to the last two minutes. Two minutes until I could possibly find out some life changing news.

"Was that a bad sigh?" My fiancé breaks me out of my thoughts. "Because that sounded like a bad sigh." Her nervous laughter only made me feel guilty.

"No." I deny her assumption. "Why would this ever be a bad thing?" I question and grab her hands. "I'm only a little nervous about it, that's all." I assure her.

My pledge seemed to quell her overbearing anxiety about my thoughts on the situation.

"Ok," she nods at me. "But before we go in there and see the results...I want to ask you if it does say positive, do you want it?"

I already know my answer. "Yes. If it says positive I do want it." I tell her wholeheartedly. "But I'm all ears for what you want to do. Just because I want it doesn't mean you need to keep it, and if you decide that you're not ready I'm completely okay with that."