Serendipity Strikes

4

Emmaline

Mike and I were sitting on the couch. I was looking at furniture websites on my phone, and he was holding Jax as our baby napped. He'd been really great about spending all of his non-hockey time with us and was doing whatever he could to help me. Classical music was playing softly over my Bose speaker because Mike was convinced that would make our son a baby genius. He'd selected some Brahms, since it was soothing.

A knock at the door surprised us both. Today was technically our first parent-free experience since my mom had driven back this morning to my hometown of Osgoode, which wasn't far from Ottawa. None of Mike's family, other than his sister, were local.

"You expecting someone?" Mike asked.

"Nope. If I was, I'd have better clothes on."

I was wearing a pair of old ripped flannel pajama bottoms, a nursing bra, and a tank top. This had become my uniform since giving birth.

"I'll get it," he said as he handed the sleeping baby to me.

I watched as Mike opened the door, though I couldn't see who was on the other side since his large frame blocked my view.

"Dude!" I heard him exclaim. "It's so cool of you to stop by, but seriously, you might want to run. Emma is not super happy with you right now."

Oh. So it was Mendes, the only person I was mad enough at to elicit that type of warning.

I saw Shawn peer around Mike's shoulder, offering up a small wave.

"Ugh! Just let him in."

"Be careful," Mike said. "She doesn't have a temper, but she can still be scary."

"I can hear you," I grumbled. "Wash your hands please, Shawn. Soap and water."

He stepped into the bathroom and did as he was told before walking into the living room with several lovely gift bags in his hands.

"So, uh, I wanted to see Jax, and I brought some presents. If you're mad, I can just drop them and go," he said with the most pathetically, yet still adorable, apologetic look on his face.

"You know why I'm pissed?"

He nodded. "I have my suspicions."

Rolling my eyes, I nodded to the seat next to me. "Sit down. I'll yell at you after you meet the baby and give me the presents."

Mike plopped down cross-legged on the floor while Shawn sat on the couch and stared at the baby with the sweetest smile on his face.

"Would you like to hold him?" I asked.

"I think its best if I just admire him from here," he replied nervously.

"It's a breeze, man. You just have to support the head. If I can do it, anyone can," Mike said encouragingly.

"Okay. Sure," our guest reluctantly agreed.

"Put your arms in a cradling position," I instructed. He did this and I carefully placed Jax in his arms. "As long as his head is in the crook of your elbow like that, he's fine."

Shawn gazed down at the little baby in his arms. "Hey, buddy. Remember me?"

I decided not to tell him that talking to the baby while he was sleeping was rather silly.

Mike chuckled. "While we're on the subject of how you met, we owe you a world of thanks. I've asked the general manager if I can get you lifetime season tickets, and he's looking into it."

Shawn smiled. "There's no need to do anything that extravagant. By the way, I was there last night. Great game! Can't wait for the next one."

The Maple Leafs had won game 1, lost game 2, and had won game 3 last night. They were playing here in Toronto again tomorrow night.