In perfect style, I leave the house, getting into Olivia's car, wearing Nathan's numbered jersey, hiding the bump perfectly and out of sight. I had worries that wearing his jersey would draw unwanted attention, but he assured me that a lot of people wear team jerseys to watch the game, only this is Nathan's, not some replica you can buy.

"You look amazing," Olivia greets me, and I smile, putting my seatbelt on.

"Thank you, so do you," I say.

"So, are you ready to see your man in action?" she asks, pulling out of Nathan's driveway.

"I am, but I'm nervous, their last game was..."

"Yeah, shocking, I know," she laughs.

"Questionable for sure," I'm not an expert, I've learnt the basic rules, but their previous game wasn't their best at all. Nathan had come home the day after still happy to see the girls and me, but his energy certainly wasn't the same.

"So, how are the babies cooking?" she asks.

I put my hand to my bump, "Sixteen weeks today, they're definitely cooking now."

"You'll be able to feel their kicks soon enough, get your sleep in now, mommy because you're going to need it once they get bigger," she tells me and I sigh, rubbing my bump.

"I honestly can't wait for the day," I admit, because with my nausea lifted, not having a constant reminder, I forget I'm pregnant sometimes because I'm now so adjusted to my new body.

"Do you guys have a plan on announcing the babies or are you both keeping it from the public?" she asks, and nerves filter through my body at the thought.

"Keeping it from the public eye as long as we possibly can," I nod more to myself than her.

We were lying on the sofa a few nights ago and were on the topic of conversation about the babies and his job, when Nathan asked, "Hey, do we want to go public with them before or after they're born?"

We hadn't spoken about this before, so I never thought about announcing our babies, especially to the world of nosey and opinionated people, even though deep down I knew one day it had to happen.

I looked up at him, "Can we keep them our secret for as long as possible?"

He had agreed that it would be for the best and told me that when the time ever does come, that scrutiny will be expected because the press loves to write gossip. He didn't need to warn me, I was more than aware of how dirty the press is with stories, they hear a tiny piece of information and run with it.

So far, no photos or information has been leaked about us, his family and friends have kept things quiet, and every nurse I've met has happily signed the NDA Nathan handed over. We're rarely out in public and when we are, no one has blinked an eye, to anyone I could be a nanny, we're careful.

"When the time comes, we will, of course, but we won't be doing a magazine or any extreme announcement, we're keeping it private like he's kept the girls," I tell her and she smiles, looking over at me.

"You're good for them, girl, I'm happy you're in his life, he's needed this," she tells me.

"I've needed this too," I say.

We change the conversation to something much more casual and in no time we're pulling up at Madison Square Garden, into the busy parking lot.

"Do we think we'll even get a parking space?" I ask out loud, shocked by the turnout of people.

"Of course; we're going into the private parking lot; did you think security let the guys out into this chaos?" she chuckles, and I shake my head at myself, of course, they don't.

"I'm stupid," I say.

"You're not, you're just a WAG virgin," she taps my leg in a motherly way and I laugh, "We aren't sitting in the wives' box, don't worry; I like to blend in with the crowd when my son's not with me."

"There's a wives' box?" I question, this being the first mention of one.

"You really are a virgin, aren't you?"

"Yeah, the two babies in my belly would be proof of that," I say with a nod. "But honestly, I really don't know much about the hockey world; Nathan taught me what's needed to know about the game, good and bad, but I'm here for him, not the hockey."

"Me too, girl, me too; I met Dan in college, I've been here through it all," she tells me, pulling up to the security gate.

"Good evening, girls, have you got your ID, miss?" the security dips down to Olivia's open window.

She opens her wallet, gets out her ID and he checks the name with the piece of paper he holds, "This is Iris, she's my plus one."

"Okay, Olivia Thomas, I've got your name right here. Have a good night tonight, just park to the right and someone will be out to escort you in," he tells her.

We park up, near a back door, which as soon as the car comes to a stop, another security guard comes through, presumably for us. I grab my purse and as soon as I step out of the car, I make sure the shirt I'm wearing isn't bunched up around my stomach. It's going to be freezing in the arena, so I have a hoodie on under this, so no one should be able to tell that I'm pregnant anyway, but it doesn't help the paranoia I hold in my gut.

We walk over and Olivia tells the security guard we're not sitting in the box tonight, and that we're going to her usual seats, which is fine. He leads us through the private, 'no entry' signed door and hands us two VIP lanyards before we're allowed into the arena amongst everyone else.

"Would you like anything to eat before we take our seats?" Olivia asks me, and my stomach growls at the thought of food, even though I only ate an hour ago.

"Ooh, nachos do sound good," I say, the cheese sauce screaming my name.

"We'll get some soda as well, yeah?"

"Perfect," I nod.

Because of the queues, it takes twenty minutes until we get to our seats, with ten minutes remaining until the game starts to eat. Olivia had waited in line for our drinks, while I waited for food, which yes, took ages, but after one bite of nachos, I can say it was worth it.

"This is so good," I take a sip of my Sprite.

I've adjusted to the change from nauseated to constant hunger, it's a nuisance in the fact I get nauseous if I don't eat my cravings straight away, but it's much more copeable than before. The nachos and Sprite are hitting the spot, feeding my cravings and with my final bite, the lights around the arena go down and a countdown begins, causing my nausea and nerves to come straight back.

"You excited?" Olivia asks.

"Terrified," I utter back.

Then suddenly a loud voice announces, "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to Madison Square Garden, the world's most famous arena. Tonight Madison Square Garden, our marketing partner, Chase, and the National Hockey League proudly present a matchup featuring the Toronto Maple Leafs against the New York Rangers."

Cheers ring around the arena as I watch closely as the video plays, showing the history of the team and I smile contently when I see small glimpses of Nathan.

Several minutes pass until the video eventually shuts off and the arena is filled with cheers when the man then announces, "Ladies and gentlemen, they are the New York Rangers," and one by one, each hockey player filters onto the rink, circling their side of the rink and their names are announced.

"This is surreal, it feels like I'm in a dream, it's so American," I whisper to Olivia, causing her to laugh.

"They do call us over the top for a reason."

"This is not what I expected, but hey, it's a little bit of fun before I start to worry he's going to die," I shrug and she takes my arm, holding me.

"We can worry together, it never gets easier, the perks of loving a hockey player, am I right?" she smiles.

"We have each other's back and so do they," I nod, sipping my Sprite as adrenaline creeps into me.

The first period starts with the Rangers winning the face-off, and I mentally pat myself on the back for remembering the terminology, he better be proud of me.

I sure am proud of him even though he and the game he plays terrifies the fuck out of me. It's the perks of dating a hockey player after all.

✯✯✯

As the third period draws to a close, I'm quite literally at the very edge of my seat. The Rangers are in the lead by one goal and the Maple Leafs are using the final few minutes wisely, heavy on defence, with their wingers striking left right and centre to up their score before the final minute; it's been a tight game, one of which I've enjoyed.

Cheers amongst the crowd grab my attention, with people rising to their feet, and I look down to see the puck now in the possession of Nathan after body-checking his opponent. He's quick, so quick that in seconds the arena explodes into celebration as he brings in another goal, putting them two up.

"Oh my God," I yell to Olivia.

"That's your man, make sure he knows it tonight," she says loud enough in my ear for me to hear.

With fifty seconds on the clock, it's nearly pointless, everyone knows who's won and as soon as the last second ticks over, Olivia hugs me.

"When do they usually leave?" I ask.

"They'll most likely answer a few interview questions, but that'll take hardly a minute, workout-"

"They workout?" I question in total concern.

"Postgame workout, it's only twenty minutes, it's something they do, then once they're showered, we can go home," she tells me with a smile, "Don't worry, we're going to go say hello now though."

"We are?" I ask in shock, I didn't know we could do that.

"Oh, sweet girl, these badges get us everywhere aside from in that changing room, of course, we can go see them; now, let's be quick before we miss them," she says, taking hold of my hand and leading the way.

Lucky with our seats in the first block, we show our badges to the closest security guard and we're let down the stairs to the floor, where, as Olivia said, the press are gathered along with doctors, security, trainers and of course, hockey players.

"Dan!" Olivia yells, walking over to the tall man and he turns around, catching her when she jumps into his arms, pressing a kiss to his lips, "Well done, baby."

A big smile creeps onto my face when I see Nathan stepping off the ice, taking off his gloves. He sits down on a bench out of the way and before the press can get to him, I walk over.

"Hello, you," he wraps his arms around me, holding me tight like he never wants to let go.

"You were so good," I squeeze him back, "I'm so proud of you, that was just so..."

"Speechless?" he chuckles.

"Yeah, I have no words, you were amazing out there," I tell him, pulling away and he smiles.

"You look incredible wearing my jersey... fuck, baby, you're killing me," he tells me, "Thank you for coming, I may need you here more often if that's how I'm going to play knowing you are."

"Maybe we can arrange that," I nod before I lean in, whispering "I'm going to leave now though because I can't explain how badly I want to kiss you, so please hurry."

"Just one quick one?" he asks.

"Too big of a risk, go talk to your people, Fields and I'll see you after," I grin at him before I pull away and head towards Olivia, keeping it safe.

For the next half an hour we sit and wait, going on our phones and once I've scanned social media, I message Charlotte asking how the girls are since they're sleeping at her house tonight.

Me:

'hope the girls are okay and are sleeping for you; has nova had a nightmare again at all? nath's game was incredible, thank you for having them tonight so i could see him play'

Almost immediately I get a reply back, causing my smile to reappear.

Charlotte:

'The girls are all sound asleep, Nova's okay so far, I'll keep you and Nathan updated if anything changes though! He was incredible, I was watching, I've sent him a message telling him mommy's proud, but if you want to embarrass him at all, honey, pass the message on as well. I'll make lunch tomorrow for you both when you come for the girls, and don't worry, no thanks are needed, I love having them.'

There wasn't any convincing when it came to Nathan asking Charlotte to have the girls; she adores them and with it being a weekend, she's not at work either, so she was more than happy to have them.

"Hey, we should probably head over to the changing rooms now, I've just got a message from Dan telling me he's about to jump into the shower," she tells me, putting her phone away, "Prewarning, there may be some puck bunnies, we will stay out of the way of the doors and wait for them to come to us."

"Good idea," I nod, standing up.

Nathan had told me about the girls that come to games with the only intention of hooking up with a hockey player. He'd dealt with a few of them turning up at hotels uninvited and pushing their luck, but he assured me that he'd never gone there, not since he was in college and he got Lucy pregnant from doing so.

When we arrive outside of the changing rooms, eight girls are waiting to seduce their way through the team. As I lean against the opposing wall, waiting for my man to come out, I find the irony in the difference between myself and them. I'm wearing leggings and a hockey jersey, my hair is no longer curled nicely, it's become frizzy and my makeup is most likely patchy. In contrast, these girls are wearing near to nothing, their hair and makeup are perfect, and they're here when they could be anywhere else.

As soon as the doors open, the girls are pawing at them like kittens and I frown, judging them harshly, but also highly amused. Nathan pushes through the crowd of kittens and straight towards me, slipping his hand around my waist.

"You're going to make a scene," I whisper and he shakes his head.

"Dan, Olivia, we're going now, we'll see you later," Nathan says, saying goodbye for us both, but it doesn't matter, they're wrapped up in each other, so a text message will have to do.

We get out of there before too much attention is drawn to us; there shouldn't be because he ignores them at every game and has been doing so for years.

The security guy opens the back door Olivia and I originally walked through to get in, and he slips his hand into mine as we walk towards his car. Before I can open the car door, ready to escape the crisp New York air, Nathan grips my waist and pushes me up against his car, pressing his lips against mine.

"I missed you too much to suffer through another half an hour without kissing you," he admits, and I smile, combing my fingers through his hair as I pull him into another kiss.

"You're clingy," I grin up at him.

"And you love it," he points out.

"Yeah, I don't hate it," I agree, wishing we were home already. The next thirty minutes are going to be painful that's for sure.

He kisses me once more before he gently moves me to the side and opens the car door for me. I buckle my seatbelt and lean back against the comfort of his leather seats; I'm never taking comfortable seating for granted after sitting in those arena seats for hours.

"Are you tired?" he asks once he's buckled in.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" He's the one that's been on his feet for hours on end.

"I am, but it's nothing that coffee can't fix," he smiles, turning on his car. "So?"

"Honestly? I'm exhausted," I tell him, looking over at the time, it's almost eleven pm. It's rare I'm awake at this time these days, as soon as the girls are in bed, I'm shortly following.

"Once we get home, you can get to bed and sleep, yeah?" he gently squeezes my thigh.

"Yeah, that sounds good."

My body deceives me though, within a few minutes on the road, my eyes grow heavy and I drift off to sleep, the exhaustion and heat of the car getting the better of me. Next thing I know, we're parked up in the garage and Nathan's opened my car door, waking me up.

"We're home, sweetheart, head up to bed, I'll bring you some food up in ten minutes," he tells me.

"Thank you," I whisper with a stretch before I unbuckle and get out of the car, following him into the house.

I head straight upstairs and into my room, putting my VIP lanyard on my bedside table next to my purse. Still in a somewhat daze from waking up, I change out of my clothes and put on a pair of stretchy pink shorts and one of Nathan's grey t-shirts. I now have two hoodies and four shirts of Nathan's, but he doesn't seem to mind.

Once I'm in my pyjamas, I walk through to the bathroom where I wash my makeup off, do my skincare, brush my teeth and pee before I leave, turning the lights off behind me.

As soon as I get into bed and my phone is on charge, Nathan joins me with sandwiches, water and snacks, causing a smile to grow on my face.

"I've just brushed my teeth, it slipped my mind that you were bringing up food," I chuckle to myself.

"I can take it away?" he proposes with a grin.

"No, I'll eat it soon," I tell him, "Thank you for making me it, I appreciate it."

"I know, and you're welcome," he puts both of our sandwiches down on the side, along with the snacks.

"Can I get a hug now?" I whisper, lifting the duvet for him to join me.

"You didn't have to ask me, it was the next thing on my to-do list," he chuckles, crawling into bed next to me.

"Oh, and what's after giving me a hug?" I ask as he pulls me into his embrace. The contact warms my heart and I feel so content with him, like nothing could break this bubble between us.

"Well, I'm going to hold you, maybe share a few more of these kisses we're both so addicted to and then hopefully get some sleep," he tells me, gently moving my hair out of the way of my face.

"I see," I whisper.

"You sound like you have something to add to the list, what is it?" he asks me.

"Well, you've had your coffee," I can smell it, he smells delicious, "I've had a power nap; we may need some help going to sleep, don't you think?"

"I guess that's true," he presses a kiss to my neck, creating goosebumps on my skin, "How do you think we could do that, baby?"

"I think I know a pretty efficient way," I admit with a sigh when he kisses my neck again, this time a little harsher, "I think you know what it is too."

He looks at me this time, "We don't have to."

"I want to," I tell him truthfully, "I'm ready; I trust you and I promise it's not because my hormones need this; I want this, I want you, Nath."

"Are you sure?" he asks, double-checking.

"I've never been more sure," I admit, "The way I feel about you, not having sex wouldn't make walking away easier, it would just make me regret not doing so and nonetheless I'd still be heartbroken. I can't tell you how I feel because I don't know yet and it's far too early to be speaking like this, hey, I only kissed you two weeks ago, but I'm tired of running because of my issues, Nath. You make me so happy, why should I stop myself from being happier?"

"I'm so fucking proud of you," he says, "You make me so unbelievably happy and I'm so lucky to have you."

"Kiss me then, show me," I urge and within seconds his lips are on mine, claiming me. His kisses are truly addictive, he tastes of coffee and hazelnut, he's my newest craving and I simply can't get enough of him.

We end every night the same way, in my bed, kissing, breathing heavily and behaving like virgins, only tonight I'm letting my guard down fully for him.

My hands find the bottom of his shirt and he pulls back to lift it above his head, and before he can kiss me again, I take my shirt off as well.

"Fuck, Iris, you're gorgeous," he tells me, dipping his head down, and pressing kisses to my collarbone.

I sigh at the feeling of his lips on my skin, he trails kisses down to my breast, taking his time, and I let out a low moan when he takes my right nipple into his mouth, flicking his tongue back and forth over it.

"I've missed these tits of yours," he tells me, bringing his right hand to my other.

"They're bigger, you sure you remember them?"

"I'll always remember them," he nips at the flesh, getting a moan out of me, "And I'll always remember the way they make you react."

He pays the same attention to the other nipple before he moves his lips further down my body, pressing kisses over my bump and every new stretch mark. He then pushes my shorts down and I kick them off to the bottom of the bed as he gets comfortable between my legs.

"Put your legs over my shoulder and keep them there until I'm finished with you," he instructs and as soon as I lift my legs, his mouth is on my pussy, his tongue teasing my clit.

I'm soaking, he knows it too, he doesn't need to ease his finger in to warm me up, he slides two digits in and starts to fuck me with them. He keeps his mouth on my clit, sucking, flicking and teasing it, creating a sensation my brain can't quite keep up to.

"Fuck, Nath," I moan, one hand flying to my mouth to cover and the other to his hair to grab.

"No one can hear you, Iris, so help me God, move that hand from your mouth and play with your nipples so that I can hear those gorgeous sounds," he demands and I whimper in response; if I wasn't already turned on, I am now.

I toy with my nipples and I writhe below Nathan's mouth, feeling myself getting closer with every thrust of his fingers and flick of my clit; he's too good at this.

My body tenses as my orgasm crashes through me, my legs shaking on his shoulders and he continues to gently thrust his fingers into me through it, my moans decreasing as I come down.

He removes his fingers between my legs and puts them in his mouth, licking my cum off, getting every last drop before putting my legs down and climbing back up to me.

"Your mouth is a gift," I run my thumb over his bottom lip.

"As is yours, which is why it's killing me to say I don't want your mouth on my cock right now," he chuckles and I pout, "I only want this pussy of yours, I need to feel you cum around me again, baby."

"It's all yours, Nath," I tell him and he dips his head, kissing me. I taste myself on his tongue, a reminder of what just happened and my belly twists with need.

I push at his sweatpants, needing the last item of clothing between us to be gone, but I fail due to how we're positioned, so he quickly stands from the bed and takes them off before he's back on top of me, kissing me exactly like before.

While we kiss, I grip his already hard cock from between us and I pump him towards me; before I run the tip of him through my wet folds, causing a gasp to leave between his lips. I shift slightly down the bed, looking down between our bodies and watch as I sink his cock into me.

"Fuck," he quickly kisses me, muffling our initial reactions to each other's bodies; capturing my moans as he thrusts into me at an incredible pace; not too fast, but not at all too slow.

"Nath," I breathe, not having anything more to add, but his name.

"I know, baby, I know," he says with a groan, "You feel so fucking good, Iris."

"So do you," he feels incredible.

He ducks his head into the crook of my neck, kissing me, fucking me into the bed and it feels like heaven. I grasp onto his back, leaving possible marks, letting out low moans as he rules my body; he's mine and I am his in this moment.

"Nath, can I," a moan wrecks through me before I can finish my question.

"Tell me," he urges.

"Let me on top," I say with a whimper and he doesn't hesitate. He grabs my hip and turns on his back, pulling me with him, so I'm now on top, causing a laugh to bubble out of me in shock, "That was risky."

"I know, maybe too risky," he purses his lips, putting his hand on my bump, "Sorry, babies."

"Don't talk to them right now, it's weird," I press my lips against his, shutting him up from speaking to our children while he's in me and I'm about to ride him.

He shuffles up the bed while we kiss, so he's leaning against my headboard rather than lying down and as soon as he's situated beneath me, I start to move on his cock. His right hand comes between my legs to rub my clit that's still sensitive from earlier and I moan with every circle he makes.

With his actions continuing, I try to focus on riding him, receiving almost identical noises from him that he's getting out of me, and it keeps me going, allowing me to ignore the burning in my legs.

"I'm close," he warns me.

"So am I," I've been holding off my incoming orgasm, wanting to finish with him.

"Circle your clit for me, yeah?" he stops doing so, making me take the lead. He then suddenly lifts his knees, forcing me forward a little and he thrusts up into me at a vicious pace that I so badly was craving.

Within seconds I'm crumbling around him, and my orgasm breaks through, shattering me, "Fuck, Nath."

He kisses me harshly, gripping my hips, keeping me in place until he lets out a low groan as he finally fills me, chanting my name. His cock twitches, his cum pooling out of me and he quickly flips me back over and grabs his shirt from the floor to save my bed sheets.

"I forgot how messy not using a condom is," he says, wiping between my legs with the clothing.

"Don't you need that shirt?" I ask with a laugh.

"I'll buy another, I don't think I could ever wear it again knowing it's had both of our cum on it," he lays down, putting his arm around me as I lay on his chest.

"Thank you for sacrificing your shirt for us," I chuckle, reaching up to comb through his hair.

"Worth it," he presses a kiss on my head, "Thank you for trusting me, Iris."

"You did the work and proved you were worth trusting," I say, looking up at him and his thick lashes.

"I'm happy," he lays his head on top of mine.

"I don't think you'll be that happy when I move to grab my sandwich in a minute," I find myself letting out a giggle.

"Five minutes?" he bargains and as soon as he does, my belly flutters in a way I've never felt before, shocking me upright, "What's wrong? What happened?"

"I think," I put my hand on my bump, "I think one of them just kicked."

"I don't know if you're joking or not, Rhodes," he sits up too and I shake my head, grabbing his hand and putting it on my bump. I know he won't feel it, but logically I'm not thinking right.

"It felt like butterflies, like fluttering," I look at him and a large smile spreads to his face, "Oh my God."

"That's definitely kicking. Where was it, baby A or baby B?" he asks.

"Baby B, the top one," I say, then laugh, "She clearly does not agree with you, watch this little one be the cause of all my morning sickness."

"You still sticking with the fact they're both girls to piss me off?" he laughs.

"Yeah," I nod as simply as that before I lean over and grab the plate he brought up earlier. "Sandwich for you, sandwich for me and the beans."

We get comfortable, putting the television on, with me in his arms, eating sandwiches and snacks until we find sleep an hour later. 

~~~~~

My favourite chapter BY FAR! Sorry for the lame smut, could have been better, but truly i suck at writing it lol!

Full disclosure, I'm not highly intellectual on Ice Hockey, but I've been to a couple of games, I enjoy the sport and what Iris knows is what I know and that's all that matters haha.

Hope you enjoyed :)