“I had an Ob/Gyn appointment,” Elli said, pointing to the building beside Audrey’s future cupcakery. Glancing there, Audrey watched as a woman with a baby stroller came out and then walked past them. Could she deal with watching pregnant women and moms walk by her cupcakery every day? That could be depressing, but in a way it was good, because pregnant women loved cupcakes.
It was a tough decision.
“Cool,” she said to Elli. “I was just with James; he was showing me this space.”
“For what?” Elli asked, tucking her hands in her pockets.
“I’m opening a cupcakery,” Audrey said proudly. “And I think this is my space.”
“Shut up! That’s amazing! Congratulations. Come here, give me another hug,” Elli gushed, then hugged Audrey tightly. “I am so proud of you!”
“Thank you,” Audrey said. “I’m really excited.”
“You should be! That is so great,” Elli said with a bright smile. “Well, darlin’ I might need to be your first customer because Harper is going to need to order cupcakes for the boys’ baby shower.”
“Boys? As in plural?” Audrey asked, her brows coming together.
“Yeah.” She pointed to one side of her belly, said, “Evan Michael,” then pointed to the other side. “And Owen Marcus.”
She looked up and grinned as Audrey sputtered, “You’re having twin boys?”
“Yep. I’m having them June seventeenth, so hopefully the Assassins will sweep everyone and win the cup early, though I highly doubt it,” she complained. “He’ll probably be off somewhere winning a hockey game, while I’m having his sons cut out of me.”
“Wow, I am amazed by you. Are you gonna make him quit?”
Elli laughed. “I can’t. He loves it, and who am I to take away something he loves? I love him too much to make him stay off the road, so I’ll deal with it. I am woman, hear me roar.”
Audrey laughed as she shook her head. “You are spectacular, Elli, really.”
“Ah, ya know, I do my best,” she said with a grin. “But I gotta go, it’s cold as hell out here, and Grace has Shelli and Posey. So I’ll see you later?”
“Sure, call me about those cupcakes!”
“I sure will, or Harper will!” she said, walking away with a wave.
Audrey watched her, then turned to look at her building again. She could just see Audrey Jane’s written in a pretty pink script. The windows would hold displays of all the cupcake stands Tate had given her. Cute little tables made to look like high heels. A zebra print carpet, sparkling pink counter, and pink fuzzy chandeliers. She could see it all, right there in front of her. This was her dream, and it was about to be her reality.
Burping, she covered her mouth as she looked around. She took a deep breath, then dialed James’s number. He answered right away.
“What are you thinking?” he asked.
“I’m thinking I want it,” she told him.
“Why are you so nervous?” Tate looked up to see Lucas giving him a dirty look. “This is easier than the regular season, we go out and have fun.”
“No, you get to have fun, I need to be super ninja goalie against every great forward in the league,” Tate spat back, taking in a lungful of air.
Lucas thought for a moment, then nodded, “I guess I would be nervous too.”
“Ass,” Tate muttered as Lucas walked away, laughing.
It was the night of the All-Star game. In less than five minutes he would be skating in front of a crowd of thousands as they announced his name. He couldn’t believe he had been invited to play, and even though he was worried about Audrey, he was glad she’d made him come. He would have regretted missing this even if he felt bad leaving her at home. It was an amazing experience. The whole week, he hung out with veteran players and even a few new players. He got to meet some of the greats in the leagues and even was able to pick the brain of the amazing Bob Timoney. It was awesome, and he’d had a great week, but now he had a game to play. Taking a deep breath, Tate stood in his red All-Star jersey before exhaling. He raised his arms above his head, let them fall, then shook them out.