My Hockey Alpha



Nina

I woke up to the sharp pang of nausea hitting me like a freight train. My stomach was a swirl of discomfort, making the mere thought of breakfast unbearable. Enzo, lying beside me, seemed to sense my discomfort before I even articulated it, his eyes clouded with residual tension from our argument last night.

"Morning," he said, his voice cautious. "How are you feeling?"

*Not great," I admitted, clutching my belly. "Morning sickness is a nightmare."

He looked concerned, sitting up. "Let's get you something to eat, then. Something to settle your stomach."

"I guess," I muttered, my heart sinking at the thought. I could almost smell the hotel breakfast from here-syrupy French toast, eggs, bacon-all of which made my stomach churn.

He noticed my hesitation and furrowed his brow. "What's wrong?"

"It's just..." I began, nearly choking on the words, "the smell alone will make me sick, I'm afraid."

Enzo sighed, getting out of bed and beginning to dig through his bag for some clothes. "Alright, how about this? We'll ditch the hotel breakfast and get you something you could actually stomach.. I think there's a cafe down the street; maybe they will have something that won't make you queasy."

"No, don't worry about me. I can just make some dry toast here," I offered, not wanting to trouble him, especially after our argument last night.

Enzo looked at me like I had grown two heads. "I'm not just going to let my pregnant wife lay alone in a hotel room eating dry toast. No way."

Before I could argue, he was slipping his hoodie over his head, brushing his teeth, and holding out his hand for me to take it. "Come on, let's go."

As we walked hand-in-hand down the street, I felt my moming fog lifting, replaced by a newfound appetite triggered by the inviting aroma emanating from the cafe. The scent of herbal tea and freshly baked bread filled the air, instantly comforting my roiling stomach and the clenching sensation in my throat.

"Here." Enzo guided me to a seat by the window, offering a warm smile that was just as much of a comfort as the scent of chocolate croissants in the air. "Why don't you sit down and relax? I'll get us something to eat."

As I settled in, watching him approach the counter, I was hit with a wave of guilt. Despite our argument last night, here he was, doing everything he could to make me comfortable. He was a good man, a wonderful husband, and it pained me to think of how unfair I had been to him.

He returned a few minutes later, balancing a tray laden with food: herbal tea, fresh fruit, cream cheese bagels, and, to my absolute delight, chocolate croissants-my favorite.

"Wow, Enzo, this looks amazing," I said, taking it all in.

He chuckled, setting the tray down. "I figured you'd like the croissants. They're your favorite, after all."

I picked one up, taking a bite and relishing the velvety chocolate and flaky pastry. "I don't know what I did to deserve you," I said, my eyes misty with gratitude.

*You existed," he replied, softly. "That's all it took."

"Thank you," I said quietly. "You're the best."

He smiled, his eyes meeting mine in a silent exchange that spoke volumes. "It's nothing. Nina. Absolutely nothing to do something like this for the woman I love."

We ate in silence for a few minutes, both of us still waking up. But as I savored the last bite of my chocolate croissant, I could feel Enzo's gaze fixed on me. I looked up, meeting his eyes, and there it was-the unspoken

tension from last night, still lingering between us.

*Listen, um... Can we talk?" Enzo finally broke the silence.

*About?" I asked, although I already knew what he meant.

*Last night. Nina, it still bothers me that you felt embarrassed to share our story."

I sighed, placing my cup of tea on the table. "Look, Enzo, I'm not embarrassed by you. It's just complicated, okay?

I was a virgin when we met, and my ex-boyfriend had just cheated on me that very night. Our story can look

messy to people who don't know us. Hell, it is messy no matter how you look at it."

He shrugged. "So what? Every love story is messy in its own way. Ours is no different. And besides, it's not like you'd need to share every detail."

"Yeah, but I don't like the way that Mila was probing. Something tells me that she would have gotten it out of me sooner or later and she would have made it even worse."

Enzo paused, taking in my words. "Nina, I already told you that you don't need to worry about Mila. And besides, if you're so concerned about how it sounds, why not just make up a fake story?"

My eyes widened at his suggestion. "Make up a fake story? Is that what you really want me to do?"

He sighed, looking genuinely frustrated. "No, of course it's not. But it seems like that's what you would prefer; a more Disney-worthy love story. I just don't want you to feel like you have to hide anything, Nina. We should be proud of our story, regardless of how it started. All that matters is where we are now."

*I know, and I am proud. I'm incredibly proud to be your wife, to be carrying our child," I said, my hand instinctively moving to my belly. "I just don't want to be judged, especially not by people like Mila."

"Oh my god," he muttered, shaking head. "Nina, how many times do I have to tell you-*

"I know, I know," I interrupted, gripping the edge of the table so hard my knuckles turned white. "But Enzo, I know how I saw it. And she was probing. She's interested in you; I'm a woman, I can tell."Exclusive content © by Nô(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.

*Fine," he said, letting out an exasperated sigh. "But it shouldn't matter, Nina. I'd never be interested in her. Period. You have nothing to worry about."

My eyes met his, and for a moment, all of the tension seemed to dissolve. I sighed and lowered my gaze to the table. "Look," I murmured. "I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't be worried. Honestly, it's silly of me to even think for a second that you'd give another woman the time of day."

He reached for my hand, holding it tightly as if sealing our pact. "Hey, let's move past this, okay? Let's talk about something else; like, what do you want to do today? I have to work, but I'll be free afterwards."

Truth be told, I had given it some thought. "I was thinking I could check out a museum while you're working. Give you some space, take a little time for myself."

"A museum, huh?" He chuckled. "That sounds like it would be good for you."

"Exactly," I said with a smile. "So, you could pick me up later and we could grab dinner or something?"

He squeezed my hand, a loving glint in his eyes. "Alright. It's a date."