"Yeah! Woohoo! Go Banks!"
Charlie's enthusiasm was a life-saver. It was still only the first period and already it was proving to be a great back-and-forth game. Every time Julie found her gaze locked on the back on Stahl's jersey Charlie made a well-timed comment that pulled her attention back to where it should be.
The three of them; Charlie, Linda, and Julie, were seated in a nice little suite in the arena with a decent buffet of food and drink. Only Julie didn't have an appetite after a filling lunch of pasta and learning that the man who knocked her up was in the same building. Talk about shattered nerves. She kept trying to take calming breaths and it seemed to be working along with Charlie's commentary. It wasn't like she was actually going to see him face to face. Right?
"What a beauty of a goal," Charlie added in at the end of his celebration. Adam had just netted a goal to open the scoring between the teams, "I've seen him make that move countless times, a little predictable but hard to stop."
Julie finally let out a laugh, "You got that right; Banks gave me fits with that move."
"Do you still play Julie?" asked Linda.
She shrugged, "Not really since we graduated from the Academy. I probably could have found a university to play for but it was time to find something else."
"You miss it don't you," Charlie eyed her knowingly, "I do too."
"Sometimes, but I really want to be a chef. I've learned that some dreams just aren't meant to come true," she giggled and thought back to her childhood, "I'll never be a pro goalie in the NHL."
He gently nudged her in the shoulder, "If anyone could have done it then it would be you."
"Thanks Charlie."
Early in the second period the Kings tied it up and then the grind was on. It was a pretty exciting match either team was truly dominant the whole way through, the momentum equally shifted to both sides. When Gunnar got the go-ahead goal late in the period Julie felt knots form in her stomach and she tried to soothe herself by running her palms over the jersey she wore for the Wild.
"That damn Stahl," Charlie grinned and watched with everyone else as LA celebrated their goal before heading to the bench for a quick line change, "he's too skilled for his own good. The guy really has some sick hands."
Julie mentally groaned knowing he wasn't just skilled on the ice but off it as well. And it was Linda who continued on in conversation, "Oh do you guys know him or something?"
"Funny story actually," Charlie sat back and turned to his girlfriend, "he was the captain of the team we beat in a junior championship game. Kind of a jerk but he turned out alright in the end. Fast forward a few years later and poor Julie has a little run-in with him."
Linda looked over to the other girl with a laugh, "Uh oh, what happened?"
Yes, uh oh just about summed it up. Doing her best to steady her racing heart and shaky voice, she finished the story, "Charlie and I were in New York because of Adam being in the draft. Thanks to a clerical error they put me in this guy's room on accident, something we didn't figure out until he walked in and found me in the room he'd reserved months in advance."
Charlie wriggled his brows at her, "Good thing you weren't naked, huh?"
She felt the urge to glare at him but her anxiety over the whole discussion was clawing at her. Curse it all, she really needed to calm her heart down. Luckily the second period ended and she excused herself to the rest room. Not only to give the couple a bit of privacy but also to put in a good effort to try and relax. It was working yet only after she splashed a bit of water on her face.
She returned after walking a little bit to continue settling her nerves to find Charlie and Linda lip-locked. Julie was happy for them it seemed they were both on the same page this time around. She playfully cleared her throat and smiled as they looked at her with blushes in full effect. With a teasing elbow to Charlie as she sat down there were just a few minutes left before the third period began.
Minnesota came out with purpose and it didn't take long for LA to take a penalty and the Wild to capitalize on a power play goal. With the game all tied up the action turned up a notch as both teams wanted the win in regulation. They thought for sure the game was headed to overtime, but in thrilling fashion the Wild scored with less than 20 seconds left on the clock. The Kings pulled their goalie in a last ditch effort to tie it up again but the game ended 2-1 with Minnesota taking the win.
With the game over Julie was the one to escort Charlie and Linda to the location they agreed to meet up with Adam ahead of time. They all knew they were going out with the team for a late dinner and now to celebrate the win. It was an exciting prospect, especially for Charlie, it was a golden opportunity for him to create more connections in the hockey world.
They had to wait nearly 20 minutes until Adam finally joined them and explained just where they were going. Seeing as Charlie knew the place he and Linda agreed to meet them there. Julie gave Adam a hug in congratulations for the win and the goal before they stepped into his car. It was clear he was still really pumped up from the game and was talking really fast for the whole drive. It was good because his familiar banter completely set her at ease. Now that she knew there would be no seeing of Gunnar Stahl she could fully relax.
Before they went inside Julie removed his jersey to which he grinned and promised to sign it for her later. Pulling out her trusty eyeliner and lip gloss she felt ready to enjoy the rest of the night. All of that anxiety had built up from earlier and a little dancing actually sounded nice.
Adam explained to the bouncer that he was with the Wild and they were let in right away, there was a flurry of people already there and he pulled her under his arm to keep her close and away from drunken idiots that might accidentally bump into her.
Spotting a few of his teammates they headed over to the VIP section and he sat her down. He kissed her cheek and told her he was going to wait for Charlie and Linda outside to make sure they got in okay. She nodded over the loud music and turned to ask for some water. Luckily it didn't take long for him to return with their friends, and while they were gone a few of his fellow Wild players made sure to talk to her and fussed over her. It was pretty amusing to watch these grown men think of her as a glass doll. She was pregnant, that didn't mean she couldn't enjoy the evening.
Charlie and Linda immediately went to dance together and finally Julie managed to drag Adam out there with her. They didn't stay out there long but it was fun while it lasted. The water seemed to be going right through her and while she was in the bathroom again her friends were going to get some food.
It happened on the way back to them. She passed a huge C-shaped sofa lounge and paused at the sight that greeted her. Gunnar was sitting there with she guessed a few of his teammates and the area was littered with barely dressed women. Julie swallowed down her instant panic and inner turmoil. She knew she needed to move before he saw her but felt frozen. And just as though time was moving in slow motion she observed that mysterious gaze of his begin to look her over. She turned her back on him knowing that she wasn't ready yet. Not yet, not with his teammates right there. He couldn't see her pregnant with his child with so many people right here!
"Julie?" She closed her eyes painfully at his all too familiar and sexy accented voice. Looking over her shoulder she found that he was staring right at her with surprise clear in the depth of his eyes. He stood and took a few steps in her direction, "It really is you."
"Gunnar," she barely even heard herself speak his name, "hi."
Those captivating grey eyes looked over the backside of her body, "You look…" he trailed off, how did he describe that her beauty was practically glowing she was so radiant. Damn, she was just as stunning as he remembered. And every detail of their night together slammed into his mind and body immediately. He would never forget those precious blue eyes glazed over with desire as their bodies intimately connected.
"Um," she gulped and still continued to look back at him, it was time and she had to do this, "can I talk to you? In private?"
"Yah, of course, let's go outside."
She nodded and led the way, wanting to wait until they were alone before showing him the product of their passionate evening in bed. Stepping out into the cool night air she led him to the side of the building and was glad to find that no one was there. Julie stopped and closed her eyes to build the courage to finally face him. Face the man whose life she was about to destroy.
His hands were then on her shoulders and she felt his body move in close against her from behind. His lips ghosted over her ear filling her with erotic shivers. Even after all this time he remembered just how much she loved to feel his lips and breath on her neck as he whispered, "You were there, weren't you? You came to see me in Los Angeles?"
She opened her eyes in surprise, glad they still weren't facing each other, "How did you know?"
"The security guard that helped you; Joe, he told me and I tried to go after you. Julie," he paused sounding both confused and hurt, "why didn't you stay?"
Here it was, the moment that she finally revealed everything to him, "I was scared, nervous, I wasn't as brave as I thought I was."
Gunnar stilled and pulled away from her slightly, "Why would I frighten you?" But her silence was the only answer so he tugged at her hand to get her to turn around, "Julie why won't you look at me?"
"Because I don't know what you'll do."
Alarm hit him as she was obviously crying, what did he do to scare her this much? She should never be afraid of him. He watched as she took in a deep breath and finally began to turn and face him. His thumbs automatically came up to wipe away the tears in her eyes. He then stepped in closer to her and held her face in his hands, "I think about you, about that night, I think about it all the time."
"Gunnar please," she cried and pulled away from him to desperately cling to whatever strength she had inside. His words, his touch, it was too much, "you're going to hate me."
With a frown he shook his head, "I doubt that's possible," if anything it was potentially the exact opposite of what he felt for her.
With shaky breaths she grabbed both of his hands in her own, "That night, what we shared, it will always stay with me," more tears fell from her lashes as she finally put his hands on her stomach, "always."
At first he didn't understand what she was saying but then he moved his palms over where she placed them and felt the gentle curve. His hands explored the once incredibly flat and toned abdomen only now to find it slightly swollen. Gunnar couldn't believe what he was feeling, what this meant. Julie was pregnant…with his child. She was carrying his baby. This little bump under his curious hands was his, it had to be he already knew it. He made this.
He swallowed heavily with his gaze never leaving the now very obvious roundness of her stomach, "I'm going to be a father."
There was so much awe and confusion lacing his voice Julie let out a broken sob, "Yes."
He widened his eyes at the tears still falling from her lovely eyes, looking at her face he could see just how much pain she feeling inside. The more all of this caught up to him the more he began to truly comprehend what was going on here. Anger was suddenly building within and he removed his hands from her, from his child. "You came to LA to tell me," she was still trying to calm herself down as he continued, "but you left without saying a word."
There was a definite edge to his tone of voice and she tried to explain, "I was scared and alone."
"You were a coward," he snapped at her. "How long has it been?"
She closed her eyes and accepted whatever was about to happen next, "5 months."
"5 months," he uttered in disbelief, "were you ever going to tell me? Yah, don't bother lying, if I hadn't called out to you tonight I still wouldn't know a damn thing."
"Gunnar I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I didn't want to ruin your life."
He threw up his hands at her and stepped further away in his frustration, "Ruin my life? Not telling me I have a child, not even giving me a chance to know about my own baby's existence would ruin my life. 5 months," he sounded exasperated, "fuck Julie how much have I missed?"
She flinched, "I'm sorry."
His accent was heavy with his anger as he moved closer to her, "Is that all you can say? That you're sorry?"
Julie instinctively blocked her stomach from him and prepared for the strike. Gunnar's eyes looked at her protecting their child like he would actually hit her. The inner disgust was thick when he realized there was only one reason she would react that way and it made his blood run cold. Did someone hit her while pregnant with his baby?
A/N **Blu: I wasn't sure about this chapter, its such an important turn in the story. What do y'all think?