My Hockey Alpha by Eve Above Story PDF

Chapter 0498

Nina

I hung up the phone with my mother, and a newfound revelation began to wash over me.

Maybe my mother was right; maybe I could do this after all. Maybe it would be difficult, and maybe there would be a lot of late nights spent awake, a lot of exhaustion, a lot of worries. But I think that I knew what I wanted now, what I had wanted for a long time.

I kept thinking back to that young mother in the park. She could have only been about my age, in her early twenties, but she looked so happy with her little toddler. Of course there were, without a doubt, plenty of struggles in her life when it came to being a young mother. But at the same time, the joy in her eyes was almost palpable.

I wasn't quite ready to admit that to myself, but I knew that I wanted that. Finding out that I was pregnant after all, after my disappointment, felt like a second chance.

And no, I wouldn't need to give up on my dreams. Neither would Enzo. I was certain that we could make it work no matter what.

In the span of that short conversation with my mother, the future became clear to me. Maybe it wasn't the most perfect decision that I could have made, but I made my decision about the pregnancy nonetheless.

I couldn't wait to tell Enzo. No more lingering doubts, no more internal debates; I knew what I wanted now.

Not even five minutes had passed before the low rumble of a motorcycle pulling into the driveway interrupted my thoughts. Enzo was home.

Eager, I swung open the front door even before he got a chance to turn the knob. But as soon as I saw his face, a serious mask that I couldn't quite decipher, my stomach dropped.

masking my emotions with a

he brushed past me and into the kitchen, where he kicked off his boots and seemed to let out a weary

how much to tell me. "I was at a gas station. Saw what looked like Edward in a pickup truck. I tried following

first instinct was to play dumb, to protect him-and maybe myself-from the harsh reality. But then he continued before I could utter a word, as though

I talked

weight of my deception becoming too much to bear. "Yes," I admitted. "I

slightly. "How long have you known? And why didn't you tell

night of your last hockey game. I didn't want to ruin that night for you. And then-then this whole pregnancy thing happened,

we've been through this. Transparency, remember? Especially with threats like

I admitted, feeling the sting of his words. "I messed up. With this and the pregnancy, I've been... I've been

softened, but the disappointment remained. "But Nina, being lost doesn't mean you

my eyes welling up with tears that I refused to let

us felt like a growing chasm, and I felt like it was all my fault; all thanks to my reluctance to be open, to share my

you would be more open with me about stuff," Enzo said quietly, leaning against

slowly. "I know. Ever

voice trailed off. We both knew what I was going to say: ever since... well, everything, I had been growing more and more reluctant to talk about things. It was as if I thought it was best to deal with everything internally, to not burden anyone else with my pain. Hell, I didn't even know my reasons for it. It just felt

mind tonight. My decision about the pregnancy still

met mine, a mingling of curiosity and caution in his gaze. "You're looking at me like there's something else

the nearby vanilla-scented candle, its soft glow casting shadows

of my thoughts, pushing her way to the