Chapter 4

Three Months Pregnant

Paige hated being late.

Everyone at UConn knew it.

If practice started at 3:00, Paige was there at 2:15.

If film started at noon, Paige was there at 11:45.

And leaving practice early?

That practically never happened.

Which was exactly why she was currently standing outside Coach Geno Auriemma’s office trying to gather the courage to knock.

Her heart was pounding.

She’d told her mom.

She’d gotten married.

She’d accepted that she was going to be a parent.

But telling Geno somehow felt terrifying.

“Stop being dramatic,” she muttered to herself.

Then she knocked.

“Come in.”

Paige opened the door.

Geno looked up from his desk.

“What’s wrong?”

Paige blinked.

“What?”

“You only look that nervous when something’s wrong.”

Paige sat down.

Immediately regretted sitting down.

Then stood back up.

Then sat down again.

Geno stared at her.

“Paige.”

“Yeah?”

“You’re freaking me out.”

That earned the smallest laugh.

“Sorry.”

Geno leaned back in his chair.

“Talk to me.”

Paige swallowed.

Then said it.

“My wife is pregnant.”

Silence.

Complete silence.

Geno blinked.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

“Your wife?”

Paige nodded.

“We got married a couple months ago.”

More silence.

Then-

“You got married?”

Paige nodded again.

“And she’s pregnant?”

“Yeah.”

Geno rubbed his face.

Not because he was angry.

Mostly because it clearly wasn’t the conversation he’d expected to have that afternoon.

Finally, he laughed.

A long, disbelieving laugh.

“Well.”

Paige nervously shifted in her chair.

“Well?”

“That’s not what I expected you to tell me today.”

Paige laughed.

“Yeah.”

Geno shook his head.

Then his expression softened.

“You okay?”

The question surprised her.

“Yeah.”

“And she okay?”

“Yeah.”

A smile appeared on Paige’s face.

“Everything’s good.”

Geno nodded.

“Then congratulations.”

The relief that washed over Paige nearly knocked her over.

“Really?”

“Really.”

Paige smiled.

For the first time since entering the office.

“I actually came in here because…”

She looked at the floor.

“The baby’s three-month appointment is today.”

Geno immediately understood.

“And you want to be there.”

Paige nodded.

“I really want to be there.”

The coach didn’t even hesitate.

“Go.”

“What?”

“Go.”

Paige blinked.

“That’s it?”

“Paige.”

He pointed toward the door.

“Get out of my office.”

She laughed.

“You sure?”

“You’ve missed exactly zero responsibilities since you’ve been here.”

Paige smiled.

“Thank you.”

Geno waved her off.

“And if anybody gives you a hard time, send them to me.”

Paige left the office grinning.

For the first time all day, she could breathe.

—

Practice ended a little before five.

As soon as the final drill ended, Paige headed straight toward the locker room.

She was halfway through packing her bag when she noticed everyone staring.

Especially Nika Mühl.

“Why are you packing up?”

Paige froze.

“No reason.”

Nika narrowed her eyes.

“You always stay.”

Across the room, Azzi Fudd looked equally suspicious.

“She’s right.”

Paige zipped her bag.

“Guys.”

“You literally live in the gym,” Azzi said.

“You practiced an extra forty minutes yesterday.”

“And the day before,” Nika added.

“And the day before that,” said Aaliyah Edwards.

Paige pointed at them.

“Why are you all keeping track?”

“Because you’re weird,” Aaliyah replied.

The entire locker room laughed.

Even freshmen like KK Arnold and Ashlynn Shade looked confused.

“You have somewhere to be,” Nika said.

It wasn’t a question.

Paige grabbed her bag.

“Maybe.”

Nika gasped dramatically.

“She does.”

“Guys.”

“She’s abandoning basketball.”

“That’s not happening.”

Azzi pointed.

“Then where are you going?”

Paige immediately started walking backward toward the door.

“No comment.”

The team erupted into questions.

Paige escaped before anyone could stop her.

—

Five twenty-five.

Paige practically ran through the doors of the doctor’s office.

She was five minutes late.

Traffic had been awful.

Every red light had felt personal.

Her heart pounded as she rushed toward the reception desk.

“Room three.”

The receptionist smiled.

“They’re waiting for you.”

Relief instantly flooded her chest.

Paige hurried down the hallway.

When she opened the door, you immediately smiled.

“There you are.”

Paige crossed the room in seconds.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

“You sure?”

You laughed.

“Paige.”

The doctor smiled.

“Your wife specifically told me we weren’t starting without you.”

Paige looked at you.

Your smile softened.

“You wanted to be here.”

That nearly made her emotional.

—

A few minutes later, the lights dimmed.

The ultrasound screen flickered to life.

Paige sat beside you.

One hand wrapped around yours.

The other resting gently against your shoulder.

The room was quiet.

The technician moved the wand.

Then suddenly-

There.

A tiny figure appeared on the screen.

Paige froze.

“Oh.”

It was the only word she could manage.

The baby looked impossibly small.

Yet undeniably real.

The technician smiled.

“There’s your baby.”

Paige couldn’t look away.

Neither could you.

Then the room filled with a sound.

Fast.

Steady.

Beautiful.

A heartbeat.

The baby’s heartbeat.

Paige felt tears immediately sting her eyes.

The sound echoed through the room.

And suddenly everything became real all over again.

Not just a pregnancy.

Not just an idea.

Not just a future plan.

A baby.

Your baby.

Their baby.

Paige’s eyes never left the screen.

“That’s…”

She couldn’t finish.

You squeezed her hand.

“I know.”

The technician smiled knowingly.

“Pretty amazing, isn’t it?”

Paige nodded.

Unable to speak.

—

A few minutes later, the doctor entered.

Everything looked healthy.

The baby was growing perfectly.

Both of you listened carefully.

Then came a question.

One that immediately grabbed Paige’s attention.

“Would you like to know the gender?”

The room fell silent.

You looked at Paige.

Paige looked at you.

Neither of you had talked much about it beforehand.

Finally, you smiled.

“Do you want to know?”

Paige nodded immediately.

“Absolutely.”

You laughed.

“Then yes.”

The doctor smiled.

“Alright.”

For a moment, Paige thought her heart might actually stop.

The doctor studied the screen.

Then looked back at both of you.

“I can tell you that you’re having a girl.”

Silence.

Then-

“A girl?”

Paige’s entire face lit up.

“A girl?”

The doctor laughed.

“Yes.”

You immediately grabbed Paige’s hand.

Paige was already crying.

A girl.

They were having a daughter.

A little girl.

The thought completely overwhelmed her.

You were laughing through your own tears now.

“A girl.”

Paige looked back at the screen.

At the tiny baby who was still too small to understand how loved she already was.

And for the first time, she found herself imagining the future.

Tiny shoes.

Tiny clothes.

Bedtime stories.

First birthdays.

Teaching her how to dribble a basketball.

Watching her grow up.

Every moment.

Every milestone.

Every memory.

Paige gently rested a hand on your stomach.

A huge smile spreading across her face.

“Our daughter.”

You leaned against her shoulder.

“Our daughter.”

And for the rest of the appointment, neither of you stopped smiling.