Two Years Later || Book II

Chapter Thirteen - Endless Skies

"Are you kidding me?!" I cried, almost certain he could hear my smile in my voice, "That's amazing, Michael!"

"We can have all the guys in on it, and their girlfriends and-"

"But, what about you?" He interrupted my banter.

"What about me?" I asked, knowing exactly what he meant.

"What are you going to do about the baby situation?"

"Nothing," I shrugged, "At least, not yet. I don't want to take away from your big announcement!"

"Are you sure?" He questioned cautiously.

"Positive." I nodded. "Now, what do you want to do for the big announcement?"

"Okay, so..."

He continued on, saying how he wanted it to be very romantic; in front of not only the guys and our staff, but the fans as well. He was planning it for tomorrow night, after I had arrived back in Winnipeg for the game.

"That sounds great," I smiled, "Nicola will definitely be surprised!"

"But, that's not all," he paused, I was wondering if you could say a few things... On behalf of Anna. I know how they always planned to be there for each other."

"Say no more," My voice broke. I stared up at the ceiling as I spoke, "I'll make it special. I know how much Anna would've loved to be here for Nicola."

"I'm sure she'll be smiling down on you guys tomorrow night."

---

It was almost 3 AM, and our plane had just landed in Winnipeg. I looked next to me, only to see Daniela's sleeping face rested upon my shoulder. She had the slightest of smiles, which made me feel a pang of guilt, as I had to wake her up.

"Babe?" I whispered in her ear. She stirred, but fell back to sleep. "We're here." I whispered again.

"Huh?" Her eyes opened slowly, rubbing them to adjust to the bright lights of the plane. She perked up almost immediately after realizing we had landed.

"We're here?" She smiled groggily.

I nodded.

The snow covered city was much different from what we experienced in Prague. Sure, there was snow back home, but it was nothing compared to the four-foot-something snow piles in Winnipeg.

"Damn," Daniela muttered suddenly, breaking me from my gaze out the window at the white world around us. "It's freaking cold." She giggled.

"Tell me about it," I teased, pulling my coat off and wrapping it around her, "I've lived here for over three years already. And I signed a five-year deal with the Jets."

She raised her brows. "Haven't you ever wondered what it would be like to play in a hot city, with no snow?"

"Not really," I shrugged, "I tried it once back in Atlanta... It wasn't too much fun, to be completely honest. To me, hockey is a winter sport, and to just have the snowy, cold atmosphere around while you play it; well, it just can't get much better than that! And during my time in Atlanta, I found that the southern, hotter States care more for summer sports, as they have the climate for it. On top of all that, I lucked out to be playing alongside such a great group of guys... And not to mention, how fantastic Jets fans are."

"Plus, if I weren't here, right now, I wouldn't have met you, would I?"

She smiled softly, resting her head on my shoulder.