Playing House

“Tired?” Ben grinned as I yawned for the millionth time.

“Very,” I confirmed, settling against the seat. He was currently driving me and the triplets home from the hospital. They had made me and the babies stay until they thought it was safe for us to be on our own at home. Today was finally the day where I wouldn’t be sleeping in a hospital bed.

The downside, however, was that while I’d be in my own bed, I probably wouldn’t be doing much sleeping. In the hospital, they took care of the babies. Now, that was all on me and Ben. There’d be no sleeping through the night for a long, long time.

I glanced behind me, where the babies were sleeping in their carriers that locked onto the seat.

“Are they sleeping?”

“I think so,” I said, noting the silence.

“Are you okay?” He asked me, grabbing my hand. I looked out the window, avoiding eye contact.

“Mhm.”

“Mal,” he called. “Amalia.”

I turned my head to look at him, and he glanced at me before turning his eyes back onto the road.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m just being insecure,” I told him. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Insecure?” He dug.

“About us,” I stated. Ben glanced at me longer this time, and also more curiously. “I just can’t shake the feeling that you’re still upset with me.”

“Amalia, we’ve been back together for like, months,” Ben pointed out.

“I told you I was just feeling insecure. And I’m sorry I can’t help the way I feel,” I mumbled.

“Mal, I love you, okay? We both did stupid shit and we’re both over it, alright?”

I nodded and whispered an “I love you too.” Ben smiled and squeezed my hand before focusing on driving once more. I was so excited to see Ben’s house, and I started to feel giddy at being home again.

“Sit tight, okay? I’m going to go bring the babies in and then I’ll come back for you, alright?”

“Ben, I can walk by-”

“Please?” He requested.

“Fine,” I sighed, smiling. I knew Ben enjoyed when I was the ‘damsel in distress,’ and he had to take care of me.

I can’t say I minded much either.

It took me a moment to realize Ben had been gone longer than he should have been, but before I could get out he came into view once more.

“Ready Ma?” He asked, opening my door and slipping his arms around me. I glared at him but let him pick me up and carry me out of the car. He kicked the door shut with his foot and I wrapped my arms around his neck. Just as he was about to open the door I tugged him down a little, causing him to give me a confused look. I smiled up at him and bit my lip, and he finally grinned in understanding.

Ben leaned down and kissed me softly on the lips, tightening his arms around me a little more. He pulled away slowly and pecked me once more in the cheek.

“Ready?”

“Why do you keep asking me that?”

Ben just shrugged and kicked the door open, his gaze never leaving mine.

“Surprise!” A chorus of voiced called out from inside. I jumped a little, turning my head to see a bunch of people inside Ben’s house. Ben chuckled at me, and I turned my head back to look at him.

“Welcome home,” he said softly. I smiled broadly at him and everyone else, and when I looked up I saw a big banner that said Welcome Home Amalia and Co.

Ben sat me down on the couch and everyone surrounded me, greeting me with hugs and kisses.

“Mommy!” Beau and Maddie yelled out, running full speed at me.

“Woah there, partners,” Patrick Kane said, swooping them up before they could reach me. “Be gentle with your mom, alright?”

“Woah there, partners?” I asked, grinning at him as he set them on my lap.

“What?” He defended, blushing a little.

“We were playing cowboys,” Beau told me. “Kaner was our horse.”

Patrick blushed again, and I made a mental note to never let him live that down. I also made a mental note of finding out who taught my kids to call him ‘Kaner.’

Once Beau and Maddie were distracted by something else, everyone else bombarded me with questions and greetings. A lot of people brought presents, since I never had a baby shower or anything. Ben stood off to the side, just leaning against a wall as he looked on, every so often sending me a wink or a smile.

“We have one more big surprise,” Adam Burish told me.

“Oh God,” I voiced worriedly.

“Ha-ha,” Adam replied sarcastically. “Ben, grab your baby-momma and let’s go show her.” Ben smirked and picked me up, following the other men up the stairs. He set me down right outside the guest room I used to stay in, and they opened the door slowly.

They let me walk in first, and I was greeted with a brightly painted room and three cribs. My mouth hung open slightly as I looked around, taking in all of the new nursery they had converted the room into.

“You like it?” Patrick Sharp asked me. I looked at him and nodded, the tears in my eyes rendering me speechless. He chuckled and pulled me in for a hug, and before long Adam pulled me away and gave me his own hug.

“Stop hogging her Sharpie,” he had said.

Ben rolled his eyes and untangled Adam from around me, wiping the tears from my eyes.

“I know we’re keeping them in our room for a little bit, but I figured I couldn’t really surprise you unless we did it while you were at the hospital,” Ben informed.

“I love it Ben,” I smiled, kissing him on the lips.

“Cooties,” Adam remarked, shivering.

“You act so much like Kaner sometimes I wonder about you,” Patrick Sharp noted. Adam glared at him as a few of their other teammates laughed.

A few moments of silence went by, followed by a whiney “Hey,” from Patrick Kane.

The guys all laughed again, and it was almost eerie the way they did it in sync. Those boys spent way too much time together.

A few hours later, there were only a few guys left, and they were currently helping clean up before leaving. Beau and Maddie had passed out hours ago, and Brian Campbell had brought them upstairs to sleep in their beds.

Patrick Sharp was the last one left, making sure the dogs were fed since Ben and I were lazily lounging around on the couch looking at the sleeping babies in their little carrier things.

“Alright, I’m going to head on home,” Sharpie announced. Ben stood up to say goodbye and then Patrick came over and gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll talk to you guys later.”

“Bye,” I waved. Once he left, Ben locked up and came back over to me.

“I’ll take them upstairs and then come back down and get you,” he said.

“Or, I can just help you take them up and we can save ourselves the trouble,” I laughed.

“But Mal-”

“Ben, I’m fine, really. You can't wait on me hand and foot forever,” I told him.

“Sure I can,” he grinned. I just chuckled and grabbed one of the carriers, motioning for him to carry the other two.

“I’ll still let you do the majority of the work,” I said. Ben shook his head in amusement but headed toward the stairs anyways. We brought them to the main bedroom and put them in their cribs before Ben swiftly turned around and wrapped his arms around my waist.

“I’m excited you’ll be in my bed again,” he rasped out, kissing just below my ear. “But I’m kind of bummed out that these three musketeers are going to be cock-blockers for a while.”

“Did you just call our kids three musketeers?”

“I called them cock-blockers and you’re concerned about the musketeer reference,” Ben mused.

“First of all, they are not cock-blockers,” I asserted. “I know the norm for women who just gave birth is to not be in the mood, but I can tell you that’s not the case for me,” I smirked, leaning further into him.

I saw his eyes glaze over momentarily before he shook his head and stepped away, groaning.

“Mal, they are right here,” he said, motioning to the tucked-in triplets. “We can’t do it while they’re right here.”

“Why not? They aren’t going to know,” I said.

“What if they wake up?”

“And do what, Ben? Alert the authorities?” I questioned.

“I just feel weird, Mal.”

“It’s because I’m still fat, isn’t it?” I teased, trying to keep a serious face.

“What? No! That’s not it at all! Amalia, I…you…they…”

“Ben, I was kidding. Good Lord,” I mumbled. “Well, since you want nothing to do with me I guess I’ll just take my fat ass into the bathtub and picture Sharpie."

I peeled off my shirt after that, tossing it behind my back at him. Just before I closed the door I unhooked my bra and tossed it at him as well.

“Mal,” he called, knocking gruffly on the door.

“Hm?” I replied, turning the water on in the Jacuzzi tub.

“Mal, you’re not really going to picture Sharpie, are you?”

“Maybe, maybe not,” I replied, taking off the rest of my clothes. I could hear him sigh heavily on the other side of the door. “Maybe I’ll picture Kaner as a cowboy.”

“Son of a bitch,” I heard him mutter. “Let me in.”

“What? I can’t hear you,” I lied, adding some bubbles into the water before sinking into the tub. “Mmm, Kaner.”

“Amalia!”

“The door’s not even locked you ape,” I sighed, exasperated. Before I could even blink, the door was thrown open and a shirtless Ben bounded into the room. I grinned sheepishly at him, acting like I just got caught. He shut the door behind him, setting something on the bathroom counter. “What is that?” I asked.

“Baby monitor,” he replied shortly, stripping the rest of the way.

“They’re just in the other room,” I pointed out.

“I plan on making you scream my name,” Ben said, sinking into the tub. “I don’t want to take any chances.”

I smiled as he settled himself on top of me, kissing my neck as he let my hair down. I could feel his hands on my sides, traveling lower to push my knees apart and wrap my legs around him.

“If I so much as hear a ‘yeehaw’ come out of your mouth, I swear Kaner will be out the rest of the season,” Ben muttered against my collarbone. I grinned slightly, laughing at his words.

“I love you, Ben.”

“You better,” he said, pulling away and looking up at me, eyes twinkling. “I love you too.”

“You better,” I echoed. He smiled back at me, leaning down and kissing me slowly on the lips.