Then There Was You

Sitting on the couch with the blanket around her and the small tub of cookie dough ice cream in her hand while watching one of the free movie channels while waiting for him to come home from his road game, Sofia rubbed her six month pregnant belly. She had an appointment in the afternoon and if he could make it, then Ryan said that he wanted to be there for her. When she first got to Buffalo, she was slightly nervous about being there. She knew Ryan wanted her and their child nearby and she couldn’t deny him that, but she didn’t know anyone in Buffalo. She was also worried that things wouldn’t be good for them. One thing she hadn’t done before coming to Buffalo was live with a boyfriend. She was only twenty, but Ryan was different.

Comparing Ryan to her last boyfriend Oliver happened a lot at first, but as their relationship went on, it gradually slowed down, but at times it still happened. Sofia was just preparing for some kind of sign that he wasn’t happy with her, that he was sleeping with girls when he was on road trips, but then again there were no signs like that with Oliver. She didn’t know what would happen if things with Ryan ended like things with Oliver. Sofia knew she’d be really devastated, but the one comfort she had was she knew that Ryan would never sleep with her sister.

Taking another bite of her ice cream, Sofia heard a key in the door to the apartment turn. Letting out a breath she didn’t know she had been holding, she couldn’t help but smile as she watched him walk into the living area and toss his hockey bag onto the recliner and make his way to where his girlfriend was on the couch.

“Another midnight snack?” Ryan asked before giving her a small kiss and picked up the pillow that was behind her and replaced it with his body.

“It isn’t a midnight snack,” Sofia told him as she moved so that they were both comfortable. “It’s only eleven thirty and I only started eating at eleven, so technically it’s not a midnight snack.”

“I missed you,” Ryan told her softly as he placed his hands on top of her round stomach. “Both my girls.”

“No way am I ever having a girl,” Sofia told him. “It could end up turning out like my sister and I don’t want that to ever happen again.”

“But it could turn out like you and I like you.”

“I guess, but I’d still like a boy for our first.”

“Are you planning on having more babies with me?”

“Not right away, but I figured that the baby might want a brother eventually.”

“Well I think that the baby wants its Mommy to turn off the movie and go to bed with Daddy who had a long day and a good game.”

“How good of a game?” Sofia questioned him as she tossed the blanket off her body and to the end of the couch before slowly swinging her legs over the side of the couch. “Worthy of you getting a day off and taking me to the appointment instead of meeting me there?”

“The coach believes so,” Ryan smiled. “It was a shutout after all.”

“Ryan, that’s awesome,” Sofia said as she yawned before standing up and walking towards the kitchen with ice cream in her hand as well as the spoon. “Is your brother and dad still coming to visit tomorrow?”

“Yeah, we are meeting them for lunch,” Ryan said following her into the kitchen. He stopped in the doorway and watched her as she tossed the spoon into the sink that had a few random dishes and put away the ice cream. “Are you on leave from work?”

“No I work the day after tomorrow, but my hours are reduced to half days,” Sofia answered as she walked back to where he was standing. She gave him a smile and a kiss as he took her hand and led her down the dark hallway and into their master bedroom. “Have you thought about names for him yet?”

“I was thinking that we should do a whole name for each and keep the sex a surprise.” Ryan said.

“How about I’ll know what it is and when he comes it can be a surprise for you?” she asked as she slid into the bed and waited for Ryan to get out of the bathroom and turn out the lights before they went to sleep.

“You would never be able to keep a secret like that for that long.”

“It’s not like I have a lot of friends out here,” she reminded him. “I have maybe three friends and that’s because they work with me, otherwise I would have never met them.”

“And what have you done in the two months that you’ve lived in Buffalo?” he called out to her. “Gone to doctor’s appointments, gone to work and what else?”

“I’ve been getting things ready for when the baby comes, I go to your home games, I cook and clean as much as I can.”

“You’re busy and that’s why,” Ryan said as he walked out of the bathroom in a pair of pajama pants and nothing else. “Don’t forget Miranda and Ashley are both going to be here after the baby comes when they can make it.”

“Do you ever think that if Ashley hadn’t taken off with the car and I had never accepted that hot chocolate offer that we’d be where we are today?”

“In bed together? Dating? Having a baby?” Ryan asked as he turned on his bedside lamp near the cordless phone on the night stand next to his bed before walking over to the light switch on the wall and flipped it off. Getting in bed next to Sofia, he placed one hand on her belly and laced his fingers with hers on the top of her stomach. “You worry over too much stuff that doesn’t even matter anymore.”

“I was just wondering because Miranda said something to me earlier when I was on the phone with her. I just can’t get it out of my head.”

“Is that the only reason you waited for me to get home?” Ryan asked.

“Actually I thought you’d be home earlier, I was going to have us go out to dinner together, but that didn’t go as planned so I ordered myself some Chinese.”

“What did Miranda say that has your mind going?”

“She said that at Daphne’s wedding yesterday, that he was talking about how much he loved me and how having sex with her was the biggest mistake of his life and when they were doing vows, he didn’t say her name the first time around.”

“He say yours?” he asked.

“That’s what she told me.”

“Do you think you’d be with him if things hadn’t turned out that way?” Ryan asked. “Do you still have feeling for that ass wipe?”

“I think if it hadn’t been my sister it would have been someone else.”

“You didn’t answer my other question.”

“How can I have any kind of feelings for the guy that took my little sister’s virginity and knocked her up and married her? I hate him, Ryan, I hate him. It’s because of him I thought you would cheat on me and why it took me so fucking long to realize that I’m in love with you and actually admit it to you and then there was the baby. I thought for sure that you would leave me and I guess that’s why I couldn’t tell you face to face. I was scared that you would leave me.”

Wiping her eyes after she sat up, Sofia felt him wrap his arm around her. When he gently pulled her into him, she laid back down and laid her head on his shoulder. His hand, was gently rubbing her belly that held their child. “I’m not him and I won’t ever be him. I love you.”

“I know you do and you know I feel the same although I sometimes wonder how you fell for someone like me.”

“It was really easy, but I think we need some sleep if we actually want to make it to that appointment on time.” Ryan told her.

Moving to rest her head on her pillows Sofia let out a sigh before closing her eyes as she felt Ryan place his arms around her. That was one thing they had done since they found out they were going to be parents, he had told her that it was his way of showing that he was there for both of them.

Finding out that she was pregnant had been a shock for the both of them; there was no talking about what they would do. It was as if they had agreed without talking about it, there was no need to make a decision about the baby. They would have it and that was that. Sofia knew the moment she found out that there was absolutely no way she could give up a baby. It was part of her and part of Ryan. The one thing she hated about being pregnant was all of the doctor appointments she had to keep. It got to be a bit much when he was out of town to help her.

Laying on the table holding Ryan’s hand as she looked at the screen that showed their baby made tears come to her eyes. It wasn’t the first time this had happened, but it just seemed to be happening so fast. It felt just like the other week that they were at the first appointment together as she got to Buffalo. The appointments seemed to feel more special when Ryan was there. Technically she could have found out the sex of the baby at her last appointment, but she wanted to wait so that he could be there with her. The curiosity was something she hated, knowing she could have known, but Ryan was glad she didn’t know.

“So did you want to know the sex of the baby?”

“Yes!” Sofia said, with a grin at Ryan who looked at her before placing a soft kiss on her lips.

“Well it looks like the two of you are having a boy,” she said. “Ms. Lewis you are doing excellent in your weight gain and everything seems to be looking good.”

Sofia couldn’t help but grin as she looked into Ryan’s eyes. The moment the technician had said boy, his eyes had lit up, just like she thought they would. Handing her the towel to clean up her belly, Sofia thanked her. Ryan was still speechless. After she left, Ryan looked at Sofia and kissed her. If she hadn’t been sitting already, she was pretty sure that her legs would have given out on her.

“A boy,” Ryan said in a shocked tone after breaking the kiss. Her arms were wrapped around his neck to keep him close to her for the moment. “Sofia, it really is a boy.”

“I told you it would be.” Sofia told him as she kissed his cheek.

“You make me so happy; I don’t know how I got so lucky with you.”

“I know,” Sofia smiled as he helped her down to her feet. “You bought me hot chocolate with whip cream.”

“I love you.”

“I know,” she smiled as she kissed his lips gently before adjusting her top. “So I need to go and make another appointment and then we can go and meet your dad and Drew since we are running late. I know what you are going to say, but you don’t need to remind me that they don’t care and know where we are, I just don’t want to make them wait any longer than they already have been.”

“So let’s get going.” Ryan told her as she grabbed his hand and her bag and headed out of the room.

After getting her next appointment scheduled, Sofia let Ryan lead her to his car, well their car. They had been meaning to get another one, but she had been picky about it since it would be her car that she would be driving with their son in, and she was glad that he wasn’t pressuring her about what one to get. As Ryan was driving to the restaurant where they were meeting his dad and brother, Sofia kept looking at the sonogram pictures. She would have been happy either way, but with a boy she knew that although Ryan said he didn’t care, she knew he secretly wanted a son. And now they knew that they were having one.

“I bet Dad is going to be excited that it’s a boy.”

Looking up from the picture, she looked over at Ryan with a smile on her face. “First grandson. What isn’t there to be excited about?”

“Sometimes I think he likes you better than me.” Ryan laughed.

“That’s because I can give him something you can’t.”

“And what’s that?”

“More grandkids.”

“Sofia there might be something he brings up that you might not want to talk about and I’m giving you a warning that he’s only thinking of us when he talks about it.”

“The marriage thing again?”

“How did you-“

“Drew called last night and let me know. He also wanted to warn me.”

“He must like you.”

“I’m carrying his nephew, he says he doesn’t want anything upsetting me because it’ll upset you and the baby will know things aren’t happy and something might happen. I think it’s adorable that he cares so much.”

“Drew or dad?”

“Both, but I don’t have an answer for your dad. How can I when the father of my baby hasn’t asked me yet?”

“I asked you before and you said no.”

“That was because I thought you were only saying it because of the baby.”

Ryan smiled at her. “You don’t think that anymore?”

“I swear if you expect me to marry you while pregnant, I don’t know how I would feel.”

“But you do want to marry me?” Ryan asked.

“I want to, yes,” Sofia finally admitted to him. “Do you want to marry me?”

“Every day of the week,” he smiled. “And sometimes on the weekend.”

“You think you’re so funny don’t you?” Sofia asked as he parked the car next to an SUV. “Now that we have that sorted out, let’s let your dad know when he brings it up.”

“If he brings it up you mean.”

“No I mean when,” Sofia smiled. “Knowing your dad, he won’t miss a chance to bring it up.”

“And point out that you don’t have a ring.”

“My fingers are bloated; I’m not going to be able to wear a ring.”

“I guess it’s time to let them know what has us happy.”

“You mean besides the obvious?”

“I love you, Sofia, I really do.”

“I love you, Ryan Miller, even when you leave your smelly hockey stuff around the apartment.”

With a quick kiss they entered the restaurant hand in hand to have lunch with some of Ryan’s family. It was nice to at least know her son would have family around them and be in their life. Sofia knew it wasn’t likely that her own family would be around and that was fine with her, she didn’t need to prove anything to them. She and Ryan were a family and that was what mattered to her.