Second City.

Bristol tossed her suitcase into the backseat of Kris’ car before sliding in beside him. The Florida sun was hotter than she was used to and the humidity was higher than she would have liked. Pushing her sunglasses into her hair, Bristol leaned over and kissed his cheeks, confused over his withdrawn actions. He spoke little—barely acknowledged her presence unless he asked for a couple quarters to pay for the tolls. She assumed he was hung over. Messy hair, an unshaven jaw and the clear appearance of fatigue.

“How was practice?” Pulling open a bag of Flaming Hot Cheetos, Bristol tried to make simple conversation. He hated it when she ate the snack in his car; she always left bright red fingerprints of the dash and door handle.

Kris shot a quick glance at Bristol, not amused by the rouse she had pulled and now decided to play it off as if nothing had happened. “Where were you?” He asked, his tone sounding more enraged than he had planned it to.

“What’s it to you?” Bristol licked her fingers clean while wishing she had purchased a bottle of water, too. “I’m a grown woman, I can take care of myself and sometimes, what I do doesn’t concern you.” She was beginning to feel ganged up and her defensive walls were coming up. As much as she hated getting nasty around Kris, he did in fact know better than to poke.

Pushing his sunglasses glasses up, Kris looked over to Bristol knowing she hadn’t changed one bit. Everyone assumed marriage and a baby would help tame her ways but apparently in some area’s it hadn’t. “It concerns me when Dan calls up at eleven o’clock asking to speak to you and you’re not with me. Do you know how much of an asshole you made me like? You have to stop playing those games, Bristol, you’re not sixteen anymore.”

It was a childish move, she wasn’t denying that, but it wasn’t something Dan would be able to forgive her for. Bristol knew it was easy for Kris to let her off the hook. All she had to do was bat her eyelashes a few times and say I’m sorry in a quiet baby-voice. He couldn’t stay mad at her long—there was just way he could possibly hold a grudge against her. Not with her knowing as many secrets as she did. “How pissed was he when he called you?”

“Pretty pissed.” Kris answered honestly.

Leaning her head against the window, Bristol slid her sunglasses back on to the bridge of her nose popping a few of the hot chips into her mouth. There was only one word she could muster up to express how she felt about the ass chewing she would be getting in only a few hours’ time. “Fuck.”

Treating her to a much needed lunch, Kris was like a kid on Christmas as he showed Bristol around the new city he called home. Sunrise, Florida wasn’t exactly her cup of tea, but as long as he was happy, so was she. Kris already had his hang out spot, a small bar down the street from the arena. He walked in with Bristol on his arm and he showed her off to the other females sitting on bar stools. The look of disappointment faded from their face when they realized they still had a chance with him—Bristol wasn’t his pregnant girlfriend, she was his pregnant girl-friend.

They found a table and took a seat near the back of the bar. At this stage, Bristol had a hard time getting up and down from the high bar-chairs without her belly getting in the way. Her eyes grazed the menu which Kris handed her and she could feel him starting. “What?”

Lacing his fingers and setting them on the table, Kris attempted to get her to look him in the eye. “Where’d you go?” Curiosity was getting the best him.

Bristol ran her hands through her hair, unsure as to whether or not she wanted to actually tell him. Now that her fear had been put to rest, what good would it do any of them to resurrect it? But, she told Kris everything; he had the right to know. “I was in Philly—just for the night.”

“Philly? What were you doing there?”

“I had to see Danny; ask him something.”

The waitress brought their waters over and walked away when Kris said they needed another minute to decide. They squirted the juice from the lemon wedge into the clear liquid in unison and Bristol stirred hers with the black straw. Kris chugged nearly half of his before asking the million dollar question—what the hell was so important that she had to ask Danny in person. And not tell anyone she was going.

She whispered—hoping the low tone of her voice would justify her response. “I thought the baby was his.”

When Kris chocked on his water it was a response she had expected. Grabbing his napkin, he tried to cough up the ice-cube which he had accidently sucked back into his lung upon hearing Bristol’s news. “What?” She didn’t want to repeat herself and she was relieved when Kris held up his hand stopping her from speaking. “I got it. How did this happen?”

“Well, Danny and I thought we had feelings for each other and when two think they love each other they…”

“I get that part,” he protested. “What led you to believe you were pregnant with his kid?”

Their conversation ceased for a minute as they placed their order. Food choices were light—sandwiches and fries. Bristol played with the napkin on her lap. “When I first found out how many months along I was, I realized Danny and I hooked up the night before the angry, pissed off sex Dan and I had. But, yesterday when I talked to Danny, he said there’s no it’s his because we never did anything. I was too drunk.”

Kris held a smug grin on his face—he was clearly trying to hold back his laughter. “This is something that would only happen to you. But, speaking of baby—have you guys come up with any names?”

When their food arrived, the waitress grabbed their empty glasses and brought by fresh waters. Bristol salted her fries as did Kris. “We have. Since I know we’re having a girl, her name will be Kristen Julia Carcillo. We’re gonna call her Kris, after her godfather.”

The insides of Kris’ sandwich almost fell out as he nearly dropped it hearing the news Bristol had just dropped. Never in a million years would he have guessed Bristol and Dan would consider him being godfather to their child. Between the two of them, there were six males eligible for the role. While he was flattered by their decision, he had to ask their reason behind it.

“Honestly,” Bristol said as she took a sip of her water. “God for-bid if something were to happen to either Dan or I, the only person I would trust my baby-girl with is you. For the past four years you’ve done nothing but right by me.”

Kris placed a hand on his chest and beamed brightly. “I feel so honored.”

•••

Stepping off the bus, Dan ignored Patrick as he slapped his hand on his back and walked at the same pace. He wasn’t exactly in the most sociable mood, and he thought his quietness on the plane had sent the message. With his duffle slung over his shoulder, he stuffed his hands into the pockets of the navy dress pants Bristol had picked out for him the day before she left. He hadn’t told anyone the reason behind his sour mood but his teammates didn’t have to be geniuses to know it had something to do with Bristol.

“What do you say we head up to your wife’s room after we’re done settling in and head to the bar for a drink?” Patrick knew his request would be shot down. Since breakfast at Tazer’s he realized he had fucked up majorly and now he was on damage control. Inviting Dan out to get a drink, being friendly at practice and even asking for some help when it came time to pull a few practical jokes.

“No thanks, Pat. Appreciate the offer but she and I already have plans.” Bickell flashed Dan their two room keys, leaving Patrick hanging as he departed to the elevators. They were a couple of floors above Bristol and Dan could feel the anxiety in his chest swell as the roomies entered their room. Bryan loosened the knot in his tie as he flopped down on the bed, claiming reign over the television. Dan could care a less; ignoring Bryans channel surfing as he changed out of his suit. Informing his friend he was taking off for a couple minutes, Bryan saluted Dan farewell as he exited the room.

Bristol was lying on the lumpy hotel mattress with a too soft pillow sandwiched between her knees. Her lower back and head were throbbing and the only thing sure cure it was a few minutes of sleep. But, that idea could be crossed off the list when she first got to her room and realized Goodfellas was on pay-per-view. There was no way she could ever pass that opportunity up and settled herself comfortably before ordering.

She wasn’t even halfway through when there was an interrupting knock at her door. Sitting on the edge of the bed she kept her eyes focused on the screen as Lorraine Bracco’s character held a loaded gun in the face of Ray Liotta. As she watched the tumultuous relationship of Henry and Karen Hill unfold before her eyes, Bristol couldn’t help but think of her own dysfunctional relationship with Dan. Whereas Bristol wouldn’t hold a gun to her sleeping husbands head, she would however stick by his side no matter how bad life got.

When the next knock came, it was louder and harder than the previous one, prompting Bristol to get up. Waddling over to the door, she rested her flat hands on the door as she leaned to sneak a peek through the peephole. Her heart stopped and skipped a couple beats when she realized Daniel was standing outside. “Shit,” Covering her mouth, Bristol unlocked the bolt with a shaky hand before pulling it open.

If looks could kill, Bristol would have dropped dead when Dan stared her down. She could feel the tears of empathy push on the back of her eyes as he stepped in without a word. “Dan, I am sorry, I should have told you—“

When he didn’t respond—just walked in and took a seat on the edge of the bed, Bristol grew more nervous than the minute before. This wasn’t like him, if he was pissed or upset Bristol knew he would let her know. The ass chewing she had expected to receive was close to coming.

“Where were you?” His voice was calm.

“Dan, I—“

“No,” he stopped her—not looking for any excuses, he just wanted the truth. “Bristol, where were you?”

Resting her back against the wall, she watched as Dan turned off the television and tossed the remote on the bed. She crossed her ankles and looked down, long curls falling in her face. “I was in Philadelphia—to see Danny.”

“Son-of-a-bitch,” he breathed out. “Why didn’t you tell me? Do you really take me as some sort of controlling asshole to where I won’t let you fly out there and see him? I get that the two of you will never be apart—I figured that out a long time ago—but I do think it’s fair that you at least tell me you’re going out there. So, what was so important that you needed to see him in private?”

She was beyond already embarrassed, there was no way could or wanted to tell him. But he would eventually find out and the blow wouldn’t sting as much if she told Dan now rather than later. “I—I had to see him because I had a small suspicion that the baby may have been his.”

“Please tell me this is a joke. What? Did Patrick or Kris put you up to this?” Dan looked up at Bristol, in serious doubt and shock. She shook her head and wiped the tears from her cheeks. “Well, is it his? Or do you not know who the father is? Let’s put all of our cards out on the table, Bristol. Is the baby going to have blonde hair and blues? Wouldn’t be surprised if you and Kris were bangin’.”

“That’s e-fucking-nough.” Bristol said loudly. She had to shut him up before he said something else he would regret.

Dan stood up from the bed. “I’m outta here.” He took a few steps before stopping in front of her. The look on his face was that of pure disgust and hurt. “Please Bristol; spare me a lifetime of heartbreak. Is it my daughter?” She could see the moisture collecting in the corner of his eyes as she nodded. A wave of relief crashed over him but it still didn’t change the fact she had betrayed him.

•••

Sitting at the bar, Dan cradled a small glass with four-fingers of whisky. It wasn’t enough to get him drunk, but it was right to numb the hopelessness. As much as he wanted to believe her, Dan had his doubts that the baby was his. It was just a suspicion, why hadn’t she come clean sooner. He would—and does—understand, really. Their relationship had been on the rocks and they were on the verge of breaking up when it happened. He would never tell her, but the night he had returned home from his week getaway in Boston, Dan had every intention on suggesting they see other people. But when he saw on the couch, numb, broken and in grief, he couldn’t add on to her pain.

He had become just about immune to the whiskey burn in his chest when a striking young blonde took the empty bar stool beside his. She ordered a Cosmo politely as she rested her forearms on the bar and crossed her slim, silky legs. Her short dress rode up a bit. Brining the rim of his glass to hip lips, Dan pretended not to be looking as he took a sip of the amber liquid. The bartender poured him another as he placed the cocktail in front of the woman, who looked barely old enough to be ordering one.

They sat in a comfortable silence—occasionally the sound of glasses banging would cut through the still air. Every so often, Dan would steal a glance at the young woman and hopping she didn’t spot his curious eyes.

After good ten or so minutes she turned toward Dan while seductively eating the sweet cherry. “Why do you look familiar?” Long, slender fingers brushed her straight hair behind her shoulders. “I know; you play hockey don’t you? For that team in Chicago.”

“Yeah.” Dan nodded. He hadn’t expected to get any attention and clearly this chick knew very little about the sport he played.

“A couple of my friends hooked up with these two really cute guys. You may know them; I can’t remember their names but one started with a P,”

“Patrick and Jonathan.”

She snapped her fingers. “That’s them. I’m Kayla.” She held out a hand for Dan to shake which he did.

“Dan.”

When the conversation abruptly died it was clear to the both of them they nothing in common to talk about. He wasn’t in the mood for company after the fight with Bristol, and when he stood up to toss a few dollars on the bar, Kayla stopped him. “Listen I don’t know if you have a girlfriend back home, but, would you like to head up to my room? We could order a bottle of champagne and maybe some dessert from room service?”

He was blindsided by request and where the answer should have simple, Dan’s alcohol impaired brain spoke. “Sure.”

Kayla giggled dimly as she took a final sip from her Cosmo. Jumping down, she grabbed her bejeweled clutch and tucked it under her arm. As Dan followed her up to her room, he wasn’t all there mentally but he did know she was on the same floor as Bristol. Common sense told him it wasn’t going to end well. It took her a couple tries to get the door unlocked and when she did, Kayla swung the door open and pulled Dan in by the collar of his shirt. He had barely made it inside before she sloppy attacked his lips with her collagen one.

He pushed her away. “Let’s take it easy, okay?”

“Alright,” She sighed. Turning around her held up her and asked Dan to unzip her. When the dressed drop and pooled around her feet Dan had expected to see Bristol’s lace clad ass—not a tiny thong. Kayla had a glint in her eye as she grabbed Dan’s hand and led him to the bed and pushed him down playfully. He knew this was wrong way before he looked down at the platinum band around the third finger on his left hand.

An uncomfortable feeling swept through his veins as Kayla straddled his hips. He closed his eyes and imagined nothing as her lips fell on his. The smell of her cheap perfume almost choked him as he barely kissed back. Hopping a feel of her body would let him relax; Dan groped her breast before letting his hand slid down. When it glided against the smooth skin of her belly—or lack of—he finally snapped to reality.

“I’m sorry. I can’t do this.” Dan pushed her off him and stood to his feet. He had grown so used to rubbing Bristol’s belly that the feeling of Kayla not having one sobered him up. He was physically sick as he looked down at her; disgusted with himself that he had actually given consideration to cheating on his wife. And just so happened to be six months pregnant with their child.

“You’ve got a girlfriend, don’t you?” Kayla sounded pissed off.

“A wife, actually, and she’s carrying my daughter.”

Closing the door behind him Dan headed down to the end of the hall and turned right to where Bristol was staying. When he approached the door he couldn’t bring himself to knock on the door. It was late; she could have been asleep or she wasn’t even there. There was a chance she headed over to Kris’ for a little r and r before tomorrow’s game. After the blow out they had where he pretty much called her a whore, he figured it was best to leave her alone. Part of it was because he didn’t want to face her after almost fucking an easy chick he picked up.

Before Dan had the chance to turn back and go to his room, her door opened, Bristol was dressed in leggings and an oversized sweatshirt; her hair damp, brushed out straight and tucked behind her ears. The red streaks on her face gave away the crying, “I heard you pacing.” She said, resting her back against the door. “Do you want to come in? I hate sleeping in an empty bed.”