Love Never Felt So Good

“Daddy!” Sadie squealed, making grabby hands at Sidney as she ran through the doors of the Penguins locker room, prancing as she bopped excitedly over to her father.

“Sadie!” Sidney grinned, reaching his arms out to his daughter, heart bursting at the sight of her little whale-spout ponytail and tiny teeth in her smile. Much to Bailey’s relief, Sadie’s hair began to grow just around eighteen months. Now at two years old, she had honey-blonde hair like her mothers that was just long enough for a little bloom of a ponytail on top of her head.

With big and imploring dark eyes, and dimples that mirrored her mother’s, Sidney fell more and more in love with his little partner in crime.

“Geno.” She said, running away from her Daddy’s outstretched hands the moment she spotted the tall Russian in the dressing room.

“Sadie!” He laughed, dropping his jaw.

“Hello.” Geno greeted happily, picking up the little girl.

“Don’t you love Daddy?” He asked, looking up at her.

“No!” She giggled, making him grab at his chest.

“No?” He asked with a laugh as his teammates started to laugh, too.

“You love me?” Geno asked.

“No!” She replied again with another tiny giggle. No had been her favorite word for the past few weeks.

“Sadie, you wait for Mommy to come in here.” Bailey said as she tracked down her little runner. At two years and two weeks, the youngest member of the Crosby family had a newfound sense of independence.

“No!” She replied, cracking herself up as Geno laughed, shaking his Captain’s daughter with his movement. Wiggling out of Geno’s arms, he set her on the ground and she wandered over to her Daddy as he sat in his stall and peeled off his pads. He grinned as he watched her little nose scrunched in disgust at the smell of his gear. “Daddy stinky.” She declared, putting her hands on his knee for balance.

“I know, Daddy is stinky.” He agreed. “Daddy is going to shower quick and then we’ll head home, okay?” He asked. Sadie blinked at him before turning and running back to her Mommy who was still standing near the doorway.

“Mama.” She declared. Bailey blew Sidney a kiss before taking her back out to the family lounge where they could wait for Daddy to get ready to go.

Not ten minutes later, he finally met them in the lounge.

“Who wants lunch?” He asked, “are you hungry?” He asked Bailey.

“I could go for a little nibble.” She smiled, making him grin, leaning in for a kiss. Bailey happily pecked his lips. “And this one, needs a nap!” She smiled at Sadie who instantly frowned at the word.

“No!” She argued.

“Oh yeah.” Bailey laughed.

“Any potty progress today?” Sidney asked. Their first-born was being especially difficult making the transition to using the big girl toilet. Bailey rolled her eyes, conveying her feelings on the subject. She was about to resort to bribery with a two year old.

“I eat now.” Sadie declared, making Sidney laugh.

“Okay then.” Sidney nodded, “let’s go get some yummies.” He encouraged. “Then nap time.” He added under his breath as he held the door open. Bailey giggled as Sadie danced in her booster seat to the radio, attempting to sing along to the Mariah Carey song.

“What a little ballerina.” She grinned, making Sidney shake his head. He was determined to make a little skater out of her yet. Back at home, Zeus and Belle were thrilled to see the family return.

“No! Daddy! No!” Sadie thrashed around in Sidney’s grasp as he grabbed her comfy clothes from the dresser as Bailey whipped up sandwiches and fruit for lunch. She knew that her comfy clothes meant that naptime was coming. If they didn’t have a firm grip on her, she’d tear out of the nursery.

“You are being so dramatic.” Sidney shook his head, “come on, hold still.” He barely missed a fist to the eye. Sadie glared at her father, which made him shiver, knowing she looked too much like him whenever she did it. Donning her little sleep pants and soft t-shirt, she allowed him to carry her down the stairs, still giving her Daddy a sideways look.

“You’re in trouble.” Bailey laughed as Sadie split from Sidney the moment he set her down in the kitchen.

“Daddy’s the mean one.” Sidney rolled his eyes.

“Yeah well, we sat in the bathroom today for an hour.” She replied, giving her little girl a look as she stood at her Sadie-size table in the kitchen equipped with a coloring book and crayons. “Grapes or blueberries?” Bailey asked, causing her daughter to look up at her.

“Grapes.” She said with finality, pointing a pink crayon in her mother’s direction.

“Grapes.” Sidney repeated, giving his wife the same look.

“Watch it, Crosby.” She grinned, making him give her a little smirk in return.

“Watch it, Crosby.” They both looked down at Sadie who didn’t even look up from her coloring book as she parroted her mother. It took a lot to surprise Sidney whenever his little girl opened her mouth, but that one definitely took the cake.

“That’s Daddy to you.” He swooped her up from her little table, causing her to scream out a loud giggle as he planted his mouth right over her ribcage and blowing a raspberry into her soft skin.

“Daddy!” She squealed. “I wanna down!” She demanded. Sidney set her down in her big girl chair at the table and they shared their lunch together. Sidney happily let his little girl feed him her grapes.

“What did you and Mommy do today?” He asked.

“I runned.” She pointed out to the backyard that was starting to thaw out now that spring was approaching. “And puppies.” She indicated that Zeus and Belle also partook in her afternoon jog. “Mama cookies.” She explained.

“Mama cookies?!” Sidney asked, looking to Bailey. “Mama, you cookies’d today and you didn’t even tell me?” He asked.

“She’s awful at keeping secrets.” Bailey whispered conspiratorially.

“Look.” He whispered back, the two of them watching as Sadie’s ability to hold onto her sandwich quickly diminished while her head bobbed forward and eyes drooped.

“Good, let me get the other half of her sandwich.” Bailey said, making Sidney laugh.

It was a group decision to leave the dishes from lunch in the sink so they could get upstairs for a nap as soon as possible. Bailey began to fold laundry as Sidney got into bed, Sadie curled up to his chest as he got under the covers.

“Babe, get in here.” He said, curling a finger at her.

“I wanna finish this up.” She said, looking at the small mountain of Nike Pro shirts, Lulu polos and Reebok basketball shorts.

“I’ll do it, come snuggle. Come be the other piece of bread in this sandwich.” He said, eyes closed, making her grin. She ditched her laundry hamper, dropping it to the ground and crawling into the bed.

For as tiresome as she could be, Sadie was awfully cute with her big, puckered lips open and long lashes splayed across the tops of her cheeks as she slept with one hand fisting Sidney’s shirt.

“She’s so cute when she’s quiet.” Bailey mumbled.

“Shh, don’t wake her.”

- - -

Bailey and Veronique Fleury were absolutely dying as Sadie and Leo Fleury held hands as they walked around the family suite at the game that afternoon. The two mothers were snapping photos left and right as they donned their father’s jerseys, running around the concourse.

“Leo!” Sadie giggled, one of the fifty words she knew. They were the stars of the suite that night.

The mothers set the two in seats right by one another, thankful for the watchful eyes of their friends so they could sit back and watch the game. Estelle Fleury was at a play date with a friend from pre-school.

Playoffs had just started and the Penguins were facing the Flyers, the Penguins were the big bet that year and Bailey was feeling confident that they were going to go far. At the end of their first game against the Flyers, they Penguins had finished with a 5-3 victory.

The wives and girlfriends were never allowed into the locker room during media scrum following games, but that didn’t deter Sadie Crosby who was just strong enough to push open the locker room door.

Sidney had six microphones in his face as he sat in his stall when he spotted the ponytail moving through the room. Sadie squeezed her way between the knees of a reporter from NHL Network, Sidney not even missing a beat as he scooped her up and sat her in his lap.

Sidney loved the cranky little look she would give the cameramen whose lights were unbearably bright in she and her Daddy’s faces. This was far from the first time that Sadie Crosby had joined Sidney for his post-game interviews.

“Sadie, do you think your Daddy played well tonight?” Pascal Dupuis thought he was the funniest man on the planet.

“No!” She replied, making Sidney’s head drop back against his shoulders with a laugh. That was going to be on repeat for the next week on TV.

Sidney finished up his interview and handed his daughter over to Bailey with a kiss as she entered the locker room.

Bailey did the “mommy bounce” as Sidney called, it, swaying from side to side as Sadie rest against her shoulder, sucking her thumb.

Sidney gladly took Sadie into his arms, doing his own “mommy bounce” as Bailey quickly used the restroom, saying hello to some of the guys that were standing around talking, including the rookie brought up from Wilkes-Barre. Tommy Donato was adorable and made no qualms about eyeing up the Captain’s wife as she walked by.

Something that Sidney noticed. He also noticed how Bailey gave him a little wave. He rolled his eyes.

“Come on, hot mama.” He insisted, sliding a hand down into the back pocket of her jeans.

“That little Donato is just darling.” She giggled.

“He’s going to go home and whack off now.” He said lamely, making Bailey laugh harder.

“Don’t say that in front of your daughter.” She scolded playfully. Back at home, Sadie was in her crib for a short nap and Sidney pulled his wife into bed as well. She rather enjoyed when he was feeling in an especially cuddly mood.

“Just thought I should warn you now, your daughter is in love.” Bailey smiled, sitting on Sidney’s hips as she slowly unbuttoned his shirt.

“Yeah, with me.” He said as if it were obvious.

“No, with little Mr. Leo Fleury.” She grinned, pushing his shirt off of his shoulders. “You should have seen them tonight, they were so cute. Holding hands and sharing a lemonade. I could barely handle it.” She grinned, holding back a laugh at the frowned that deepened on Sidney’s face.

“It’s too bad, now we can’t let her out of the house anymore.” He said casually, making Bailey roll her eyes. “Neither of you.” He added, “no rookies and to Fleury’s for either of you.” He narrowed his eyes. “Off.” He mumbled, tugging on her blouse. Bailey complied, removing her top and pulling their comforter over their bodies as she laid down next to him, the two of them sharing a pillow.

Sidney’s eyes scanned Bailey’s face, she was as beautiful as ever.

“What?” She laughed, feeling a bit self-conscious.

“Nothing.” Sidney smiled, kissing her softly.

“How much longer until we can’t have sex anymore?” She asked.

“Finals.” He laughed, knowing full well how much she hated his Stanley Cup Finals superstition. They fell silent again and she watched as he gazed at her.

“What is it, Crosby?” She laughed.

“I want a baby.” He replied.

“We have one, right over there.” She nodded towards the door.

“You know what I mean,” he cradled her head in his hand, running a thumb over her cheek.

“Starting to get the baby urges?” She asked with a soft smile.

“Yeah.” He nodded.

“After you win the Stanley Cup this summer, we’ll try for another.” She compromised. “Besides, no sex during playoffs.” She reminded.

“Just the Finals.” He all but whined.

“So then, I can do this?” She asked innocently, running a hand over his zipper. Sidney nodded, gulping softly. She grinned, he was almost too easy. “And this?” She pressed a kiss to his neck.

“Yeah.” He stuttered, hairs standing on end as she slid her hand down his slacks.

“Daddy!” Sadie called, making Sidney’s eyes close and head drop back to the pillow. “Da-ddy!” She called again.

“Go back to sleep, Sadie.” He called. Bailey slapped him on the chest. “I know, I’m going.” He mumbled, rolling out of bed. He looked back at his wife who happily occupied the warm sport on the mattress he vacated.

Maybe another Crosby could wait.