To Sweden With Love

A few weeks into the new season, and life was just as chaotic as ever.

I never thought living with a hockey player would be so … demanding.

Luckily, the first few games to open up the season, the boys played at home.

Which means I had to adjust to the new routine quicker than I thought. But by the time the first away game came and went, I thought I was managing pretty okay.

“El, I still have no idea how you handle it.” I said as I tried to open the door into the house with my hands full. “Between my work, trying to keep up with his schedule, and this baby, I am exhausted.”

She laughed. “Maybe if you were a little more organized, like use the calendar I sent you, it would help.”

I sighed as I set the grocery bags on the counter. “I know. I am lucky to even remember when I have a doctor’s appointment, good thing I set a reminder on my phone for that.”

I heard someone clear their throat behind me as I jumped and turned to see Carl. “Shit, I am so scatter brained that I even forgot that the guys got home earlier. I’ll call you later.”

I hung up as Carl started going through the bags. “I was gone 2 days and you forgot about me and ate all the food in the house. What’s gonna happen when I’m gone for 6 days this week?”

“Well I don’t know dear,” I said grabbing a bag myself to start putting away groceries. “I guess I will forget all about you completely and run away with Mats.”

He groaned as I started laughing. “I will manage just fine. I made plans with Lauren for when you guys are gone. We are going puppy shopping.”

“Oh Bones didn’t say he was getting a new pup. Maisie will be thrilled.”

I sat at the counter as he started to boil water for spaghetti and shook my head. “Not for them.”

“Then for who-” he stopped and gave me a look. “Olivia, we talked about this.”

“Actually no, we didn’t. You said you would think about it.” I pouted as I rubbed my belly. “Please, the baby wants a puppy to grow up with.”

He chuckled as he walked over to give me a kiss and place a hand on top of mine. “Don’t use our child as the reasoning behind this. You only want a dog because Ellie has Blades.”

I acted shocked. “That’s not it at all, I swear. I just get lonely here.”

“Weren’t you just saying to El that you are overwhelmed? A pup will just add to that.”

I sighed as he went back to dinner preparation. “Okay fine. But I am still going to go look.”

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A few days later, the team left for a week long trip, and I was headed to a late lunch with Lauren.

“Parent teacher conferences are gonna be the death of me.” I groaned as I sat down at the table.

Lauren chuckled as she played with Maisie. “Glad I have a few years before that happens. How are you feeling?”

I ordered a water and a chicken salad when the waiter came by. “Worn down. But the doctor said that was expected.”

She nodded. “Are you going to work up until you pop out the baby? Or even after?”

I sighed. “I don’t know about after. I really haven’t thought about it. And I plan on taking leave early March from teaching. That will give me time to get everything ready and settled.”

“Man, you guys planned well.” She chuckled. “Newborn during playoff time. That’s gonna be fun.”

I laughed. “Yeah, my house is gonna be real fun come playoffs.”

After we ate, we headed to the local animal shelter.

“Are you sure you want to do this even though you’re not going to be able to take one home?” She asked as we pulled in.

I nodded. “There’s no harm is stopping and playing with the puppies. Plus I can torment Carl with pictures until he tells me yes.”

After a couple of hours of playing with the pups, and many no’s from Carl, we decided to leave. I promised to get a hold of her the next day as she dropped me off at my car.

As I got in my car and headed towards the house, my phone rang.

“Sista from another Mista!” I heard Shane exclaim.

I laughed. “Brotha from another motha! What’s up?”

“Not much, just calling to get the details about Thanksgiving.”

I paused for a minute. “How did you find out I was going to call you and invite you to NYC with us?”

“My sister’s boyfriend has a big mouth. Don’t worry, she still doesn’t know. As far as I know anyways.”

I sighed as I rolled my eyes. “I hope his big mouth can keep at least one secret. Anyways, we are meeting up in NYC on the 21st. Dress shopping is the next day, then Pens are in town Wednesday and Thanksgiving on Thursday. You could surprise her at the bridal shop if you want.”

“I will probably have to leave Friday to get back. But I will be there. I just can’t believe she’s actually getting married before either one of us.”

“Hey now, to be fair, I almost got married.”

“Then you fell deeply in love with Swede and left Michael at the altar. Then for the next couple months went on a roller coaster ride of emotions. Yeah, we know your story Liv.” He said chuckling.

“Gee thanks Shane, remind me to not send you an invite to my next wedding. Besides, at least I will have a date to her wedding.”

“Excuse me? Who says I won’t have a date?”

I squealed as I pulled into my driveway. “Shut up! Who is she?”

He laughed. “I don’t wanna jinx it. And don’t tell Ellie. I don’t need to play 20 questions with her right now. I will tell her when I see her in a few weeks.”

I groaned. “Okay fine.” I heard my phone beep signaling another call. “Speaking of the devil, she’s beeping in. I will text you the details of the appointment.”

I clicked over as I entered the house. “Were your ears burning?”

“What? Never mind. Why didn’t you tell me you have been meeting up with Michael for lunch?”

I threw my keys on the front table and paused. “How did you find out about that?”

“Olivia, Michael and I are friends, we talk. How long?”

“Since right after the World Cup. It’s just lunch. And it’s not as often as you think.”

She sighed. “Does Carl know about this?”

I sat down on the couch and rubbed my belly. “Um, no. I haven’t told him.”

“God damnit Liv. Don’t you think that is a little important?”

I shrugged. “I guess I never thought about it.”

She let out a dry laugh. “You were meeting up with your ex fiancé behind everyone’s back, yeah I think it is kind of important.”

I sighed. “Okay fine. I will tell him. Anyways, changing the subject. I finalized the dress appointment for New York.”

“I like how you think you can just easily change the subject.”

“I just did. I told you I would tell him. And I will.”

“Fine. I am going to go get ready to go to the Senators game. I’ll call you later.”

After we hung up, I saw back on the couch and soaked in the silence.

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A few days later, Malin accompanied me to my doctor’s appointment.

“You’re antsy.” Malin observed as I squirmed on the exam table waiting for the doctor.

“Well I mean, we get to see if the baby has any abnormalities or not. Plus possibly gender. I am kind of nervous, I mean, what if something is wrong, and Carl isn’t here.”

She smiled as she took my hand. “Älskling, calm down. Everything will be okay.”

I took a deep breath and nodded as the doctor came into the room. “Alright Olivia, are you ready to see your baby?”

I smiled weakly and nodded as she put the gel on my stomach and started to move the wand.

Soon after, I heard it’s heartbeat, and soon after, saw my baby on the screen.

I felt tears in my eyes as I smiled up at Malin as she smiled back.

“Alright Olivia,” the doctor said as she clicked a few buttons on the machine. “I assume you will want some of these to take home?”

I nodded fiercely as Malin laughed.

“Does everything look okay? I mean, is the baby healthy?” I asked as I bit my lip.

The doctor moved the wand a little bit more. “Yup! Everything looks good. And I could even tell you what you’re having if you want to know.”

My face dropped. “Oh my God, I mean. I would love to know, but…”

Malin put her hand on my arm to stop me. “How about since Carl is out of town, she writes it down, and I hold onto it until you can find out together.”

“That’s actually a good idea.” I said after I thought for a minute. “We could do some sort of gender reveal party!”

“Alright then.” the doctor said as she handed me some towels and stood up. “I will let you get cleaned up and I will be back with the photos and the gender.”

As she walked out of the room, I laughed. “You know, if I told Carl that I had a chance to find out the gender, he would be so mad he wasn’t here.”

“So let’s just tell him the doctor couldn’t see the gender. It will be a wonderful surprise.”

I agreed as the doctor came back in with a folded piece of paper and handed it to Malin. She peeked at it and then gave me a huge smile.

“Oh boy.”

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After the appointment and some shopping, we ended up in Market Square for some late lunch. As soon as we placed our order, I heard someone clear their throat behind me.

I turned around to see Ellie’s mother, Sharon standing there smiling.

“Well hello Olivia. Long time no see.”

I gave her a fake smile. “Hello Sharon.”

“I was going to ask you how you were, but I can see that you have been busy.” She said looking at my stomach. “I take it congratulations are in order for you and Michael.”

I winced. “Michael and I ended things back in May.”

“Oh that’s right. You were a runaway bride!” She laughed.

I rolled my eyes starting to turn back around. “If you don’t mind, I am here to have lunch with my friend.”

“Oh how rude of me! I am terribly sorry, but before I go, have you heard from my daughter lately? It seems she has moved away from here.”

I nodded. “She has.”

“Mind to tell me where to? Shane told me she was getting married and I want to send a gift since we both know I probably won’t be invited.”

I gave a weak smile. “I do not actually, I only talk to her every so often now.”

She pursed her lips. “Very well. I will let you get back to your lunch.”

As she walked away, I turned around and sighed. Malin started giggling.

“So that was El’s mom? No wonder why she doesn’t talk to her. She seems like-”

“Like a complete bitch? Yeah she pretty much is. She is the reason that Ellie and Shane were at my house all the time.”

She took a sip of her drink. “And I thought you and Ellie talked almost every day?”

I gave a short laugh. “Oh we do. But that doesn’t mean Sharon needs to know about it. The further she is from Ellie, the better.”

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After we ate, she dropping me off back at the house. I was starting a load of laundry when my phone rang.

“Hey I was getting ready to call you!” I exclaimed when I saw it was Carl.

“Yeah? Were you gonna tell me about your lunch dates with your ex?”

My smile quickly faded. “How did you- Fucking Ellie.”

He let out a dry laugh. “Really Liv? At least she told me. Something you should have done.”

I rubbed my forehead. “I was going to, I promise, I just-”

“Just what? Couldn’t think of a way to tell me ‘Oh by the way, I am seeing Michael again behind your back’?”

“It isn’t like that at all! I owed him an explanation for what happened in May. Then we just met one other time as friends. He knows I am with you and happy.”

“That is not the issue here Olivia, the issue at hand is the fact you lied to me.” He sighed.

“Hold up. I didn’t lie to you, I just didn’t tell you because I knew you would act like this.”

“Like what? An angry boyfriend?”

“No, jealous.”

He laughed. “What do I have to be jealous of? The one thing the guy wants is sleeping in my bed every night. No, I think I am okay.”

“You know what Carl?” I said as I slammed the lid closed on the washer. “Maybe I won’t be sleeping in your bed any time soon. Maybe I will just go back to my house.”

“Olivia-”

“And while you’re in San Jose, why don’t you go find that whore you fucked back in June. I’m sure she is willing for round two.” I said as I hung up on him.

As I felt tears start to fall down my face, I texted Ellie.

thanks a lot

i told you to tell him. You obv didnt listen

I groaned as I threw my phone across the room and leaned against the dryer.

I took a couple breaths and turned to start the washer when I felt a flutter in my stomach. I paused and placed my hand on my belly when I felt it again.

I smiled as I went over to pick up my phone and call Ellie, before I hit the call button, I remembered both she and Carl were pissed at me.

“I really fucked up baby. I am such a horrible person.” I said rubbing my belly as I felt the flutter again.

I sighed and dialed one of the two people willing to still talk to me.

“Livvy! What do I owe this pleasure?” Derick answered excitedly.

I bursted into tears. “I didn’t know who else to call. Carl, is pissed at me and so is Ellie and-”

“Woah woah. Slow down. What’s wrong Olivia?” I heard him say as I heard the smile fade from his voice.

I sniffled. “I felt the baby move. And no one else will talk to me cause I am a fuck up.”

“I’m sure whatever you think you did will not trump this news.”

I let out a laugh. “I met with Michael a few times for lunch and didn’t tell Carl.”

“Jesus Liv. Wait, so why is El mad at you?”

“Cause I told her I would tell him and I didn’t.”

“Good reasoning I suppose.”

I sighed. “I know I am a fuck up okay? I don’t need reassurance of that. I mean, I didn’t even get to tell him how my appointment went today.”

“Oh! So are we having a boy or a girl?”

I giggled. “We aren’t having anything Brassard. And the doctor wrote it down and gave it to Malin. We’re gonna do some kind of reveal, but it’s a secret. She also said that everything looks good, I’m measuring in the correct percentile and what not.”

“Well that’s fantastic! And you know Uncle Brassy gets to be one of the first ones to know right?”

I rolled my eyes. “Maybe. But if you could pass the news along to Ellie that would be great.”

“I will. She’s actually yelling for me right now. Call whenever you need to talk Liv, your bestie is here for you.”

“Thanks Derick. That’s mean more than you know.”

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A couple days later, I still hadn’t heard from Carl or Ellie.

I had spent my weekend deep cleaning the house, trying to get my mind off of things. I was folding the last load of clothes in the bedroom when I hear something running in the house. I looked out the hallway and saw a chocolate lab puppy running and sliding down the hall towards me.

I laughed as I bent down and picked her up and she licked all over my face.

“I planned on surprising you with her before we had the fight, thanks to Lauren, so don’t think she’s an apology.” Carl said as he walked in behind the dog.

I bit my lip as I hugged the puppy closer.

“Thank you.” I said softly.

He nodded as he walked past me into the bedroom. I sighed and followed suit and sat on the bed as he unpacked.

“Carl, you were right. And I’m sorry.” I said after a few minutes.

He nodded as he threw clothes into a basket. “Can you get those suits to the dry cleaner tomorrow on your way home?”

I sighed. “Are you even listening to me?”

He stopped and looked at me. “Liv, I just got home. I really don’t want to fight right now.”

I put the puppy down on the bed and walked over to him. “But I’m not trying to fight, I’m trying to apologize. It was wrong of me to not tell you I went to lunch with Michael. I clearly wasn’t thinking of the consequences.” I put my hand on his arm. “And I promise you nothing ever happened.”

He sighed as he ran his hand through his hair. “I believe you, I do. I was just mad you didn’t tell me. And worried.”

“Worried about what?”

“That you would leave me and run back to him.”

I laughed. “Are you kidding me? You’re stuck with me Hagelin. We both went through too much to get to where we are for me to just run backwards. Besides,” I said as I pulled him closer. “I love you and our little family so much.”

He smiled before he gave me a kiss. “I love you too. And what was with the whore comment?”

I smiled and shrugged. “I blame the pregnancy hormones. Which by the way, you never asked about how the appointment went.”

His eyes lit up. “I totally forgot about it with everything else. How did it go?”

“We are growing a perfectly healthy baby.”

“That’s good. And?”

I gave him a look. “And what?”

He sighed. “Boy or girl?”

“Oh! We have a stubborn child, wouldn’t let us see.” I lied.

His face fell a little as I heard a whimper come from the puppy.

I went over and picked her up and started babying her as he laughed at me.

“I cannot believe I got you a puppy.” He said as he came over and petted her.

I put my head on his shoulder. “I can’t either. Thank you.”

He kissed the top of my head. “Anything for you. Now what are we gonna name her?”

I thought for a minute. “Oh! I got it! We can call her Glory?”

“Why Glory?”

“For Blades and Glory!” I exclaimed as I snapped a picture and sent it to Ellie and Derick.

“Can you and Ellie do anything without each other?”

I smiled up at him before I kissed his cheek. “Nope.”