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Rushing around setting up decorations was exhausting. Laura had been doing it for the better part of two hours and she could use a break. Her feet were aching as was her back. Decorating for a party and being six months pregnant didn’t go well together.
As she stopped to rub her back, she felt two more hands slot themselves over top of hers. Looking over her shoulder, she smiled. Her friends, Thatcher and Jake, were standing there. Jake moved Laura's hand away and started massaging her back. She melted into his touch, groaning softly.
“Oh, fuck,” Laura hummed. “That feels amazing .”
Thatcher leaned forward, taking one of his hands off Laura’s back to brush some hair away from her neck. He rubbed Laura’s shoulders gently, humming when he felt her shiver.
“You should sit down, Laura,” Thatcher mumbled. “You’ve done a lot of work already. Tuna and I can finish decorating.”
To punctuate his point, Thatcher tilted his head backward and kissed Jake. Laura heard Jake hum and felt his hands stutter in their movements on her back.
Nodding, Laura lifted her shoulders and arched her back. Jake and Thatcher both caught the hint almost immediately. They dug their hands in just enough to loosen whatever knots she had left. Laura groaned satisfactorily before walking to her seat.
When she arrived, she took her shoes off. She sighed now that her feet were no longer constricted by the tight fabric. Gently, she began rubbing her feet; she wanted to relieve some of the pressure the extra weight had caused her while she was running around decorating.
As she kneaded her swollen feet, she started to notice that the rest of Jake and Thatcher's team was beginning to arrive. Glancing at the clock, Laura blinked. She hadn’t realized it was time for the party to start. She must’ve been so focused on decorating that she lost track of time.
She noticed Jake and Thatcher both stop to talk to each of their teammates. As they did, they pointed them in her direction. Laura smiled and heaved a sigh of relief. The fact that they were sending the team to her instead of her having to go to them was amazing; her feet were killing her and she needed to rest them for as long as she could.
Petey and Brock were the first ones to make their way over to Laura. They both had a smile on their face; Petey was wearing an away jersey and Brock was wearing a home jersey.
Brock lit up more when he saw that Laura had a home jersey on. “Nice! See, Petey? Laura thinks the baby is a girl!”
Brock put his hand out for a fist bump. Laura smiled happily as she obliged.
“Yeah, yeah,” Petey mumbled. “You still owe me $50 when I’m right.”
“And you owe me $50 when I’m right,” Brock said. Laura chuckled as they walked away.
As the rest of the guys stopped to talk to her, Laura made sure to keep a note of the jerseys they were wearing. It seemed to be mostly in favour of the baby being a boy. Even Jake and Thatcher both thought the baby was a boy.
While everyone was mingling with each other, Jake made his way over to her. He sat in the seat next to her and placed his hand on her stomach. She smiled, placing her hand over the top of his.
“How are my surrogate and my son doing,” he asked, kissing Laura's cheek.
Raising an eyebrow, Laura looked at Jake with a tilted head. “Son? A little confident, aren’t we?”
Jake chuckled, rubbing Laura's stomach. “Maybe. But you know I would be happy if Thatcher and I had a daughter too. Even happier if she got some traits from my best friend.”
Blushing, Laura swatted Jake’s knee with her other hand. He chuckled again, leaning over and pressing a kiss to her temple.
Jake motioned toward the net in the corner. “You think it’s time?”
Scanning the room then looking at Jake with a small smile, Laura nodded. Squeezing Laura's hand, Jake ruffled her hair gently before he stood.
He garnered everyone’s attention, asking Bo to help him set up the reveal. Laura sat in her seat, smiling the entire time. She was so excited about this. Jake and Thatcher had wanted this baby for a while and as she was sitting here, getting ready to reveal the gender to their team, it made everything feel real for the first time. It also made her feel beyond loved and appreciated because she had been the first person they had come to about being their surrogate. She was more than happy to give Jake and Thatcher what they were seeking because she knew how much they wanted it. That and they insisted that she would still get to be as much a part of the child’s life as she wanted. Laura graciously jumped at the opportunity to take on the role of the child’s “aunt” because she knew all parental responsibilities belonged to Jake and Thatcher.
“Laura?” The voice cut through her thoughts. She looked over and saw Bo holding a hockey stick. “Thatcher is ready for you to shoot the trick puck at him.”
She smiled, standing from her seat. Taking the stick from Bo, Laura thanked him. Bo nodded in appreciation as he guided her toward where Thatcher was waiting in the net.
Looking around the room, Laura was pleased to see that everyone was giving her thumbs up and looks of encouragement. Directing her attention to Thatcher, she sheepishly smiled at him.
“Are you sure you want me to do this," she asked, lining the blade of her stick up behind the puck.
Thatcher didn’t answer verbally. All he did was nod which made his mask clatter around on his head. Laura bit her lip as she fired the puck at Thatcher's chest. When it exploded with a puff of pink confetti, she dropped the stick and squealed. Thatcher grabbed the cage of his mask with his blocker and lifted it. Instead of the disappointed look she thought she'd see, his face was pure elation.
He walked over to Laura and wrapped her in a hug. She embraced him back, rubbing her hands along his back. Thatcher took his glove and blocker and cupped Laura's face before leaning down and kissing her forehead. The bottom of his mask felt weird on the top of her head but she wasn't complaining; she was too high on adrenaline to care.
Jake walked over then, kissing Thatcher before wrapping them both in a hug. As they hugged, Jake pressed a quick kiss to Laura's temple. Laura hummed, resting her head against Jake's shoulder.
The three stood like that for what felt like forever, lost in each other and the moment. When they finally pulled back, Thatcher rested the hand part of his blocker against Laura's stomach. Jake was quick to place his hand right next to Thatcher's, rubbing his thumb gently across the area.
It was then that Laura felt Jake and Thatcher's daughter kick right where Jake had placed his hand. Jake looked at Thatcher, a smile on his face. Thatcher had a similar smile as he leaned over and gave Jake a meaningful kiss.
When they pulled apart, they both looked at Laura. Laura smiled fondly at both of them, cupping their cheeks and soothing her thumb across them.
They both smiled, leaning into the touch. After Jake and Thatcher both pressed a kiss to Laura's temple, Thatcher looked fondly at Jake and smiled.
“She’s going to be a daddy’s girl. I can tell.”