Game Changer

by Amelia Whitmore

  “Nothing.”

  We slowly walked towards the ice and I gripped his arm, “I can’t do this,” I said hastily as I tried to turn us around.

  “Emily,” He said slowly, giving me a warning.

  “Don’t you ‘Emily’ me. One of us isn’t exactly a professional athlete who can do everything, Aiden.” I snapped, not out of irritation, but out of nervousness.

  He put his hand on my face and rubbed my cheek with his palm, “I promise nothing bad will happen.”

  I sighed and nodded, then gripped his hand as we headed towards the entrance and onto the ice. He stepped out first and turned around so he was facing me and holding both of my hands. “Alright, now take a slow step onto the ice and try to keep your foot still,” he instructed.

  I did as I was told but my foot suddenly slipped a little and I jerked my whole body and shrieked, ending with both of my feet on the ice and my arms around Aiden’s body, hugging him as closely as possible. I was laughing as hard as I ever had with my head on his chest. He was laughing too, rubbing my back.

  “Well I think it’s safe to say I’m a natural at this.” I said, giggling the entire time.

  “No doubt babe, now maybe we could try to actually move,” he said as he slowly made me loosen my viselike grip on his body.

  He bent slightly to look into my eyes, “Are you really ready now?”

  I nodded and held onto his hands as he skated backward and pulled me along. After about five minutes of getting used to that, he told me to lightly let my feet glide out and push. It went way smoother than I expected it would.

  Soon enough, I was skating on my own and only holding Aiden’s hand. I definitely looked like a beginner, but I felt proud.

  As much as I didn’t want to stop, all of the water at the restaurant was running straight through me, “Aiden, I have to go potty,” I announced, getting odd looks from the people beside us.

  He laughed and helped me turn towards the exit, both of us stopped dead in our tracks at what we saw standing there; well actually Aiden had to pull me to an actual stop.

  “Are you allowed to be on skates that soon after having a baby?” I whispered to Aiden.

  His hand tightened around mine and he guided us over, attempting to keep us on the opposite side of them.

  He had to lift me over the ridge to get me off of the ice. It felt weird to walk now. When we looked up, my stomach sank.

  “Well look what the cat dragged in.” Brittney crossed her arms in front of us. “Looks like home wrecking whores don’t know where they belong… in the bed.”

  “Excuse you?” I said, stepping forward. Aiden held me back by putting a hand across my chest and moving me in behind him.

  “If you ever call Emily a whore again I’m going to tell the world about the way you tried to trick me with the baby.”

  “What’s it matter to you? That’s all she is, isn’t she?” She took a territorial step forward.

  “Not even close. And for the record, there was no home to wreck. I’d broken up with you before I even met her,” He said, running a hand down his face. I held the hand he still had behind him and used my other hand to rub his back.

  “Oh, you mean the note? That didn’t specify anything,” she argued.

  “Yeah, the note. I’m pretty sure that ‘I know the baby isn’t mine, we’re through…” it speaks for itself.

  I had trouble not laughing at her outraged screech. I figured we’d had enough of the talking and were done, so I tapped his arm lightly.

  “Aiden, I really have to pee now, can you help me with the skates?”

  He nodded thankfully and we both moved to go around Brittney when she grabbed me by the sleeve and pushed me back, causing me to lose my balance and fall on my butt.

  Aiden’s eyes widened in fury as he helped me up. I held onto him, moving him behind me this time. Brittney spoke before I could, “She’s just a child Aiden, I mean look at this. You’re helping her with her skates, picking her up when she falls. Why not just raise my child, it would be the same thing?”

  My jaw dropped and I stepped forward, smiling internally when I realized I had a good several inches on her.

  “First of all, you cheated on him, so it’s time to move on. It’s clear that he already has. Secondly, I’m not a child, a whore, or you, so I think he’ll be perfectly happy with me. Leave us alone now or I’ll have you arrested for harassment.” I warned before grabbing Aiden’s hand and pulling us away.

  We finally made it over to where our boots were, “I’m sorry about that. I really didn’t want to talk to her, but I hate her.” I said, giving Aiden an apologetic look.

  Instead of answering, he pulled me into his arms and kissed me with a passion I hadn’t experienced yet, it was like fierce relief.

  “I’m sorry she said those things to you, but I was never able to threaten her with anything viable. I’m glad you took a stand, and that you think I’m worth standing up for.” He whispered, crushing me to his chest.

  I smiled softly up at him. “After everything we’ve been through, I’ll always fight for you.”

  Chapter 19

  Christmas had always been my favorite time of year. I mean, who doesn’t love Christmas? I really don’t know why I loved it so much though, I mean, I hated getting gifts with a passion. I guess it was mostly for the smells, the way it felt giving to others and just being with your loved ones.

  Either way, Christmas was a special time of year for me. This year, however, had my stomach in knots. I was meeting Aiden’s family for the first time on Christmas in Wisconsin, then we were going to spend New Year’s in Austin with Erica and Kane. I hadn’t seen or spoken to either of them since the wedding, and I wasn’t looking forward to it.

  I picked up my phone and called Aiden, we were leaving for Wisconsin soon and I was still packing.

  “Hey baby, what’s up,” Aiden said as he answered the phone.

  “What the heck do you people wear in Wisconsin?”

  I was nervous and that caused me to be a little snappy. I knew Aiden understood this though.

  “What do you mean? They wear clothes just like they do here in Texas.”

  “Aiden!”

  He laughed and I knew he was highly amused.

  “Sorry babe, but it’s just so much fun to mess with you when you’re stressed.”

  “I hate you.”

  “Nope, you love me. And just pack really warm things. It’s cold there. It might even snow.”

  “I hate cold weather.”

  He laughed again.

  “I know honey, but I’ll be with you and you’ll be fine, I promise. I’m leaving my house now, so I’ll see you soon.”

  “Fine, I love you.”

  “Love you too.” He blew a kiss through the phone and hung up.

  I shook my head and sighed, running a hand through my hair and looked at my suitcase, which was lying open on my bed. I already had two pairs of sweat pants, three long sleeved shirts, a couple undershirts, four bras, underwear, six pairs of socks, two of my thickest hoodies, one of my thinner ones, four pairs of skinny jeans, because for some reason I no longer owned any other kind, a pair of long johns, two pairs of mittens, a couple pairs of boots, three hats, two scarves, and my jacket was waiting for me to put it on.

  I looked around my room and realized I forgot something to sleep in; I pulled out a pair of shorts and a pair of pajama pants, not sure if I’d be warm enough in my normal sleeping attire, and a t-shirt.

  I went into the bathroom and grabbed my makeup, flat iron, shampoo and conditioner, and my shaver. I was so nervous to meet his family that I could barely breathe.

  Back in my bedroom, I zipped up my bag and grabbed my purse, double checking that my boarding info was ready and my ID was with it. By the time that I managed to haul my huge suitcase down the steps, Aiden was opening my front door. “Emily Smith, what did the doctor say about heavy lifting?” He chastised me as he made his way over and took the bag.

  “Hel
lo, to you too,” I mumbled sarcastically.

  “Emm, you know you’re not supposed to be carrying heavy things,” he chided.

  I let out a harsh breath, “Aiden, shut up.”

  “You’re in an especially cranky mood today,” he observed as he set the bag down by the door, “Anything you’d like to talk about?”

  “I’m not cranky!” I snapped, crossing my arms. I was biting my lip, realizing that I contradicted myself but I wasn’t willing to show it.

  Aiden walked over and wrapped his arms around me, “I’m sorry. You’re not cranky.” He said in a condescending voice.

  I huffed and pushed him away, “You know? So what if I am?! I’m pregnant and nervous, and pregnant,” I argued.

  “You said pregnant twice.”

  The death glare I sent him shut his mouth.

  “Look baby,” He said as he pulled me into a hug, “There’s really not much I can change about your being pregnant, in fact, there’s really nothing I want to change about that. The nerves though, those I can help.”

  I was about to ask him how before his lips met mine in a slow, calming kiss. It didn’t last long, but its effect was obvious. I sighed and relaxed against his body.

  “I’m crazy, aren’t I?”

  “Yes, but I love you.”

  I could feel him grinning into the top of my head, where his lips were kissing my temple.

  “Aiden, what if they don’t like me or they kick us out when they find out about the baby?”

  He pulled back and looked down on me with compassionate eyes.

  “Is that what you’re worried about? I thought it was just the plane.” He kissed my forehead. “They’re going to love you, because I love you. My family would never kick me, their twenty-six year old son, out of their house. I’ll admit they’re probably going to be shocked at first, especially since you’re only nineteen and we’re not married, but I think that after that shock wears off, they’re going to be fine.”

  “I hope so,” I grumbled.

  Aiden checked his phone for the time. “Emm, we’ve got to go now if we want to make our flight.”

  Aiden grabbed my bag and carried it outside, then helped me into the truck. He got in and started it up when I remembered something. “Oh shit, I left something upstairs,” I said quickly, unbuckling my seatbelt.

  “Stay here, what is it?” he asked, already opening the door.

  “A small blue box on my desk.” I said, and then yelled at him not to open it as he ran away. For Christmas, I’d gotten Aiden a little pouch with silver tokens in it that read off things like ‘Massage Token’ which was good for one massage, or ‘Love token’ which was good for all my love. It was cheesy, but we’d get to give them back and forth.

  He came running back to the car and carefully handed the gift over to me. Two hours later, we were boarding our flight. I ended up with a window seat and Aiden was next to me. He leaned over and whispered in my ear, “This reminds me of how we met.”

  I smiled and kissed him, thinking about how lucky I was to have a guy so great. An hour and a half later, we were leaving the airport in a rented car. The flight had been a little turbulent because of the weather, but it wasn’t too bad.

  The weather here was colder than anything I’d ever felt. My cheeks burned after only a few minutes outside. Houston just never got as cold as it did in Wisconsin. I don’t think it ever snowed back home my entire life.

  “How do you live in a place so cold?” I shivered, putting my hands up to the heat that was spewing from the air vents. Aiden laughed, “It feels like home again.”

  I sent a glare his way. Aiden seemed to know his way around and handled the icy roads like a pro. We held hands and I started drifting off to sleep, but was awakened when Aiden kissed my nose and told me we were there. I jolted awake and looked around, immediately awing at the landscape. It was a beautiful home in the middle of the woods with snow everywhere and Christmas lights.

  “This is gorgeous.” I admitted.

  As I said this, two kids, a boy and a girl, ran from the house in boots and coats screaming “Uncle Aiden!” At the top of their lungs. Aiden smiled a huge smile and jumped out of the car, picking them both up at the same time and swinging them around.

  “Ah, I missed you guys.” He said in his rough voice, telling me he was emotional about finally seeing them again. I grinned and stepped out of the car and walked over to meet them.

  Aiden set them down and turned to me with a smile. “Guys, this is my girlfriend Emily. Emily these are my nephew and niece, Hunter and Katarina. Their little brother Ryder is probably inside; he’s only three.”

  Katarina looked to be about four or five and Hunter seemed about five or six.

  “My Auntie has a cat named Emily.” Katarina informed me. “We call her Emm Cat.”

  I knelt down and smiled at her, “Does she? Is she pretty?”

  She nodded softly, looking shy. Hunter rolled his eyes and shook his head, reminding me slightly of Aiden with his lack of shyness, “Auntie Hailey picks out stupid cats. Emm Cat is always running into things and breaking stuff.”

  I looked up at Aiden when he began to laugh. He sent me a wink and said, “Emm Cat is a blind rescue cat. Hails adopted her.” I held back my own laughter and looked at Hunter again, “Well she sounds like a silly cat to me.” He nodded, agreeing.

  “Hey guys, why don’t you bring Emily inside while I get our bags?” Aiden suggested. They each grabbed my hand, Hunter holding on tighter than Katarina, and led me to the door. I looked back at Aiden with wide eyes and he smiled innocently. I wanted to kick him.

  Hunter ran ahead of us when we got inside and I heard him tell everybody excitedly, “Uncle Aiden brought his girlfriend and she’s really pretty.”

  I blushed and squeezed Katarina’s hand, finding the support of a little girl more than helpful. She seemed to understand in a way because she smiled up at me. She tugged on my hand and I knelt down closer to her, “I like you because you’re pretty too.”

  I smiled and winked at her, “Thanks sweetie, but I think you are the prettiest of us all.”

  She giggled and ran into what I assume is a family room. I had an awkward moment where I glanced between the door and the entrance to where everybody else was and I decided what to do. I slowly made my way into the heart of the house and found a large group of people, their conversation stopped as they looked at me. I felt my cheeks burn and I bit my lip.

  “Sorry to just let myself in, but Aiden sent me in with the kids.” I announced.

  An older woman jumped up and walked over to me, “You must be Emily; we’ve heard so much about you!” She said with a huge smile and she hugged me. I was a little shocked but I hugged her back.

  “I’ve heard a lot about you all too, you’re all Aiden ever talks about.” I replied. It was the truth too. There wasn’t a day that went by where I didn’t get to hear a story about ‘back home’.

  “Well that can’t be good.” I heard from a guy who looked nearly identical to Aiden. My eyes widened when I saw how similar they were. He laughed when he saw that, “I’m Seth, Aiden’s twin.”

  “Aiden has a twin?” I asked, surprised. How could Aiden not have told me about this?

  He looked wary, “Has he never mentioned me?”

  My eyes widened as I tried to figure out what to say, “N-no, of course he has. He’s told me more stories about his brother Seth than I can count; he just never specified that you were his twin.” I explained.

  “That’s probably because he’s jealous of my insanely good looks.” Seth nodded understandingly. I tilted my head, wondering if he was joking. When he burst out laughing, I knew he was and started giggling.

  “Where is Aiden anyhow?” An older man asked.

  “He’s grabbing our bags. He seems to think that I’m incapable of carrying my own things.” I shook my head, still fairly irritated about that. They chuckled and the woman led me over to an empty seat on the couch, beside Seth and the armrest.
>
  “I’m Marjorie by the way, and this is my husband, Dale. This is Owen, and you’ve already met his kids, Katarina and Hunter.” She was rambling. “Samantha was just waking Ryder up from his nap before you walked in, so you’ll get to meet her soon. Hailey couldn’t make it today, such a shame. This is our other daughter, Grace. She’s the baby of the family.”

  “Mom!” A girl who looked to be around my age exclaimed, “You make it sound like I’m five or something.” She looked at me and smiled, “I’m Grace, as she already said. Although I’m the baby of the family, I’m eighteen.”

  “Anyways,” She threw her daughter a pointed look. “Welcome to the family.” As she said this, there was a rattling at the door. “Dale, Owen, go help Aiden. Seth, make her feel welcome.” Marjorie announced before moving back to the kitchen.

  “So, what exactly do you see in my brother anyways?” Seth asked, slinging his arm around me. I expected it to feel weird, but it didn’t. “You know, I’m really not sure.” I admitted, getting a loud laugh from him.

  “I like you already.” He said, pulling me to his side.

  “Hey, hands off my girlfriend.” Aiden called out. Everybody shot up and hugged him. Aiden was smiling so big that I had to smile too. Once they stopped, Dale and Owen brought our bags upstairs and everybody else took the same places they had before. Aiden walked over and pulled me up was going wear, only to take my seat and pull me down onto his lap. I settled in comfortably, with his arms wrapped around my waist and his chin resting on my shoulder.

  “Did Mom attack you and introduce everybody?” I grinned and nodded, “It was very sweet.” I smacked his arm and he looked surprised, “Why did you never mention that Seth is your twin?”

  “Did I never mention that?” He asked, a twinkle in his eyes.

  “No, you didn’t.” I glared.

  “I just figured it would be funny to see your reaction. I mean, for twins we look nothing alike.” They both gave me a wide eyed innocent look that seemed like a mirror image.

  “Pft. Shut up, Aiden.” Seth elbowed him softly and they both laughed.

  Chapter 20

  Soon after we got there, Marjorie announced that it was time for dinner, which made me very happy. Now that I was pregnant, I wasn’t starving all the time, but I definitely got hungry. I sat between Aiden, who was on my right, and Seth, who was on my left. They were so funny together, and from how his family acted, I could see how they got that way. Everybody finished each other’s sentences and they were basically a huge group of ‘me’s and Ethan’s’.