CodyFinally, at around half eight I woke. I was supposed to have been out of the room an hour ago to be at the rink for training. Coach is going to spew at me. AGAIN. Seems right now I can’t get anything right for him. As you know, I’ve got a lot going on.Already I know I’ve missed the team bus to go from the rink to the hotel, but it’s not a big issue. I always have my driver, Davey on hand. He travels with me wherever I go these days, it’s just easier. My manager ensured this was in place since he pointed out that my mess with Luna shouldn’t be borne on the entire team and where I go at the moment it’s total and utter chaos.My driver is outside waiting, he speaks to me with the earpiece. Yeah, it’s something I have to use since I’ve grown more popular things have gotten slightly out of hand and I don’t just mean with the whole Luna business. My management team decided that if I wasn’t going to accept a bodyguard, that at the very least I need to have an earpiece that I can commun
Cody It was a smooth ride from the hotel to the ice rink and yes, I did catch all the people out front some with signs saying, Brannigan do the right thing and put a ring on Luna’s finger and baby daddy be there. Some had other shit written on them. I just don’t need this stress to be honest. Why don’t people get that Luna, and I are not nor never will be a couple? Why can’t they just leave me alone? What like I’m the only guy in the world who has got a girl pregnant and isn’t going to marry her. It’s not like it was my intention and she did tell me she was clean and on the pill.So, either she was lying to try to trap me, or we were just unlucky as hell. I mean, now I’ve seen the lengths Luna is going to, to derail me and make me out as the bad guy, I wouldn’t put it passed her to have lied to me. In any case, we’ll never know. What has happened has happened and I have to live with it. But trying to bad mouth me and then trying to get total strangers involved by her constant bullshi
ImogenI’m waiting for the match to start and am sitting on my pale lemon sofa with my scatter cushions all around me, they match my sofa only the detail is daisies. I’m a little crazy about daisies it has to be said. When I moved back to my folks, which I’ve said before won’t be for much longer since the unit above the restaurant is almost done, I will have huge canvas wall art mostly of you got it, daisies. There’s something therapeutic about them, I love their simplicity. They aren’t complicated, a bit like me.In any case, Mom and dad made one of the spare rooms upstairs in their house into a small lounge area for me. “You don’t want to be hanging with your folks all the time, now you are back.” Mom had said when I first came back to Minnesota and was staying with them until Atlas got me the gig as Cody’s nutironist and I moved into his for the few months we were together. They cleared out all the things they had been collecting over the years and took most of the old clothes, boo
CodyOur team photographer, a new girl called Erika is snapping away as we come through from the locker room. I had a nap here the guys went off after practice for lunch and back to the hotel for sleep. I couldn’t face going out and being tortured by the throngs of people whether they’re my fans who are sticking by me or the haters who are on Luna’s side. Sides. Fuck me, it’s almost pathetic how she has catapulted herself into the limelight. Some people will do anything for their five minutes of fame. Thank God I never had any intention of making our hook up anything more. This is the reason that those type of girls are not worth it.I feel adrenaline cursing through my veins as I hear the loud clapping and the music as we make our way into the tunnel. Erika asks us for a group photo by the entrance then starts typing away as she no doubt uploads it to a social media platform. “Great thanks guys, I’ll get one of you all on the ice once you’re all out there.” She smiles. I suppose she
ImogenGod, this game is so exciting our team are now only one point up, but anything can happen. They only have another ten minutes left, and my heart is in my mouth and every time I look at Cody my heart swirls. Yes, that’s right it swirls. My stomach knots and I wonder if I will be strong enough to hold off for another two months.I watch as he drives the puck down the middle, but he’s intercepted by a player called Willhanson, he’s one of Winnipeg’s defence players and he is good. Then Atlas tries to get the puck away from him but damn it the opposition sure know what they’re doing. This is going to be a tight game. Our team are strong, but I think they’ve now met their match.My phone beeps, I check it’s from Autumn.Are you seeing this? The Winni guys are playing like demons xxI know, right. Our guys are playing their hearts out. It’s killing me. Literally. Cody wants to bring this one home.I bet.And Calli, he has his hopes set on this. It’d be awesome if they can turn it aro
Cody“Guys you did amazing, I’m proud of you. We’ll be flying in a week’s time to Toronto for the semi-finals.” Coach is grinning from ear to ear. My manager comes to me.“Well done, Brannigan. Good to see you didn’t allow your personal life to affect your game tonight. You did good, Son.”“Thanks.” I say as he pats me on the back. Then the guys start to chant and holler as they take their jerseys off and swing them above their heads. It’s a victorious moment that is for sure. The feeling that surges through me eradicates all the negative shit I’ve had to put up with since the baby news has come to the fore. It feels good. Fucking good.Sweat is pouring off my body and I cannot wait to get into the shower and get hosed down. My legs and my arms ache from the exertion out on the ice. It is worth it, to be heading to the semi-finals is out of this world. We are so damn close to winning the Stanley Cup. I can’t stop grinning.I know outside shit awaits me but for now, I just want to reve
Cody The shower felt so good over my aching body, now I feel like just going back to the hotel and going to sleep and maybe sending Immi a message. I can’t stand this not really talking with her. It’s killing me. The euphoria of the win is starting to wear off and then there’s the whole debacle shit show for being harassed whilst I’m out. What’s going on with me? It wasn’t that long ago that I’d love nothing more than to do go out, get drunk and get off with some puck bunny then it all changed the first moment Immi stepped inside my home. That young kid with braces and the annoying little thing that she was, constantly following Atlas and I around grew up and took my breath away as she stood in my house with Atlas that morning. I could tell by the stormy look on her face she wasn’t happy to be there. Neither one of us was particularly happy, I didn’t need a nutironist and I didn’t need a wet nurse and she couldn’t stand to be close to me. Man, it was bad. Yet, the attraction was ob
Imogen I’m starting to get tired. Watching Cody on the ice was like watching a ballerina with his grace, the way he slides and cuts through, it makes my heart swell with pride. You know he has worked so hard all his life for these moments. It was kind of sad seeing him go through the tunnel, all I wanted was a last minute to see his beautiful face. His hair, when he took the helmet off was soaked and clinging to his scalp, I could see the curls at the bottom on the nape of his neck. I adore those curls. Sighing, I put my hot water bottle on the bedside, the pain in my stomach has now gone down to a low dull ache. It’s manageable. A few more days and this damn period will be over. Thankfully, I only have them for a couple of days. Unlike Autumn who really suffers, and they can last more than a week. My folks will be out with Cody’s folks for a while, they will no doubt have a few glasses of wine, the guys will have cold beers and chat around the fire pit they have outside. I’m so pl
Bonus Epilogue – CodyI watch Immi holding our baby boy, who we called Miles, he’s just three months old and Immi is a natural mother. My heart swells watching her holding him in her arms whilst her mother fusses around her.Her father slaps me on the back, “you did us proud, Cody. I couldn’t wish for a better man for my grandbaby and little Summer. That girl is a firecracker, she’s got you eating out of the palm of her hand.”“Don’t I know it, Sir. My boy will be the same.” We chuckle as we watch my Minnesota team enjoy a few colds ones on the grass that leads down to the lake out back of my Lake home. Immi and I are back now, we’ve come full circle from the first moment she came back into my life to be my nutironist and the sparring of words that took place back then.Who’d have thought that in just two years I’d be married to my gorgeous wife, have a baby girl who totters around everywhere and is obsessed with her baby brother and a baby boy. We plan on going for six kids, hell I’d
Imogen – EpilogueLife has been wonderful to us; our wedding was a dream with all our friends and family around us and the entire hockey teams for Minnesota and for Austin. Of course, as Cody is such a big name, we had to have one of the top celebrity magazine photographers attending and the exclusive pictures in the magazine were amazing. My mom’s cake she made for us was something out of a movie, five tiers, with one chocolate and one vanilla sponge alternating to the top, frosted in a delicate cream frosting with an iced arch at the top, she even made tiny flowers to match the wedding flowers to decorate it. I’m telling you, my mother is a baking wonder.It's been a year since our wedding and I am the happiest I have ever been. Little Summer is crawling and sort of walking, I swear I need eyes in the back of my head. Her blonde curls are to die for and those big blue eyes of hers, well she is a daddy’s girl and the way that Cody is with her, it makes my heart melt. He is the best d
Cody – December 21st “You look worried, Man you need to chill out. She’s going to be here.” I take a look at Atlas in his striped, grey charcoal pants, his matching waistcoat, the button down white shirt and the cream cravat. We’re matching today, it seems surreal we match on the ice and now we match as I stand in the bedroom of my Lake House nervous as hell, about to go out the back and take my place to wait for my beautiful bride to come down the aisle on her daddy’s arm. I exhale.“I am chilled out, but what if I let her down? What if I’m not the husband she wants to spend the rest of her life with? What if she thinks she wants to fly?” He pats me on the shoulder.“Listen to me, Bro. I like that now we’re going to be proper bro’s no getting away from me now. She loves you, Immi is besotted with you, that girl knows her own mind and if she didn’t think you were right for her, she’d have off-skied a long fucking time ago. So, now stop. This is your day as much as it is hers and you n
ImogenSummer is a dream, honestly you couldn’t ask for a happier baby, she hardly cries and always holds out her chubby little hands when she sees me, and don’t even get me started on when she sees her daddy. Oh, my it makes my ovaries ache something crazy and I literally cannot wait the next two months for our wedding.Where has the time gone? It’s literally insane. Where to start, first Cody did bring the Stanley Cup home for Austin during the event in June. He is now officially a legend, the crowds went absolutely nuts for him and the team, we have been inundated with so much press and media attention that sometimes it feels stifling, but I have to accept it because being married to the man who won both years in a row for his teams with hattricks in both games, is going to be a major thing. He could happily hang his skates now if he wanted to. He has achieved all the dreams he ever had as a child in his ice hockey career. Although, I have to admit, I would miss going to the games w
CodyWatching Luna giving birth was surreal, she didn’t make a fuss or create and scream the hospital down, she took it all in her stride, showing her strength and dignity. Seeing the crown of my baby girl’s head brought tears to my eyes.We’re all in the private room and Luna holds our baby in her arms, swaddled in a pale pink blanket, Immi and I have both held her and oh my, I can’t begin to tell you the way I feel. My heart expanded and fluttered like crazy, the love that I feel for this tiny little girl is unbelievable and the way I want to protect her and keep her safe, Man it’s blowing my mind.“So beautiful, Luna.” Immi says her smile wide on her face, her eyes shining like diamonds. “I think she has Cody’s cute nose,” she touches the baby’s face, yes, we still need to name her.“Cody, can you take her, then settle her down, I’m pretty exhausted and will nap.”“Absolutely,” I extend my arms to take our baby girl. “Come here Princess my daddy’s little girl.” Immi giggles and I ca
Imogen – five months later“I’m coming hold on.” I shout to Cody as he calls me from the front door. We’re due to go riding this morning but we’re both on edge kind of as it has already gone past Luna’s due date by a week. She is totally fed up and just wants the baby to drop. NOW.I rush to step into my riding boots, Ben is coming with us - he has become a real fixture of our bizarre family set up. And the best thing is that he has gotten closer to Luna. How amazing is that since Ben would often keep Luna company on her cabin porch when Cody and I were travelling to his ice hockey games.Fallon has been a dream constantly popping over to see us and also Luna, to be honest I think she has found a friend in Luna too. They’re both in the same position with pregnancies and Fallon stopped travelling to the away games with Atlas about three months ago.Life can be weird at times but in a good way. The one person who caused so much heartache for Cody and I, is now a firm friend and not just
CodyHer pussy feels wet as I glide my fingers over the lace of her panties, Imogen is so damn beautiful it can bring me to my knees. “I missed you darlin’,” I tell her as I kiss her neck making her tingle and squirm, I know it’s a feeling of delight and tickling as she giggles at my touch.“You were only gone during today, Brannigan,” she giggles as I nip at her neck, whilst continuing to stroke through her soaking panties.“A second is too long to be away from you, I swear Immi you do something to me that makes me want to be glued to your side. It’s a job to take myself away from you.”“You’re such a smooth talker, Brannigan. I feel the same way.” I know she does, whenever we get the opportunity on my away games that she doesn’t travel with me, we make sure to call each other it seems like every few hours around the games and photoshoots, signing autographs, sponsor meetings and the such like. And when I am at practice hell, we still talk regularly in the day. I feel like I cannot b
Imogen – One Month LaterTime has gone by so quickly, and yes Cody did go on to play with a broken jaw in New York. I went with him and held my breath the entire game, least ways that is how it felt. One more injury and he could have been off the ice for a while. He’s a stubborn old mule is what he is, but they won and he went on to score a hat trick, for those of you who don’t know what that is, it’s when a player scored three goals in a single game. Of course Cody was over the moon, the crowd went nuts even the New York fans.So, where else have we travelled? Let’s see we played a couple of home games, we went to Winnipeg which was fun and I got to do some sightseeing and his folks came too. We are bonding much more and I am loving how much they care about me. His ma even made me a beautiful sweater even though we are heading into Spring, it’s a soft blush pink mohair with daisies. She is so clever, the last time I tried knitting it was a total disaster and I ended up having to ask
CodyWhat the fuck, did I pass out or something? I’m in a room with hooks up to me and darkness filtering through some lemon shade blinds, Immi is sitting by my bed holding my hands and tears on her face. “Hey darlin’,” I manage feeling like I have been run over by a truck or something, I ache in my ribs, my pelvis and my face is fucking sore.“Cody, baby. Are you in pain?”“Some it’s not so bad. What the hell happened?“You were taken down on the ice. They say you have a bad concussion and a broken nose, and your jaw is fractured.”“Hey, don’t cry it could have been a whole lot worse. Least ways I can still play.”“No way, Brannigan.” Just as she says that a man in his fifties or so comes in with dark hair, splattering of grey at the temples and kind green eyes, not dark or emerald just plain green like leaves in the spring.“Good to see you awake, Brannigan. You took several shots to the head. Your jaw is fractured, I am guessing this lady has already told you that. We assessed your