Nikki Worrell - The Enforcer (NHL Scorpions)

There was no sweeter sound than hearing that goal horn blow. The entire team rushed off the bench toward him, and the coaches were high fiving and hugging each other in the team box. Balloons fell from the ceiling and the crowd was screaming louder than they’d ever done before. It was a hell of a night.

When the celebrations in the arena ended, a big group of players, coaches, friends, families, wives and girlfriends went to the pub. Jody kept picking Lacey up and spinning her around. He was like a kid who just got his first bike.

“God, can you believe it, Lace? The Cup. The Stanley friggin’ Cup!” Lacey wanted to tell him her news, but didn’t know if it was the right time. She didn’t want anything to take away from his night.

Zoe ran over to her. “Lace, you have to tell him, or I might. I can’t help it, I’m just so excited!” Zoe was great at keeping her mouth shut when it involved a client, but she was having trouble now?

“I want him to enjoy tonight. I don’t want it to seem like I’m trying to trump winning The Cup, you know?”

“Are you crazy? He’s going to go insane with joy! Tell him.”

Lacey smiled big. “Okay, good idea. I might burst if I don’t tell him soon. I’m so excited!”

Lacey tugged on Jody’s sleeve to get his attention. He immediately put his arm around her and drew her into his side. “Hey babe, what’s up?”

“Do you think I could talk to you for a minute?” She couldn’t keep her grin off her face. Who would have thought that one person could enjoy so much happiness?

“Of course.” He pulled her back into a relatively quiet corner and handed her a vodka and cranberry that he’d gotten her from the bar. She took it, but told him she couldn’t drink that anymore.

“Why? You want something else?”

“No. It’s about a doctor.” Jody lost his smile at the word doctor.

“What’s wrong, Lace? Are you sick, sweetheart?” Please don’t let anything be wrong with my girl.

If possible, Lacey’s smile got bigger. “No, it’s about your doctor. See, he was wrong.”

“What doctor? Wrong about what? What are you talking about?”

Lacey put her hand on her stomach. “He was wrong about you not being able to have children.”

Jody let that sink in and looked down at Lacey’s hand on her stomach. “You’re … I mean … Really? Holy shit, Lace, you’re pregnant?” He wrapped her in his arms and buried his face in the crook of her neck. She felt wetness there.

“Aw, honey. Are you okay? I mean, you’re glad right?” Lacey never considered that Jody might not want to have children.

Clearing his throat, he answered her, “Glad? Are you fucking kidding me? Lace, we’re going to have a baby! I want to shout it to the world.” He turned around to do just that. “Uh, is it okay? Can I do that? Please?” How could she ever resist him with that crooked smile of his? She nodded and gave him her permission.

He didn’t try to get everyone’s attention, he simply shouted at the top of his lungs. “I’m going to be a father! We’re having a baby!” He turned back and swept Lacey up in his arms as his teammates and everyone else clapped and hollered.

It was a great night indeed.

Jody was offered a one-year extension on his contract with the Scorpions, but he turned it down. He was at the end of his career, and he was still having slight issues from his last concussion. It was nothing major, but he really didn’t want to push his luck and possibly ruin the rest of his life.

Another pressing reason he turned down the offer was that he wanted to be around to help raise his kid. He didn’t want to be traveling while Lacey raised their child on her own. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do, but he’d figure something out.

About a week before his and Lacey’s wedding, he got a phone call from the owner of the Scorpions.

“Hi Jody, this is Joe Clark. I hear that you turned down our extension offer.” Jody had met Mr. Clark once before, but had not talked to him much.

“Hi Mr. Clark. Yes, I did. While I appreciate the offer, I’m having a baby and have decided that I don’t want to travel and miss being a consistent father.”

“I think that’s commendable, and I‘m happy for you both. I’m not calling to try and talk you into taking that contract. I have another offer for you. I was talking to your coach and the management team. Every one of them tells me how good you are with the new players and what a great mentor you are to them. They say you’re patient and understand that hockey is a team sport. Everyone has their value.” Jody had no idea where he was going with the conversation.

“Thank you, sir. I’m glad they think so highly of me.” He wasn’t sure what else to say.

“Well, I’m starting a youth hockey school right here in San Diego. I’ll be building a smaller arena, but for now, I’m going to use our practice facility. I need someone to run it for me. I’d like to offer you a coaching job. You’d be a head coach for these kids and a positive influence on them. A lot of them come from nothing. We’ll use some of the charity money to create funding for the kids who can’t afford it. What do you think?”

What do I think? Jody couldn’t think of anything he’d like to do more. His coach growing up in Canada did that for him. He was the father that Jody never had. It would give him a sense of purpose to be able to do that for another child. And he’d still be doing what he loved. He’d still be involved in hockey. It was a dream job!

“I think I’d like to sign on the dotted line, Mr. Clark. Count me in, and thank you. I appreciate the confidence you have in me.”

Lacey and Jody got married on the beach in front of Jody’s house. Lacey wanted a casual wedding surrounded by friends and family on the beach. And what Lacey wanted, Jody gave her.

“So, Mrs. LaGrange, is this what you had in mind?” Jody looked out at the people milling around. Some were playing volleyball, some were dancing under the tent to the beach type music that the band put out, and some were just drinking and laughing. Jody had set tables set up all around his house. Izzy was in doggie heaven with all of the attention she was getting.

“It’s perfect, Jody. I’m so glad that my parents and your sister and mother are here, too.”

Jody pulled Lacey back into him and rubbed her slight baby bump. “I think I changed my mind. I want to know the sex of the baby.”

Lacey laughed at him. She knew, but Jody said he didn’t want to know. He went back and forth almost daily. “Well, you have to make up your mind. You either do or don’t want to know. Which is it? This is your final decision.”

He sighed. “I’m weak, I want to know.”

“It’s a girl. And I’ve picked out a name for her if you like it.” Lacey’s grandmother was a very special person in Lacey’s life until the day she died. Lacey had always loved her name. It was an old-fashioned name that a lot of people didn’t even know. She also wanted to honor Jody’s family and thought Maddie’s middle name, Lea, would go nicely.

“I’m sure I’ll like anything you do, Angel. Let’s hear it.”

“Well, I’ve always loved my grandmother’s name, and I thought we could give her your mother’s middle name, also. So, what do you think of Adeline Lea LaGrange? I’d like to call her Addie.”