Chapter 63

Emma stared at the pregnancy vitamins on her nightstand, willing her stomach to settle enough to take them. The morning sickness was getting worse, not better.

“Try eating crackers first,” Katie suggested, appearing in the doorway with Charlotte on her hip. “It helps some women.”

“Nothing helps,” Emma groaned, but she reached for the saltines anyway.

Downstairs, she could hear Alek on a conference call with the NHL board, his voice tense as he discussed expansion details. They’d been tiptoeing around each other for three days since the pregnancy revelation, both trying to be supportive while privately panicking.

“Mama sick?” Charlotte asked, reaching out to pat Emma’s cheek.

“A little bit, baby. But I’ll be okay.”

Emma managed to keep the crackers down long enough to take her vitamins, then followed Katie downstairs. Alek was pacing in his office, phone pressed to his ear.

“I understand the timeline,” he was saying, “but moving my entire fam