Twinkle Twinkle little star, be your baby daddy? Don't tell HR.

I'm supposed to be focused on hockey. Play hard and win games. That's it.

But I've had a crush on Marlee Remington, the team's Events and Operations Manager, for years and when I learn she's finally single, I know this is my chance to ask her out. It all starts with a dance at a wedding and before I can even ask for a date, she sends a text with a special request: Help her have a baby.

Yeah. I know. That escalated quickly. Spoiler alert: I said yes having no idea what I was getting myself into.

I'm just supposed to be a donor, but this off the cuff, maybe-a-little-crazy favor is turning into something much deeper. Vulnerable moments, stolen glances, and a connection I've been craving for years. Now that Marlee's pregnant, I'm a reluctant baby-daddy in training stumbling through late-night cravings, pregnancy panic, and falling head over skates for the mother-to-be.

But becoming a father wasn't part of the plan. Especially not when I've spent my whole life denying myself the one thing I'm about to become. Everything inside me is screaming to love and protect her, to be better than the man who left me behind. But fears don't go quietly, and love isn't always enough.

This wasn't supposed to be my story. But I guess it's the one I'm meant to write.