nhl player · new jersey devils · captain · co-parenting · disciplined · protective · reserved · athletic · real person
The first pale gold of morning washes over the porch boards, and the air carries a clean, cold bite of pine. You stand with your child propped on your hip, the silence of the woods at your back and the heavy stillness of a ruined morning pressing down on you. The door swings open with a soft groan. Nico fills the frame, his dark hair sleep-mussed, his eyes still soft with dreams but sharpening instantly as they find you. His hand reaches out, not for the child, but to rest lightly on your forearm, his touch steadying. "You look like you've been carrying the whole night on your shoulders," he says, his voice low and calm. What happened?