Page 191 of Cruel Steps

“You did it, Hol,” Colter said, his voice just as emotional.

“We did it,” Holden corrected.

It didn’t matter that neither of us was on that field. To Holden, we got to where we were together, and that was all that mattered.

He once believed football could be his only goal, but by allowing love into his life, he realized he could have so much more. And tonight, I would prove how true that was.

The three of us broke apart, Holden kissing me and wiping the tears from my face before he was pulled up to the podium to accept the Lombardi trophy. He stood on the stage with his team with the biggest smile, and I had to stop myself from ruining the surprise. I’d wanted to tell him earlier, but after two miscarriages and the stress of the Super Bowl, Colter told me to wait. If we waited until after the game, at least no matter what, he’d be in a good mood. I felt bad keeping a secret, but I knew this one was worth it.

We were finally going to be parents.

Holden was named the MVP and answered a bunch more questions from all the major networks before finally being cleared to leave. Flames fans celebrated everywhere you looked, making the excitement heat in your blood and overflow. We walked out of the tunnel, finding our family waiting for us.

“Congratulations, son!” Rose said, pulling him into a hug.

“Thanks, Mom.”

Everyone took turns hugging Holden and followed us out to the parking lot. Our flight didn’t leave for Tennessee until the morning, so we had the night to celebrate at the hotel. We made plans to grab breakfast with everyone in the morning before finally separating and climbing into our rental car.

The three of us sat quietly, taking in the thrill of the day. I reached into the backseat and squeezed Holden’s hand. “How does it feel?”

Colter started the car while Holden thought. “Surreal. It’s the biggest moment of my career. Everything I worked for, all the years of training and camps, and focusing on nothing but football, have culminated to this moment. And that feels good. Really good.”

“But?” I asked, smiling at him.

“It doesn’t hold a candle to the first time you said I love you or the day we all became Adlers. Those days are by far the best ones of my life. I’m glad I realized that years ago and didn’t lose you; otherwise, I’m not sure this moment would’ve happened. Or if it did, I would’ve realized how empty it was. Having you two to support me and celebrate with has made it worth it.”

“Those are two of my favorite days, too,” Colter said.

“Me too.” I grinned at my two husbands. It took great effort to not blurt out the news. “You hungry? We could order something and have it sent up to the room.”

“I could eat.” Holden patted his stomach, and I laughed.

“I want dessert.”

“I thought you were dessert?” Colter teased.

“Well, for you two. But I need chocolate.” I typed into the app for the hotel, selected different options, and submitted it before they had me order one of everything. “Done.”

A few minutes later, Colter pulled up to the hotel, and the valet opened the door. They smiled wide when they revealed Holden.

“Welcome back, Mr. Adler. Congrats on the win. Great game.”

“Thank you.” Holden nodded, taking my hand and pulling me close. Colter handed off the keys and joined me on my other side. It had taken a while for all of us to adjust to the amount of wealth we had. While I’d grown up in a wealthy family, we weren’t this level of uber-rich. Add in being famous, and it was a mind trip.

Having people recognize you almost everywhere you went or give you things just because of your last name took adjustment. Because of the scrutiny, we didn’t always act like a triad in public. It just depended on where we were. We didn’t hide our relationship, but sometimes it was better to not draw attention. There had been a few scary calls traveling with the team for games in conservative cities.

Thankfully, Miami was not one of those, so Colter took my empty hand. I wore two rings, one on each hand for them both. While we were a threesome, I never wanted them to feel like they weren’t important in our relationship. We’d found a system that worked for us, and I was glad for that.

Holden received several more congratulations and claps as we walked through the hotel to the elevator. In our excitement, he’d forgotten to tug on the ball cap and change into something that didn’t scream “Flames,” but I think this was one time he didn’t mind being recognized. It felt good to have your achievements recognized.

“Did you want to take a shower before the food?”

“Yeah, that’d be good.” Holden dropped a kiss on my forehead and exited the main room.

Holden had stayed with the team last night but moved his stuff to our room this morning. Colter and I had gotten a suite, giving us more room and privacy. While Holden showered, I changed into lingerie. I’d been careful to wear clothes to hide my belly, and Holden had been distracted by football, so he hadn’t asked any questions.

In this outfit, there was no way to hide it.

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