Page 118 of These Pucking Boys: Part Two

Ryan gets to me first and kisses my forehead. “June, my love, we were worried.”

Jake stands on the other side of the bed, takes my hand, and says in a choked voice, “Don’t ever scare us like that again, do you hear me?”

Tears fill my eyes. “It wasn’t the plan.”

“Lass... I’m beginning to think I need to order goalie padding for you.”

I chuckle. “Why? Because I’m such a disaster magnet?”

“Yes.” He leans forward, resting his head against my stomach while hugging me. His body starts to shake, and it takes me a second to realize he’s crying.

“Lachy... I’m okay. I’m okay.” I run my fingers through his hair, then glance at Jake and Ryan. They’re crying too. “Come on. Stop this.” Fat tears roll down my cheeks. “See? Now I’m crying.”

Jake takes my face in his hands and kisses me fast before pressing his forehead against mine. “These are happy tears.”

“I know. By the way... I got fired,” I blurt out, and I don’t know why I decided this was the moment to part with the shitty news.

Jake draws back fast as if he was pulled by a rubber band that was stretched to the max. “What? That’s bullshit!”

“Katrina didn’t tell us,” Ryan adds.

“I don’t think she knows. I never got a chance to tell her. I was on my way to my car when I bumped into Louis and his mother. Then his father showed up...”

Ryan pinches the bridge of his nose. “Son of a bitch.”

“Screw them,” Lachy chimes in. “You don’t need that job.”

“I did actually need that job, and I’ll miss my students.”

He grimaces. “Sorry, lass. What I meant was that you don’t need to worry about finding a new job in a hurry. We’ll take care of you.”

I shake my head. “I’m not a mooch.”

Jake caresses my cheek with the tips of his fingers. “Yes, we know. You made that very clear from the beginning.”

“Knock, knock,” Melissa says from the door.

“Melissa! You’re alive,” I reply. She walks in, and I can’t help but notice her casual clothes. “I didn’t know you owned sweatpants and sneakers.”

“I’m still recovering from a cold. Didn’t feel like dressing up.”

“What’s up with the sunglasses?” Ryan asks. “And what happened to your lip?”

Melissa grimaces. “It’s nothing. I had a little accident.”

I watch her closely and notice a blemish on her cheek that she tried to conceal with makeup. Is she hiding a black eye under those sunglasses? I get queasy, considering the possibility that her absence during our crisis might be attributed to something other than a cold.

“But I couldn’t stay home when I heard about the shooting, June. How are you feeling?”

“Rough. I haven’t seen the doctor yet, but I can’t wait to go home.”

Melissa turns to the boys and smirks. “You might want to invest in a bigger bed.”

“Maybe it’s time for a bigger place,” Ryan replies.

My heart does a backflip in excitement, but immediately, my brain shuts down the giddiness. “Why? That apartment is perfect for you.”

“Was perfect, but we’re no longer bachelors.” Jake smiles. “We need a place that’s ours.”

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