Page 98 of Pucked and Pregnant

But Liv makes it easy for us to come together and bring out the best in one another. She’s the glue that holds our circle together. She makes us better, she makes us want tobebetter.

I can’t help but wonder if we would have been capable of the big win that we pulled off today if Liv hadn’t come back into our lives. It’s hard to say, but I do know that Connor, Aiden, and I have been playing better than ever on the ice since we started our situationship with Liv.

“We have to convince her to stay with us,” I say out loud, my voice sounding a little desperate.

Aiden sighs. “All we can do is try. But we can’t force her to do anything she doesn’t want to do. If she wants to be with us, great. If she wants me to parent from a distance while contributing to child support, that’s what I’ll do. We have to agree to let her choose what she wants, and not force her into anything by begging or whining. Yes, we love her but we don’t need to lose our dignity over it.”

Connor laughs. “You make us sound really pathetic,” he says.

Aiden looks over his shoulder at him, a serious expression on his face. “I feel like I might die if she doesn’t want to keep seeing me. Tell me that you don’t feel the same way.”

Connor’s expression immediately turns solemn. “I do feel the same way.”

“That’s not pathetic,” I tell them. “That’s love.”

Aiden grins at me then climbs out of the car. “Let’s go check on our girl,” he says.

We walk to the hospital’s front entrance. Upon entering, I walk over to the information desk and ask about Liv. The woman behind the desk frowns and says that visiting hours are almost over but she can call up and check.

I tap my foot impatiently as I glance around at the nurses and doctors hurrying by, all on a mission to save lives. I feel like I might explode if the nurse tells me that I can’t go up and see her.

“Okay,” she finally says. “You have about ten minutes. The elevators are to your right. Third floor. The nurses at the station up there can direct you to her room.”

“Thanks,” I say quickly and take off toward the elevators, the boys hot on my tail.

“I assume Max is still here,” Connor says, shifting his weight back and forth as we ride up to the third floor.

Aiden nods. “Yeah. He said he’ll hang out until visiting hours are over.”

Connor gulps. “Do you think he’s angry with us?”

I snort. “He’s pissed at us. I know I would be if Liv was my sister and I’d been lied to by my three best friends for years.”

We all fall silent, letting his words sink in as the elevator dings and the doors open to the third-floor of the hospital.

We walk to the information desk and ask where Liv’s room is. The nurse directs us down the hall and to the right. We hustle in that direction and my heart starts racing in my chest.

What if Liv turns us away? What if she doesn’t want to talk to us about the future? What if she says that she doesn’t want us to be a part of the baby’s life?

I press all my worries down and take in a deep breath as I step into Liv’s room.

She looks beautiful. She’s tapping away on her phone, her brow furrowed. I assume she’s catching up on highlights from the game and I can’t help but smile. She’s passionate about her job, and it should come as no surprise that she’s still working, even while she’s staying overnight at the hospital for observation.

“Liv?” I say, tentatively stepping forward. “How are you feeling?”

She lifts her gaze to mine and smiles. She sets down the phone then glances at Max, who nods and slides past all of us with a meaningful look.

“I’m okay,” she says with a sigh, gesturing for us to come further into the room. “We need to talk.”

29

LIV

Ilook at the little half-circle of handsome men staring at me with different versions of worry on their faces. I don’t quite know what to say to them, and it’s hard to speak past the lump of guilt that’s lodged firmly in my throat.

“You obviously already know that I’m pregnant. I found out a little bit ago that I’m having twins.”

I see different kinds of surprise flare across their features, and I nearly laugh out loud as they look at one another then back at me.

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