Page 42 of Pucked and Pregnant

The smile I give him is a warning and he knows it because he doesn’t even try to argue.

“I’ll, well, I’ll text them, but I don’t know if?—”

“Tell them if they have a problem they can answer directly to me.”

Aiden nods in defeat.

Apparently, Connor and Dimitri are just as intimidated by me as Aiden seems to be, because they all show up immediately after practice, ready to help me move.

We’re about halfway through unpacking when all of our phones start pinging like smoke alarms. Before I can even open my lock screen to get to the barrage of notifications, my phone starts ringing.

“Mom?”

“Hi, baby.”

“Isn’t it the middle of the night in Mumbai? What are you doing up?”

“Do you even read the messages I send you?” she asks. “We left India two days ago. We’re in Tokyo now.”

“What time is it there?”

“Seven a.m. Your father and I have a full day of sightseeing ahead of us. We’re doing a guided tour of the Imperial Palace, and then we’re going to a museum. Of course, we’re going to try to see some of the shrines if we can, and don’t worry, we’ll take breaks. You know how your dad gets when he’s hungry. Speaking of hungry, we’re at the most fabulous…”

“Mom, I love you, but we’re right in the middle of something here.”

“I know. That’s why I called, but then I got distracted telling you about our plans and… sweetheart, are you okay? I can’t imagine how hard it must be on the two of you right now.”

“We lived in different states for almost six years, Mom. I think we can handle me moving into my own apartment a few miles away,” I reply, rolling my eyes.

“You’re moving out?”

“Isn’t that the reason you called?”

“Please don’t tell me it’s because of the articles. They aren’t even worth acknowledging, baby. Honestly, with how fast this story has taken off, it might be wise to put off the move and stick close to Max for a little while longer.”

Now I’m really confused. “What are you talking about? What articles?”

“It’s hard to say which ones exactly, but what’s that, Greg? I have to go, baby. They’re ready to seat us. Just message me if you need me, and I’ll call when I can. I love you.”

The phone beeps, signaling that she ended the call, leaving me staring blankly across the room.

“Liv?” Max waves his hand in front of my face, startling me.

“What?”

“I think these might be the articles Mom was talking about,” he says, passing me his phone.

There’s a different headline in each of his browser tabs, each one more ridiculous than the last.

HasOur Bad Boy Bachelor Finally Settled Down?

Sorry Ladies, He’s Off The Market

Moving In With The Mistress

Max’s Secret Wife!

Hockey Superstar Dates Team Analyst: Is It Ethical?

---