Page 149 of Hit Me With Your Best Shot

I pause, chewing on my lip. “I don’t know. Maybe I should sithim down and tell him—the old fashioned way. No frills, no gimmicks. Just honesty.”

Nova pulls a face, not loving that idea. “Or—hear me out—you get a puck and write, ‘You’re gonna be a dad’ on it, take him to the arena. Get him in the box and chuck it at him. Very on-brand, right?”

I groan. “Nova, I’m not trying to give the poor guy a heart attack.”

“Lame,” she pouts. “What about balloons? Everyone loves balloons. You could fill one with confetti and pop it, and the confetti spells out the news. Super dramatic.”

“Super messy,” I point out, shaking my head. “Besides, I don’t think he’s the kind of guy who needs theatrics.”

“Pfft. My brother loves drama, what are you talking about? If you hadn’t noticed, one of the reasons he’s so into you is because you’re willing to make an ass of yourself in public.”

I take offense to that. “When do I make an ass of myself?!”

“Uh—at every home game? The signs? The tauntin—" She stops speaking and looks at me. “That’s it. That’s the idea!”

“What is?”

“A sign! At the game!” Nova’s eyes light up as she scoots closer, clearly excited by her latest brainwave. “Think about it! You’re already his number one fan—literally. You could hold up a sign during the game that says something like, ‘You’re Gonna Be a Dad!’”

He would die.

I gape at her, absolutely horrified. “Nova, no. Absolutely not. Do you know how mortifying that would be? For both of us?”

She cackles, clearly enjoying my discomfort. “Oh,come on. It’s perfect! Public, dramatic, and completely on-brand for you two. Less of a heckle, more of an announcement. So Khloe Kardash of you.”

I groan, throwing a pillow at her. “First of all, I am nothing like Khloe Kardashian. Second of all, no. Absolutely not. I’m not announcing this like it’s a gender reveal party on steroids.”

Nova catches the pillow, her grin widening. “You are no fun. Admit it, it’d be unforgettable! For everyone! The fans would eat that shit up!”

They seriously would.

The announcement would likely go viral and plastered on every major news network across the country.

The more she talks thelessI hate the idea.

It would be Classic Austin.

“Oh my God, Nova. He would shit his pants.”

For so many reasons.

Nova hoots, clapping her hands together. “It’s perfect. Public enough to make it memorable, but not so over-the-top that it’s a complete shit-show.”

I shake my head with another laugh. “What if Gio gets distracted and they lose which could lose The Baddies, the championship, and then the Cup and suddenly I’m the reason they had a horrible season.”

Not to mention, being highlighted in all the Sports Fail reels.

“You areway overthinking this.”

“Am I?” I ask. “I’m just making sure Gio lets a puck through his glove ‘cause he’s too busy reading my sign?”

She ignores my question and continues making arguments for the sign. “…Or are you bringing your entire relationship full-circle? It’s perfect.”

“I can’t argue with that, I guess,” I continue chewing my nail nervously. “Ugh, why is this so hard?”

“Because this baby is going to be life changing–in a good way!” Nova says optimistically. “You’re not dropping this massive bomb on his life and hoping he doesn’t explode.”

I sigh, staring up at the ceiling. “That’s exactly what I’m doing.”

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