Page 67 of Slap Shot Daddies

“Oh no…not again!”

I scramble up, stumbling toward the bathroom, but don’t make it in time. Grabbing the wastebasket just in time, I retch, the hot, bitter bile burning my throat once more.

Shaking when it’s finally over, my entire body is coated in a cold, clammy sweat.

Panting heavily, I hear the phone ringing, its tinny chime muffled by the couch cushions. I crawl back toward the living room, wiping my mouth and feeling my heart race with anxiety and hope.

With trembling fingers, I swipe the screen of my phone.

“Hello?” My voice emerges hoarse, my throat raw from the relentless bouts of vomiting.

“Kenzie? It’s Ally,” her familiar voice fills my ear, a comforting warmth and concern woven through her words. “I got your text. Are you okay? What’s going on?”

I exhale a breath that’s half a weary laugh, half a groan of despair. “Ugh. I don’t even know where to start…I threw up. On Braden. Like…all over him. It was mortifying.”

For a moment, silence hangs between us before Ally bursts into laughter, loud, unrestrained, and echoing through the speaker with a contagious energy that I can’t resist.

I join in, though my laughter is weak and strained.

“Oh my God…I’m sorry, but that’s…” she gasps, still caught in the throes of laughter, “that’s legendary. He’s never going to forget that.”

“Gee, thanks,” I mumble, a reluctant smile stretching across my face despite my embarrassment.

Her tone softens, enveloping me in a gentle concern. “Seriously though, what else is going on? You sound awful.”

I start listing my symptoms: the relentless vomiting, the bone-deep exhaustion, the pervasive soreness, and a throbbing headache.

“Hmmm…honestly, it sounds a lot like what happened to me before I found out I was pregnant with the triplets.”

I freeze, my mind going blank. The air seems to thin around me, each breath more difficult to draw. “What?”

“You know,” she says lightly, as if discussing the weather, “I thought it was a bug or food poisoning. Turns out I was pregnant with the babies.”

“Oh my God.” My heart lurches violently, my stomach twisting, not from nausea this time, but pure, unadulterated panic.

Silence swells between us, heavy and charged with unspoken fears and possibilities.

I whisper, barely audible, “Do you think…? Oh my God, Ally.” My hand clamps over my mouth as reality starts sinking in.

“Hold tight. I’m coming over. We’ll figure this out together, but…oh, you need to tell me, though, what’s been going on with you and the boys?” Her voice sharpens, but not in judgment.

She’s my friend. She’s worried.She’s in a harem. I can trust her.

I inhale deeply, though it catches in my chest. “We’ll, it’s kinda like what you have going on except with different guys, obviously. Ambrose, Braden, Reggie…I’ve kind of… been with all of them.” My voice cracks. “Together…and separately.”

I feel my face hot, which means I must be raspberry-red at this point.

Ally’s quiet for a beat, then lets out a delighted cackle. “Damn, girl. Well done, can’t blame you.”

I bury my face in my hands, concealing a strained, embarrassed smile. “I wasn’t trying to! It just…happened. Andnow…what if I’m pregnant? And I don’t know which one’s the father?”

“Oh, Kenz,” Her voice softens, understanding seeping into every syllable. “It’s okay. We’ll figure it out. You’re not alone. I’ve been in your shoes.”

I clutch the phone tighter. My throat tightens with the threat of tears. “But my parents…if they knew…”

“Stop,” Ally interrupts. “We’ll cross that bridge later. This is aboutyouright now.”

Tears spill over. “I’m scared.”

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