Page 9 of A Little Puck Luck

“Nobody. But Natalie likes the combo, so I got it for her one night, and Eric wanted to try a piece since he’d never seen something like that.”

For some reason, that made sense.

“Is this your way of saying I should maybe pick up a pie for her?”

I never really knew where I stood with Natalie. She always did what I wanted, except when it was related to my sexual drive. Since I could be a sexual being, I annoyed her a lot by asking for condoms, lube, and even the addresses of sex clubs in the area. If she weren’t so damn good at her job, I would look for a new personal assistant. One that didn’t talk back to me so much.

At least a pizza was a small price to pay to help get her to like me, so I hoped Spencer wasn’t trying to prank me with that combo.

“Wouldn’t hurt,” Spence said. “Also, be prepared for questions from her.”

Why wasn’t I surprised? She could be as relentless as her boyfriend. It’s why the two were so well suited for each other.

“All right. I’m going to order those pizzas, and I’ll be there after.”

I cut the line and then started the pizza order.

Yeah, ordering four large pies for four people was probably overkill, but I wanted to get things right with my kid, so I brought options.

As I drove toward Spence’s place, he texted me to say he was in the backyard and to head back there.

Opening up the gate, I felt so much trepidation. I probably should have figured out what I was going to say. Should I just lay it out for the kid? Did I try to befriend him first?

Fuck. Maybe I should have done more planning, but I lost years with the kid already. I didn’t want to lose anymore.

Seeing Spencer and Eric playing with some hockey sticks, I realized I could do this, even if I wasn't sure how I would introduce myself to my own child. At least establishing common ground should be easy. We had some pizzas, which are always yummy, and hockey.

“Yo. I got pizza,” I called out.

Both of them turned, and Eric said, “Yum. Actually, wait, what kind did you get?”

I chuckled. Yup, the kid was scared after trying Natalie’s pizza. Then again, I probably would have had the same reaction as Eric.

This was where I wondered if, besides the eye color, there were any of Annie’s traits in him since he was my mini-me.

“I got sausage and green peppers, cheese, meat eaters, and then there's an anchovy and artichoke one.” I squinched up my nose at the last one.

Spence came up to me and flipped open the pizza boxes. He grabbed the anchovy and artichoke pizza for Nat first and then put a few slices of the meat eaters pizza on top. “I’ll take this up to Nat and let you two chat.”

I wanted to kill my teammate, but he was giving us space so we could get to know each other. Plus, it probably wasn’t a bad thing that he was going to occupy Natalie, but I wanted a damn buffer.

Oh well. I would just have to do this on my own.

Since Spence didn’t give a damn about plates, I wasn’t going to either. I grabbed a slice of the sausage and peppers, and Eric reached out and grabbed a piece of the same. He smiled. “No one gets this combo but me, but I love it.”

“Me too, bud.” I looked up to the sky as I tried to figure out what to say next. Then I figured it might as well be a Band-Aid—just rip it off or, in this case, tell him. “So I came over since I’m your dad, and I want to be in your life. I don’t know how much you know since I just found out about you. I would have been there for you sooner if I had known. But I want to be there now.”

The kid didn’t seem too fazed. Instead, he looked at me and asked, “Are you my real dad, or are you like my mom’s new boyfriend?”

God, that was a loaded question, especially for a six-year-old. Also, how many boyfriends did Annie bring around for him to think I might be a new boyfriend?

“Real dad,” I said with a smile while trying to pretend I was not scared shitless right now.

He looked down at his pizza and asked, “So why haven’t you been around?”

I didn’t want to make Annie look bad, but I was also so angry. We wouldn’t be in this situation if she didn’t lie to me.

“Your mom didn’t tell me about you. But when I saw you earlier today, I knew we were related. So I talked to your mom, and she confirmed everything.”

---