Page 149 of Three Pucks and a Baby

“You don’t approve?” I asked him.

“While I think it’s wonderful, I can’t help thinking ahead when he goes to school. Kids are cruel. What will you do when he comes home and says that children were making fun of him because he has three fathers?”

“Come on, Dad. Families come in all shapes and sizes these days.”

“I’m aware of that, but I still worry.”

“Whatever happens with our son, we’ll face it together.”

Although Dad appeared to have remaining doubts, he nodded. “I think if anyone can make it happen you can.”

“Thanks, Dad.” Cocking my head, I asked, “Does that mean we have your support?”

“Of course, Mom quickly said while Dad took a moment to reply, “Yes, son.”

At that moment, I realized how truly lucky I was. And in turn, how lucky Vivian and the guys were.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE: VIVIAN

To say that the last week had been difficult would be an understatement. After a night of such highs for the guys had turned into such lows, our foursome had faced our first big trial with our relationship being outed. Throw into the mix that Theo’s parents had reacted just as he had feared they would. After a horrible dressing down in the parking lot of the arena by his father, Theo’s texts and calls to his parents remained unanswered. While he’d feared them financially icing him out as well, his accounts remained the same. It was almost as if they were buying him off.

After flying home from St. Louis, we’d holed up in the guys’ townhouse. While I knew that the media loved a sex scandal, I couldn’t believe how much interest they were putting into ours. Especially considering the guys weren’t even NHL players.

While the national media grew bored quickly, the local news revved into overdrive. We couldn’t even leave the house without reporters taking our pictures or shouting questions at us. It was ridiculous.

Our first blessing post-scandal came when the South Caroline Swarm didn’t revoke Theo’s offer. Of course, it wasbittersweet since it meant that he would be gone from October to June. Although the guys and I offered to move to Charleston, Theo quickly vetoed that. He didn’t want me so far away from my parents with a new baby, not to mention being in a new city.

I don’t know how we were going to make it work besides weekend visits, but I knew if any four people could make it work, it was us.

Another blessing came about at graduation. Since the hockey season was over, we didn’t have to worry about repercussions there. However, the guys were still on the line with the university. After hiring an attorney via Zoom since we could barely leave the house, she informed the guys that there wasn’t anything in the code of conduct that could render an expulsion from school. Upon hearing that, I finally breathed a relieved breath.

As for how we were outed, we still didn’t have a definitive answer to that one. In my heart, I felt it was one of the caterers from the baby shower. Or maybe it was one of our townhouse neighbors who put two and two together.

Today I woke up determined to get my life back. My first order of business was to go back to work. When I came downstairs dressed, I wasn’t prepared for the guys’ reaction.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Theo demanded.

“To work.”

Theo shook his head. “I’m not letting you out of my sight.”

“I second that,” Bennett replied.

After pinching the bridge above my nose, I sighed. “While I appreciate the possessive vibe, you can’t keep me holed up in here forever. I need my job to provide for my child.”

“We will provide for the baby,” Grayson piped up.

“And last time I checked, you needed to leave the house for your jobs as well.”

Theo grinned. “I’ll support us with my NHL money.”

“And that won’t be coming in for several months. Until then, I need to work.” At the grunts of protest from the guys, I replied, “There hasn’t been a reporter staked out in days.”

“I’m waiting for a rogue one to pop out of the bushes,” Bennett mused.

“With everything going on in the world, I’m pretty sure even the local reporters have finally lost interest in the sex lives of three college hockey players and a university librarian.”

“Well, I am a future NHL player,” Theo argued.

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