Page 33 of Sweet Thing

Theo was also the only person who truly understood how difficult my relationship was with my father. Sure, anyone could see from the outside that I’d stopped talking to him over fifteen years ago. The reasons were plain enough, on the record for all to see. But that didn’t stop me from getting so drunk I couldn’t play the day I found out he was dead. Theo covered for me. My captain always had my back.

Meanwhile, I was looking at Adeline Kershaw’s mouth like it was a tasty treat.

I inhaled a breath. “Listen, thanks for … everything.”

“Who else is going to put up with your moods?”

My phone pinged with a text, and I looked at it quickly, maybe with a touch of hope. Adeline might need to contact me about something.

But it wasn’t Adeline. It was my lawyer, the one my agent had hired the minute I vomited out my sad sack story.

Call me.

We were twenty minutes out from the airport. Yesterday, before the nanny interviews, I’d stopped by his office to give blood. I needed to know, so I hit dial.

“It’s Lars Nyquist.”

“Mr. Nyquist, I have the results of the paternity test.” His tone was even, not giving a clue about what was coming next. “The baby is biologically yours.”

I snatched a quick breath. No more doubts, at least not about my genetic contribution to Mabel. As for the rest, I was a doubt-ridden lump of Jello.

“Now what?”

“I would recommend that you work out a custody arrangement with the mother as well as child support arrangements.”

“She’s not interested in being a mother. At least not to my kid.”

My kid.I could feel Theo’s eyes on me, drawing conclusions from my side of the conversation.

“If that’s the case, then you’ll still want to figure out where you stand legally. The child is yours, but we need to make sure the documentation is in order.”

My name was not on Mabel’s birth certificate. Could that be changed? Did it need to be?

“Could you figure out my options and get back to me? I’m about to head out of town for a game.”

“Understood. Send me any documents you already have and check back in with me when you return.”

I clicked off and stared at my screen for all the good it would do me.

Theo coughed. “You okay?”

“As you probably heard, it’s official. I’m a dad.”

Tender Noah Boden turned around and leaned his elbows on the seat. “Daddy Defenseman? Woo hoo!” He called out to the rest of the bus. “You hear that, boys? Nyquist just passed the paternity test. His swimmers did the job after all.”

People started throwing stuff at me from a spare stash of toys and dildos that needed a target.

My dumbass head was as good as any.

ChapterNine

Adeline

Rosie walked into my parents’kitchen, took one look at me with Baby Mabel in my arms, and shook her head.

“You’re a goner.”

“Oh, shut it,” I said affectionately. Rosie was always talking about my “mom energy” because I was usually the one trying to reel in the good times. My friend had a tendency toward reckless and needed someone to read a situation and tell her it might be dangerous. She got that from her mom, Violet, who had been a notorious wild child in her youth.

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