Page 165 of Pucking Sweet

“Yeah, totally,” I hear myself say. “Team means family.”

Novy smiles. “We want a good atmosphere here. We don’t want bullshit and drama. Jokes are one thing. We all love jokes. Chirping on a guy for being gay is another.” He looks back to Sanny. “You just tell us which end is up, and we’ll make sure the next guy who chirps you is the last guy.”

Slowly, Sanny nods. He’s always been a man of few words.

“So…you telling us anything right now?” Novy asks.

Come on, man. Just tell us.

“No,” he says. “There’s nothing. Jake and I are just friends.” I can actually hear the disappointment in his tone. Hiding their relationship is fucking killing him.

I glance over at Nov, my heart twisting as I think of our sweet Poppy in the middle of a shitstorm like this. I want to protect them at all costs. I’ll stay silent as long as they need…but hiding our relationship is killing me too.

59

“You wanna say that again?”

My gynecologist smiles, adjusting the vaginal wand with one hand as she points up to the tiny circle in the middle of the black and white monitor. “I said, judging by the size of the embryo, it looks like you’re about six weeks pregnant.”

I lie back, one arm over my head, and stare up at the popcorn ceiling panels.Holy crap. I’m six weeks pregnant? I’ve known for all of two days, and here it’s been half a freaking trimester. My little chaos monster has already seen and done so much. He went sailing, played bingo, sang karaoke, ate bad sushi.

Wait—sixweeks?

I grab my phone, and flip through my calendar, counting back the days. “Oh my ...”

I lie back again. That was the week I was in DC. That was the week the elevator broke.

“Everything okay?” the nurse asks with a kind smile.

I snort, trying to hold in my laugh. “No, I’m fine. It’s just that this baby was either conceived due to a broken condom up against the side of a hotel ice machine…or on the floor of a busted elevator.”

“Oh.” My gynecologist removes the vaginal wand. “Well, that sounds adventurous.”

I nod up at the ceiling. “Yep, that’s me. I’m just one big thrill-seeker.” I push up on my elbows, glancing between them. “Did I mention it was with two different men? Yeah, there’s literallynotelling which of them is the culprit. I’d say it was Colton, since Lukas and I used a condom, but I was on the pill. So, it should be neither of them, right? This should be divine conception.”

They both offer me patient smiles.

“Pills aren’t one hundred percent effective,” the doctor cautions. “Especially if you miss any or take them at irregular times—”

“Oh, trust me, I know. I’ve watched literally every romcom ever created. And I’ve read about a thousand more. I know how this works, doc.”

She pushes back in her wheelie chair. “Well, it was a bit too early to see any cardiac activity this time. But everything looks like it’s going very well.”

I nod, sitting up.

“We’ll be sending you home with the sonogram images today. And I want you to get with Shelia to book an appointment to return in another few weeks, okay?”

I nod again. “Yep.”

“For now, I want you to just take it easy,” she adds, patting my knee. “Rest as much as you can. Relax, and just let your body adjust to its strange new reality.”

I fight another laugh. Rest? Relax?

When?

This is possibly the most stressed I’ve ever been. As I was lying here, I’ve missed eight calls and gotten eleven texts. I’m in the middle of this Rachel Price media storm, I’m trying to navigate a major pet adoption promo, and Istillhave reporters calling me about the damaged freaking sand dune.

Not to mention we have another home game tonight. I only just slipped away from the office before I have to be over to the arena to meet with the Finnish Olympic scouts. They’re still in town to watch Kinnunen play again, and I’m supposed to entertain them. Have you ever tried to entertain members of the Finnish Ice Hockey Association? I mean, really, where is Lemon when you need her?

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