Page 101 of Pucking Strong

I’m so tired, I feel like my brain can’t translate her English fast enough. What is she saying?

“Don’t tease the man, Jay,” says Marcus.

Rafael steps in behind him. “Okay, I made us all a reservation at someplace called Poe’s Tavern. They have burgers and stuff.”

“It’s Edgar Allen Poe themed,” says Natalie. “How cool is that?”

“And it’s over by the hotel,” Darius adds. “Henrik, you in?”

I glance in the direction of the shut bathroom door. “I’m afraid I can’t join you tonight. I have to go home and relieve the nurse who cares for my niece.”

Rafael shrugs. “Well, go home and get her. The more, the merrier.”

“That’s not an option,” I reply. “Not at this time. Besides, I fear I’d make poor company tonight. Game nights are difficult for me. There are routines I must attend to.”

“Hey, you don’t need to explain to us,” says Marcus with his hand on my shoulder. “I played football at Georgia Tech for two years. The body is a temple, right? You gotta take care of it.”

“Exactly.” I offer a weak smile, happy to be understood.

The bathroom door opens, and Teddy reemerges in just his T-shirt, his WAG jacket slung over his arm.

“Hey, Ted, we’re all going to get some food,” calls Darius. “Henrik’s out. You in?”

Teddy looks at me, but it’s like he’s not even there. Who is that looking back at me? Where did Teddy go? My gut twists as I fight the urge to rush to his side, grab him by the shoulders, and ask him exactly that question. The last I saw him, he stood behind the plexiglass with the biggest smile on his face, nodding at me as the buzzer sounded. Game over. Rays win. Now he looks like he was just told he has to attend his own funeral.

I can’t bear it. I cross the room and reach for his hand, but he shrugs me away. “What happened?”

“Nothing.”

Lie.

My frustration rises. He’s not going to tell me anything so long as his family is here. “Come home with me.”

He blinks, glancing up at me. “Henrik, I can’t. My family is here to see me. To seeus. They came all this way. I have to go with them.”

“No, you don’t.” I take his hand, holding it tight. “You can come home with me now, and we can talk. I—we should talk, yes?” His hand feels limp in mine, like a dead fish. “Teddy—”

“Hey, Ted, you coming?” Rafael calls again.

“One second,” Teddy calls back. Then he’s slipping his hand from mine. “I’ll see you later, okay?”

“Don’t do this.”

He feigns confusion. “Do what?”

Before I can respond, his mother is stepping in at my side. “Mr. Karlsson, we really do need to get going. Teddy baby, come on. You can ride with us.” She holds out her hand, willing him to choose her over me.

I don’t know what happened, but I know she’s to blame. She said something. She poisoned him against me. Worse, I think she might have poisoned him against himself. Teddy looks stricken as he steps around me, letting himself be lured away.

But this isn’t what he wants. I can feel it. Iknow. So, I reach out on instinct, wrapping a hand around his wrist. “No.”

His mother narrows her eyes at me. “No? You don’t get to tell Teddy where he goes or who he sees. According to him, this isn’t even a real marriage. You’re playing a part to my son, pretending to love him while the cameras roll. This is nothing but a pretty handful of lies.”

I let go of his wrist. Is that how he characterized us to his own family? A handful of lies? Is that how he sees all the time spent laughing and baking with Karro? Is that how he felt when he held me last night?

I look to him, but he won’t look at me.

“Oh, come on, Mama,” says Jayla. “Don’t stir the pot.”

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