Page 24 of Pucking Strong

My heart stops. “Teddy …”

Across the table, Elin raises a brow. “I assume this partner would live at home with the child while Henrik travels?”

“He would,” Teddy replies. “Oh, and would that matter? That he’s a he? I don’t know what the gay scene is like here in Sweden.”

She fully frowns now. He doesn’t know she’s married to a woman. “Despite the limited selection of foster applications I sampled for you, Sweden is accepting of gay couples adopting children, yes.”

“Cool, because I keep totally normal workday hours. And I won’t be traveling with the team. I could pick her up from school, take her to physical therapy, ballet, whatever she needs.”

I grab his arm again. “Teddy, I can’t ask that of you.”

He ignores me. “Karlsson will be there every moment he can, and I’ll fill in the gaps. Naturally, she’ll have school, too, and her hobbies. And I wouldn’t be some stranger or in-home medical aid. I’d be her uncle’s legal partner. A two-person household, two incomes. The millionaire hockey superstar and the board-certified doctor of physical therapy who specializes in injury rehabilitation. Would that help him win custody of Karolina?”

Elin glances between us again. “It would certainly help, yes.” Her gaze settles on me. “But if the government suspects that you’re committing fraud to gain custody of a child, the consequences could be quite severe. You would have to follow through with this and live as partners. They would do a set of in-person wellness visits.”

“We can make that work,” Teddy assures her.

“And this is for temporary custody only,” she clarifies. “We’re deciding whether Karolina goes with you now or goes into foster care while her case is fully processed. I warn you that the adoption process can be arduous. There will be interviews with your friends and family, your coworkers, financial audits, a home study.”

Christ, what is happening? I feel like several important steps were skipped here, like Teddy asking my permission first. Call me old-fashioned, but getting married ought to come with a conversation at minimum, right? Even a fake marriage to a colleague.

Squeezing tight to his arm, I rise and pull him off his chair. “I need to speak with you,” I growl in his ear. Elin has the good sense to turn her attention back to her coffee as I drag him over to the corner. I don’t care that other people in this cafeteria are watching us.

He grunts as I all but shove him against the wall. “Ouch—”

“What the hell are you doing?”

He dares to look confused. “What does it look like I’m doing? I’m helping you get custody of Karro—”

“By marrying me! Are you mad?”

He grins. “If by ‘mad,’ you mean brilliant, then yes.”

I groan. This has been the week from hell. Too much is changing. Too much grief. Too many decisions I don’t want to make. It’s all just too much. “I can’t—Teddy—” I claw at my chest, trying to free the words locked deep. But I can’t speak, can’t express this fear, this loss, this creeping anger that chokes the air from my lungs.

Sensing my distress, Teddy steps closer. Grabbing my wrists, he lowers his voice. “Hey, just breathe.”

I shake my head, fighting his hold.

“Breathe, Karlsson. I know this all feels huge. So, let’s just break it down. One thing at a time, yeah? Right now, you need to compete with Bergdorf the grocer and the couple with the bees, right?”

I nod.

“You need stability and a two-person household—which I still maintain is bullshit,” he adds with a pointed glare. “But you heard Elin the Mirthless over there. You’re out of time. Karro will be discharged from the hospital any day. The court’s not waiting, and apparently there’s a line of happy little Swedish families just itching to get their hands on a doll like her. They want to take her and make her theirs. Is that what you want?”

“No,” I growl, twisting in his hold until I’m gripping tight to his forearms.

“Well, this is your best option to get immediate custody. I’m here, and I’m saying yes.”

I search his face. “Why?”

His eyes go wide with shocked indignation as he pulls away. “Why should you fight for Karro? Are you fucking kidding me—”

“No, why would you marry me? Why help me in this way?”

His expression immediately shutters. He does this a lot, I’ve noticed. He changes his mood so quickly. One moment he’s confident and commanding, the next he’s nervous and retreating. Now, he’s folded himself inward, shut up tight like a clam. How I’d love to climb inside his head and know exactly what he’s thinking in this moment.

“It’s the right thing to do,” he says with a shrug. “You know, for Karro … and for the team.”

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