Page 61 of Pucking Strong

The elevator doors open, and we make our way down the hall to the PR office suite. A young, Chad-looking kid sits at the front desk. “Hey, can I help you?”

“Henrik Karlsson and Teddy O’Connor to see Poppy St. James,” Henrik replies.

Chad does a double take. “Whoa. You’re, like, a player.”

Snorting into my coffee, I roll my eyes. “Dude, where do you think you are right now? Of course he’s a fucking player.”

Henrik raises a brow at me. And yeah, whatever, I’m on edge. Our perfect nanny made my fake husband oatmeal this morning with freshly cut peaches and a swirl of cinnamon. He doesn’t want my eggs, but he definitely wants her oatmeal.

I mean, sure, she made me some too. And it was fucking delicious. But she served Henrik his bowl in Swedish. For all I know, she was complimenting his dick.

I take another sip of my coffee as Chad presses the intercom button on his office phone. “Hey, Poppy. Some guys are here to see you.”

The phone beeps. “Trevor, honey, what did we say about using guests’ names?”

“Uhh …” Poor fucking Trevor. He glances over the desk at us, pushing the button again. “It’s Karlsson and …”

“Teddy O’Connor,” Henrik repeats, pronouncing each syllable of my name.

Poppy appears in the doorway. “Well, if it isn’t my two favorite newlyweds!” Then she’s ushering us into her fancy corner office. “I’d ask if I can have Trevor get you anything, but I see you already stopped by the coffee cart. Please, have a seat.”

I follow Henrik’s lead and sit next to him on the couch.

Poppy takes the nearest chair, sinking onto it with a sigh, both hands bracing her pregnant belly. “How’s Karolina settling in so far?”

“Well,” Henrik replies. “Her nurse started today. I think she’ll be a good fit.”

“That’s wonderful. She’s such a sweet little girl. Grace hasn’t stopped asking when they can play together again.”

When Henrik doesn’t respond, I give him a nudge.

Catching my hint, he sits forward. “Yes, we should set that up. Your daughter is welcome to my home anytime.”

“Oh, she’ll be so glad,” she replies with smile.

And because I’m in that much of a mood, I smirk, taking another sip of my coffee. “Trevor seems nice.”

Her smile falls. “Don’t get me started.”

I snort. “Come on, spill the beans, Pop. How did you get stuck with him? Don’t tell me his last name is Talbot.”

She crosses her arms over her belly. “A nephew, or so I’m told. And I’m giving him exactlyonemore day to learn how phones work before I march him up to Mark’s office by his stupid, floppy surfer-boy hair.” She takes a deep breath, then lets it out. “But we’re not here to talk about my seemingly endless staffing problems. We’re here to talk about you, about your delicate situation.”

I force a laugh. “Delicate situation? Jeez, you make it sound like we’re made of glass over here.”

“The analogy isn’t far off,” she replies. “Announcing a player’s coming-out can be tricky enough. Add in a surprise adoption and a quickie marriage, and this is a recipe for chaos. If even one of our cards is out of alignment, this whole house collapses. And I’m not just talking about the two of you.”

Henrik and I exchange a glance. “Whatareyou talking about?” I ask for both of us.

“I’m talking about the dangerous precedent you’ve set. I’m talking about the potential ramifications that could spiral outward, engulfing us all. This is so much bigger than you now. You understand that, right?”

I watch the way her hands guard her baby bump, and a bolt of shame zaps me in the chest. I set my coffee aside. “Poppy, this won’t blow back on anyone else, I swear.”

Her blue eyes are cold as ice as she glances between us. “But of course it will. Do you not realize that your actions constituteeverythingthe close-minded jerks in this country have come to fear about people like us?”

Next to me, Henrik sets his coffee aside. “I don’t understand.”

Poppy sighs. “Gentlemen, the homophobia in this country is a river that runs deep. What do you think the fans will do if they find out your marriage is a sham? That the only reason you got married was to trick two governments into giving two men custody of a young child? Worse still, a young female child? In short, you are their worst nightmare. You are everything they’ve been told to fear.”

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