Page 156 of Pucking Strong

Next to me, Teddy stiffens. “Oh god, they’re here?”

“Yeah. She said they’re not staying long though,” Tess replies. “But you know Poppy. She can’t resist micromanaging an event, even with a newborn.”

Two weeks have already passed since we drove Novy to the hospital. NHL players don’t get anything resembling paternity leave, but he’s been a ghost when he’s not at practice or on the ice. I know they had another little girl, but I haven’t heard her name yet.

Teddy looks around, eyes wide. “Ohmygod.” He grabs my arm. “Babe, they’re right over there.”

Langley follows his gaze, clearly confused. “What’s up?”

“He thinks Novy still hates him,” I tease.

“Shut up. You didn’t see the look of haunted betrayal in his eyes.”

I pat his arm. “Why don’t you be a good little guppy and go say hello.”

“Are you kidding? Flounder is a total coward.”

Grinning ear to ear, Tess shouts, waving them over. “Poppy! Girl, hey!”

“Seriously,” Teddy hisses at her. “That staff better be able to do actual magic, you witch!”

Tess just laughs.

With a wave from Poppy, the St. James-Novikov-Morrow clan comes wandering our way. I try to make sense of their group costume. The families always come dressed in theme. Somewhere, the Prices are here dressed as all the characters from the board game Candy Land. It’s one of Karolina’s favorite games, so I recognized them on sight. Rachel is dressed as the kindly old Gramma Nutt. Caleb is the Peppermint Prince, Ilmari is King Candy, and Jake is strutting around, swirling the ends of a red velvet cape as Lord Licorice. Their boys are dressed as the Candy Land kids. I spy Caleb and Jake down the row of open car trunks, waiting in line to help their boys into the bounce house.

“Hey, Poppy,” Tess says again. “Girl, you look great.”

Poppy huffs out a breath, shifting her hold on the newborn bundled in her arms. She’s dressed as a witch in a lacy black dress with a black pointy hat. “I don’t know how much fun we have left in us today.”

Novy looks relaxed as he gives me a nod. I let him take one good swing at me when he first came back to work after the baby’s birth. Since then, he’s been cordial. Next to me, Teddy is vibrating with nerves.

“What are you supposed to be?” I say.

Novy’s wearing a black cowboy hat and a black suit with a grey vest and a red ascot. “I’m Doc Holliday,” he says, spreading his arms wide. “You know, fromTombstone?” He narrows his eyes at Poppy. “Only someone wouldn’t let me bring the shotgun. The costume kind of falls apart without it.”

She huffs. “This is a children’s trunk-or-treat event. The toy shotgun will be staying in the car.”

I glance between them. “What does the cowboy have to do with a witch?”

“Absolutely nothing,” Poppy relies.

“But I thought we all had to come in theme?”

Hanging back, trapped in conversation with some fans, Morrow is dressed as Spider-Man without the mask. Their son darts aroundin a ninja costume while their daughter stands over by Emma and Karro dressed as what looks like a cat wearing an astronaut helmet.

Poppy just huffs. “I live in a house with six chefs, Henrik, honey. Not a line cook in sight. So, the only theme here is chaos. I at least tried to match with Gracie when she said she wanted to be a cat. I thought, ‘Right, I’ll be a witch.’ But then she informed us she wanted to be a ‘space cat’ right as we were all headed out the door. It was all we could do to fashion her that helmet to stave off a complete meltdown.”

“Well, you look great,” Tess assures her.

“Yeah, I love a little chaos,” says Langley.

“Only adds to the fun,” echoes Tess. “Plus, this way everyone is happy and wearing what they want.”

“Hear, hear,” I mutter, flexing my hands in these itchy crab mittens.

“So, uhh … what’s the baby’s name?” asks Teddy, finally breaking his silence.

Novy crosses his arms, glaring at him. “Tell the traitor nothing.”

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