Page 68 of Pucking Strong

“What are you doing?” I follow him out of the closet and back into the bathroom. “Who are you talking to?”

“The peopleyoushould have been talking to the moment we signed the papers back in Sweden,” he says over his shoulder, still walking away. “The people who know the most about starting over in a new city with a young family.”

“Who?”

He stops in the hallway, and I nearly bump into him. His phone is already pinging with alerts. Turning around, he flashes me his phone screen. He has three new messages. “Who else? Your teammates’ wives.”

“Thank you so much,” Henrik says for the third time, holding open the door. “We truly appreciate your time.”

“Hey, it’s no problem. Just happy it all worked out. Give me a few days to get myself in order, and we’ll get started first thing Monday morning. Sound good?”

“Perfect,” says Henrik. “And thanks again.”

Karolina’s new tutor slips on his shoes and gives Henrik’s hand one more shake. Then he’s out the door, headed for the elevator.

Henrik closes the door and turns, leaning against it. His whole body relaxes as he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. Meanwhile, my chest fills with warmth. I did this. We had a problem, and I fixed it. I helped. Henrikletme help.

Well, technically the WAGs helped. It only took about thirty minutes of texting the other day before I had a list of four potential candidates for a state-approved private tutor. I let Henrik vet the résumés on his own, and he picked the same guy I would have picked.

Sam Torres is so fucking cool. I want him to bemytutor. He has a BA in biology and a master’s in early childhood education. He was in the Peace Corps in Sri Lanka. He’s scuba certified. He forages for edible plants on the weekend.Andhe’s a licensed yoga instructor. To top it all off, his family owns a farm up in Yulee, with cows, and chickens, and a beehive. We’re going to take Karro up there for nature classes.

“Well?” I say, crossing my arms.

Henrik smiles. “He’s perfect.”

“Right?” I hurry forward, my excitement bubbling. “Isn’t hesocool? I could listen to him talk about mushroom hunting for hours. Karro’s gonna love him.”

“I agree. Thank you, Teddy.”

My body feels aglow with his praise. “It was my pleasure. Anything for Karro, you know that.”

He checks the time on his phone and groans. “I have to go. Practice.”

I stuff my hands in my pockets and step back. “Yeah, sure. Go. I’ve got everything covered here.”

“I’m sorry about this. It was Hanna’s only scheduled time conflict when she took the job.”

I just laugh. “Her sister’s baby shower is a legitimate excuse to not come in for work foroneday. Besides, I’m already here. Remember?”

He nods, but he still looks guilty.

“You don’t have to try to get childcare coverage every time you need to leave the house. If I’m available, I’m happy to be here with her. That’s the point of this whole arrangement. And I love kids, remember?”

Worry is still etched on every line of his face. “She said she was in pain again this morning.”

“Which I’ll monitor. Seriously, Henrik. You can go. I promise, she’s in the best of hands. I’m gonna keep things totally chill until you get back. Just a casual schedule of jet-skiing, followed by his-and-hers back tattoos. And if we’re feeling really chill, we’ll go rob a jewelry store. You like opals, right?”

He just rolls his eyes, fishing his keys off the hook. “I’m more of an emeralds man.”

I grin. “Good to know. And hey—” I place a hand on his shoulder before he steps out the door.

He glances back at me.

“You’re doing everything right, and everything is fine. You got this, Henrik.”

His smile almost reaches his eyes this time. “Thank you, Teddy.”

The door closes and I let out a heavy breath, glancing around this sad, empty apartment. We’re making slow progress. Karolina’s art wall adds some much-needed color. And I may have sneaked in a couple new blankets for the couch. Isn’t Henrik supposed to be Swedish? His Stockholm pad was so effortlessly cool. Why am I the one responsible for hygge-fying this place to match?

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