Page 88 of Pucking Strong

Before I can turn the corner to show Karro the blade sharpener, I hear a shout of “Teddy!”

Poppy marches my way in her sky-high heels. She’s sporting a navy-blue pantsuit, her silky blouse stretched tight over her basketball of a baby bump.

“Hey, Pop, what’s up?”

She huffs, her Barbie-blonde curls bouncing around her shoulders. “Well, I see you have your phone, so that’s clearly not the reason you haven’t answered a single one of my calls. Good. I’ll mark that off the list and circle ‘he’s just ignoring me.’ Mystery solved!”

“Pop, what—”

“I’ve been trying to reach you for two freaking hours! And, apparently, mine aren’t the only calls you dodge. Your own mother, Teddy? Unless she’s anything likemymother, she doesn’t deserve this cold shoulder!”

“Whoa, whoa.” I hold up my free hand, still holding up thephone with Hanna and Karro on video chat with my other. “Poppy, what the heck are you talking about? I haven’t missed any calls—”

She holds out her own phone, showing me the call log screen, including four outgoing call attempts to me.

I check my phone and groan, ignoring the confused looks of Karro and Hanna. “Sorry, Pop. I guess I don’t have any service down here. I used Wi-Fi to do this video call.”

“Well, have you been using Wi-Fi all dang week? ’Cause that’s how long your mom has been trying to get ahold of you. Your sisters too.”

“My—” I gasp, all the pieces clicking together in my head. “Ohmygod, Poppy, you didn’t!”

Her cheeks bloom pink. “Don’t youdareblame this on me. You said you were close with your family. You talk about your sisters and your little niblets all the time! And you tellmewhen you get indigestion. How was I supposed to know you wouldn’t tell your own family that you got married?!”

Oh my fucking fuck. There’s a reason my sisters each tried to call mefivetimes last night! I turn to Hanna and Karro in the phone. “Girls, I gotta go.” I don’t wait for their response before I hang up. Then I stare down Poppy, who’s standing with her hands on hips. “You invited my family to the game tonight.”

“Yes.”

I close my eyes tight, stifling a groan. Oh, this is bad. I open my eyes. “Who came?”

“Teddy, I didn’t think—”

“Who came!”

She crosses her arms over her belly. “All of them, okay? I asked them all, and they all said yes. I flew them out first class and put them up in a hotel last night. I reservedyoua room in their block too. They asked to be the ones to surprise you, but you never answered their many, many calls. So, well … surprise,” she finishes, doing jazz hands.

“My mom is here? Now?”

Poppy nods. “She’s waiting for you. They all are.”

I sigh, tucking my phone in my pocket. “Well, the media loves a good dramatic moment, right? I hope they’ve got their cameras ready because I’m about to go cry on national freaking television.”

Ifollow Poppy as she leads the way up out of the tunnels and over to the lower-level VIP area. “Wait … we’re not going up to the seats?”

“I thought you might want a moment of privacy to greet your family. I had my staff bring them over to the press area. You’ll get a bit more privacy there.”

“Privacy in thepressroom?”

She waves her hand dismissively. “Oh, no one will be in there before the game except maybe a few interns taping down cords.” She flashes the guards her badge, escorting me through. Then she stops, placing a hand on my arm. “Do you want me to stay with you? You just say the word, and I will.”

I shake my head. “No,” I finally croak out. “I think I need to do this alone.”

With a nod, she drops her hand from my arm. “Well, then … good luck, honey. And hey—” She stops me again. “I know I don’t know them like you do, but they sure do seem to love you. Honor that. But honor yourself too.” With that, she really does let me go.

Taking a deep breath, I turn the corner and enter the press corral. Through the jungle of camera stands and sound equipment, I see my family huddled together on the other side. My sisters and their partners, my mom. Natalie bounces baby Gianna on her hip, while my nephew Baz chases his sister Camila around the press table. Jayla calls their names, warning them to act right. To a person,they’re all wearing Henrik’s jersey, a big number seventeen on their backs.

They’rehere. They came. Even mad at me, they came. And they’re wearing my partner’s jersey. I all but trip over the bundled camera cords as I call out, “Mama!”

They all turn.

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