Page 69 of Decidedly With Baby
Now, some guys might go all caveman when they believe another man’s encroaching on their woman—even if he isn’t. Remember what I said about the jealousy gene? And maybe another time I would have done that too, but I also knew that wouldn’t impressHolly.
If anything, it would piss heroff.
So instead of being an asshole caveman, I’d decided to surprise her with the early Christmas present of the spa weekend and her dream baby room. The white furniture was sitting in the living room, still in its boxes, waiting for it to be assembled. Which was exactly what Trent and I would be doing while Travis painted the trees andkoalas.
Impressed? I thoughtso.
“You agreed to help me because you’re a great guy that way—and you know I’m right. Kelsey will think you’re the best boyfriend ever for giving her this weekend, and you’ll get the best sex of your life tomorrownight.”
Here’s some free advice, ladies. Men will do anything for great sex. Want me to repeat that in case you missed it the first time? Nothing motived a guy more than the promise of sex so awe-fucking-inspiring, he would be seeing stars for aweek.
“Hey,” Travis said, “I don’t get any sex out of thisdeal.”
I raised an eyebrow, partly because of his comment—and partly because while Trent and I were carrying the heavy desk, he was carrying a box containing the contents of said desk. “It’s not like you have any issues getting laid,” Ihuffed.
He smiled an evil grin. “Are you saying you two men, who have girlfriends, have issues getting action between thesheets?”
“I don’t have issues getting laid,” Trent grumbled as we squeezed the desk through the doorway. “And sex with Kelsey is alreadygreat.”
“Then you’re doing this because Holly is your friend, and you want to make your friend happy,” I pointed out—swooping in for the overtimewin.
Several hours later, the furniture in the spare room had been relocated, and the two coats of paint had beenapplied.
I surveyed the result, making sure there was nothing that needed fixing or redoing. The three of us were standing in the room, beer in hand. Pizza was on the way. Even though Holly wasn’t here, I planned to spend the night in her apartment, to get an early start on thedecorating.
“So, what exactly is the deal between you and Holly anyway?” Travisasked.
“She’s the mother of my unborn child and my girlfriend.” No new revelationthere.
“I get that. But you two will be parents soon, and you’re still living on the other side of the city, with no interest in giving up yourapartment.”
As Holly had mentioned a few weeks ago—although a lot more subtly than Travis. He was more like the bull in the china shop. The bull who’d had his nutskicked.
“I happen to like my apartment.” Even if I didn’t spend much of my time there thesedays.
Truth? Knowing I still had my apartment was a safety net. A way to keep my heart safe. I’d already been let down by two people who were supposed to love and protect me, and they had walked away. At least this way I had a place to go if that ever happened again—just replace my parents withHolly.
“I agree. It’s a great apartment. But that’s not mypoint.”
“What is yourpoint?”
He exchanged looks with Trent as if to say, “Hey man, you’re the one with the girlfriend. You explain theproblem.”
“What are your plans for the future?” Trent asked. “Your contract ends in July and then you’re a free agent. What does that mean for you and Holly andNoah?”
And there you had it. Trent stating the piece of reality I’d been trying to ignore for the past few months. I wish I had a crystal ball to know what would happen come summer. Hell, I wish I had a crystal ball to tell me what would happen come trade deadlines at the end of February…the same time Noah wasdue.
Did players get traded near the end of their contracts? Definitely. Especially if the team’s star players’ contracts were also up for renewal. Especially if the team’s organization no longer saw a place for the player on theteam.
I’d already been there once before, prior to signing with theRock.
All a player could do was suck it up. Be a man. And move to the team that did want him—at least for the timebeing.
Which meant I had no idea what the future held for me when it came to my hockey career, Holly, and Noah. I had no idea where I could end up if I was traded. Would Holly even want to join me if it happened? She had a career here that sheloved.
These were all questions the two of us had avoided discussing, always focused on the here andnow.
“You do know she’s not a permanent U.S. resident, right?” Trent said. “She can only work here because of her job with Bristol Mathews. If she leaves it, then her work visa will be revoked, as will her green-card application. And if either of those things happens, she can’t work or stay in thecountry.”
