Page 70 of Decidedly With Baby
The first night Holly and I had fucked, she mentioned she didn’t have a green card and could be deported at any time. But as far as I knew, only criminals got kicked out of the country, and Holly wasn’t acriminal.
“And if she can’t stay in the country…” Trent left that hanging, but I knew what he meant. If she couldn’t stay in the country, it meant losing myson.
It meant losingher.
Just the thought of that was like being the bull who’d had his balls kicked in the chinashop.
“You know what that means, don’t you?” Travis said. “You have to marryher.”
I stared at him, unblinking. I cared a lot for Holly, but I wasn’t the marrying kind. Hell, I wasn’t even the commitment kind ofman.
What if I fucked it all up like my oldman?
And what if she goes back to Australia and marries Wilfred theThird?
A part of me, the selfish part, figured it was a great idea. I didn’t need a kid. I’d never wanted to be a father to beginwith.
But another part of me, the larger part, didn’t want to lose myson.
“Shit,” was all I couldsay.
“I think it’s time you and Holly talk about what you plan to do,” Trent said. “You’re both my friends and I don’t want to see either of you hurt. But if you continue living in denial, someonewillgethurt.”
And when it came down to it, he would whipmyass if I ended up hurtingher.
Christ, if that happened, I’d whip my ownass.
“You’re right,” I said on asigh.
“Right about which part?” Travis asked. “That I get to be your ring bearer—or you two need totalk?”
The corner of my mouth quirked up to one side. “I was thinking you’d do a better job as a flowergirl.”
“Well as long as I’m the flower girl and not the groom. Not that there’s anything wrong with Holly, mind you. She’s gorgeous as sin, even with your love child in herbelly.”
“You better believe she’s gorgeous as sin. And my son only makes her that much more gorgeous. My seed isthatpowerful.”
Trent snorted. “You better not let that secret out. Or else you’ll have lines of women outside your door, begging for some of that powerful seed. And Holly might not appreciateit.”
He was right aboutthat.
Trent and I tidied up the paint cans while Travis sketched the mural on thewall.
“At least once your hockey career is over,” I said, grinning at the defenseman, “you’ve got a new career painting murals in kids’ rooms.” Which was a shitload more than I could say about my own post-hockey careeroptions.
Here’s the thing about pro athletes. Most of our childhood was spent dreaming of one day going pro—like the players we idolized. Some of us went to college to get a degree, but even then, we weren’t thinking about a future beyond hockey. Even in college, I had been more focused on playing and impressing the scouts than thinking about what my degree would mean for myfuture.
What was my degree? History—with a specialty in European history and a minor inmarketing.
Not exactly a degree high in demand, but I’d always lovedhistory.
What did I plan to do once I eventuallyretired?
Not a single fuckingclue.
My phone pinged and I checked thetext.
Holly:Missme? :)
