Page 107 of Sincerely, Pack Pucked
The corner of my screen lit up with a notification from one of my socials. It was California Charger-related, so I clicked on it out of curiosity. I’d recently been following the team in an attempt to get to know and understand their jobs better.
Instantly, I saw an image from the latest game, the game that was going on while I was almost deathly sick and felt like my head was going to explode.
It was Saint, surrounded by a crowd of fangirls reaching out for him, likely screaming his name and begging for a kiss. My alpha was beaming from ear to ear and lapping up the attention.
My stomach sank. I glanced at the caption.
His pack mates may have had to leave early, but Saint was thoroughly enjoying the attention after they left. With two of his pack mates temporarily off the ice, more attention for him!
It dawned on me that these images were taken after they knew I was sick.
My stomach turned to lead, and I swallowed several times, attempting to calm myself down.
Their job was intense, and walking away wasn’t an option. I hated seeing the photos of him like that, but I understood it was part of the job. That didn't mean I enjoyed it.
Breathe, Mable. Breathe. He’s just…he’s just doing his job. He’s not…Saint doesn’t care about them. He’s not actually having fun. As much…as much as it looks like it.
Rubbing my stomach, I grumbled to myself. They had to prioritize their job, and I needed to prioritize my health for a while. Looking at my phone again, I swiped to the contacts. I had been putting off a call that I should make, and maybenowwas the best time to make it.
***
When Percy finally returned, I forced myself to remain neutral. He climbed into the bed, smiling at me as he pulled me into his arms. “What’s running through your head? I can practically see the cogs turning behind your eyes.”
I bit my lip before taking a deep breath, trying to figure out how to word what I wanted to say. Percy seemed to understand immediately that I was being serious about something, so he sat up straighter, his brow furrowing.
“How would you guys feel if I went to stay with my mother until the baby was born?” I rushed to say.
Percy’s face dropped and the nagging feeling in my gut doubled down.
“W-why would you want to do that?”
I swallowed a lump forming in my throat. God, I didn’t want to do this. “Well, you guys can't just quit your jobs, and if you keep going to away games and leaving me here, I could get sicker and sicker, and I don't think that's very good for the baby. It would only be temporary until the baby's born, and then we can…reassess where we stand. My mom can be there for me…”
“We're going to be here for you,” he insisted, his eyes wide as his brows pinched together.
I bit my lip. Percy wanted to be there for me. More than that, I knew they all wanted to be there for me, that they wanted more than anything to support me. I didn't doubt that. But we weren’t bonded, and this was all so new.
“What we want, and the reality of our situation seems to be a little different at the moment…”
Percy shook his head, with a desperate look on his face. “Please give us a little time to sort this out. Don't make any decisions right away, okay? Please. I swear to you. Wecanfigure this out.”
I sighed, my chest pinching as my eyes began to burn. “I'm going to give birth soon, and I want to be ready. There isn’t much time to?—”
“A week. Give me one week.Please, Mable.”
I met his eyes, taking in the desperation and worry reflected in the blue depths. I wasn't exactly sure what a week could do, but Percy looked pained by the thought of me leaving, so I nodded.
“Okay,” I whispered, and he pulled me into a fraught hug, burying his face in my neck like I might pop like a soap bubble and disappear.
Chapter 42
Percy
“Iwant out.”
I was utterly resolute as I looked at Devin, who was rummaging around in the fridge, trying to find Mable a snack. She was slowly starting to eat again, but she was being very fussy about what she wanted—which was completely understandable, considering she was pregnantandsick. Probably the worst combination possible. And there was no way in hell I was going to let her out of my sight given the circumstances.
I’d doanythingto take care of her.
