Page 60 of Press Your Luck

My mind circled back to Pierce. They were his kids too. If I ever got the courage to tell him, I was sure he’d help somehow.

"Alright, Mom. I understand. Just thought I'd ask.”

"Is everything okay, sweetheart?" she asked again, concern growing in her voice.

"Everything's fine, Mom. I'll talk to you later.” I hung up before my voice betrayed me.

Pierce. Maybe we could pool our resources and hire a nanny together. But even as the thought crossed my mind, it didn't sit well with me. I didn't want to pawn my children off to someone else. They were my responsibility, and I wanted to be there for them.

I tried to imagine telling Pierce that he was going to be a father of triplets. His head might explode. He was having a hard enough time trying to balance coaching and being a father to Porter.

I rubbed my belly. One step at a time. First, I’d do everything I could to take care of my babies and get through the season. If this was it coaching-wise for me, I was going to go out with a winning season.

The other thing I needed to do was to keep the news of my pregnancy from the media. They’d have a field day if they found out, making things even worse for me in the press. I could see it now, a headline questioning whether Max or Ed was the father. And when the truth came out that it was yet another man, I’d be branded a hussy.

No, I couldn’t let that happen. My life wasn't just about me anymore. It was about protecting my babies, too. I would find a way to navigate through the chaos of my life, one step at a time.

27

Pierce

It was a fucking miracle that I was in San Diego, California, at the Pacific Coast Tournament. Somehow, after losing to Naomi and a few others, we’d pulled ourselves together and were now here. We had only one game, against Naomi, of all people. I hadn’t seen her since Bo’s party nearly two weeks ago. Well, I hadn’t seen her in person. She'd starred in quite a few NSFW dreams.

The moment I stepped into the luxurious hotel lobby with Porter by my side, a wave of excitement washed over me. I liked being on the road. I just hoped that now with Porter in tow, I could make this single-father thing work. I considered getting a sitter, but who knew what Porter might put her through? So now, he was here with me, and I hoped it would be a time for us to connect.

"Do I get my own room?” Porter asked as I stepped up to the reception desk.

“No. But you get your own bed.” I watched him, wondering if he’d make a stink about that, but his eyes were taking in the hotel. He acted like he’d never been in one before.

I pulled out my wallet to provide identification. As I glanced up, a familiar figure stepping up to the reception person next to mine caught my eye.

“Naomi.”

She startled when she saw me, but then smiled. “Pierce.”

Goddammit. Why did she have to be so beautiful? My heart was hammering in my chest, and my fingers itched to touch her long hair. To be safe, I put one hand in my pocket and used the other to set my ID on the counter.

“You’re in early too.”

She nodded. “It was the only direct flight from Las Vegas.”

“Todd doesn’t charter for you?” Considering how well the team was doing, the least he could do was charter a plane for them.

“Not this year, but it’s definitely going into my contract next year.” She turned away as she said the last words. I wondered if that meant something. Was her job on the line?

“Absolutely, and if he doesn’t want you, I do... ah... I mean, as a coach.”Jesus fuck, Jackson.

Her breath hitched, but she quickly recovered. “I think you have enough with you and Bo. Besides, my team is better.”

I laughed as the tightness in my chest loosened. She didn’t think anything of my Freudian slip. “We’ll see.”

“You’ll see,” she tossed back. God, was it any wonder this woman captivated me? She looked over at Porter. “Hello, Porter.”

“Hey.”

“Are you helping your dad coach?”

“Nah.”

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