Page 90 of Bad Pucking Roommate

“Hi sweetheart.” Noah accepts the little bundle with an eager grin. “Aren’t you beautiful.”

“Tripp still doesn’t want any of your own?” I ask Noah, who clearly adores kids.

“He worries he’d screw a kid up since his own childhood was so bad. He’s more comfortable being the cool uncle.”

“He’s also more comfortable walking around the house naked, which you can’t really do with kids,” Xander deadpans.

“That too.” Noah grins fondly.

“He’s better with kids than he thinks he is,” Niko says. “Dominic is always asking when Uncle Tripp can play superheroes or Star Wars. And now that he knows you live down the street, he wants to ride his tricycle here almost daily.”

“He can come over anytime. We love having him.” Noah absorbs all the baby feels while he talks, never taking his eyes off Molly. “This one, too.”

“That won’t freak Tripp out?” Luca asks.

“He’s not actually afraid of kids, he just doesn’t have any frame of reference,” Noah explains. “He never got to be a little boy growing upsince his parents wanted him to act so proper all the time, so he isn’t sure how to relate. He does well with Dominic now because it finally gives him a chance to act like a little boy. He just doesn’t know what to expect from a girl.”

“Girls aren’t so different,” Niko says. “My sister and I played Star Wars all the time. Sometimes we even used her Barbies as space aliens.”

“Now that Tripp knows he can teach her to skate, he’ll be fine,” Noah coos to Molly.

“At least with a daughter, you won’t have to worry about him teaching her how to water the plants,” Xander says.

“I heard that.” Tripp calls as he and Dominic fly their action figures past the patio. “And picking the right spot to pee outside is a valuable skill for a boy to know.”

I stifle a laugh as they race through the yard and talk turns to hockey.

“So,” Niko starts. “Am I gonna be the only Bulldog left, or…?”

Noah stayed with the team three years after Luca left, and we managed to win another cup in his last season. Since Luca had the podcast job the four of us were together as often as we had been during my rookie year, but once Noah hung up the skates, things started to shift. The team went through a rebuilding period—we’re still in it, truth be told—though I think we’re on the upswing.They’reon the upswing. It’s a good time to make room for new talent.

“Yeah.” I give him a sad smile. “I was thinking about it, anyway, but between the knee and adopting Molly, it’s time.”

“Babe, you know I can handle Molly if you want to keep playing,” Luca says.

“I know, but I don’t want to miss her milestones while I’m on the road.”

“That partdoes suck,” Niko agrees.

“And I wouldn’t mind finishing the degree I started. Maybe even become a counselor or therapist or something.”

“You’d be good at that,” Xander says.

“What about you?” I ask Niko. “How much longer do you think you’ll play?”

“This year for sure. After that… We might want to adopt another, so I’d probably stay home like Noah.”

“I don’t stay home.” Noah frowns. “I volunteer at the children’s center.”

In an effort to prevent other kids from growing up the way Tripp did, Noah devotes a lot of time and money to help queer kids get the support they need when they don’t get it from their parents.

“I mean I won’t have a nine to five job,” Niko amends as the superheroes come back to the patio in search of a snack.

“She’s in my spot.” Tripp points to Molly. Noah smirks and pats the space next to him, and Tripp reluctantly sits down. “This is why we can’t have kids. They’ll steal my man’s lap, and I don’t like to share it.”

“I’ll make you a deal,” Noah says. “You can sit on my lap if you hold Molly.”

I sense Luca tense next to me, and I shift my head just slightly, hinting that he should let this play out.

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