Baby Daddies: Puck Buddies Series

by Tara Brown

  “Too bad. I’m a package deal. You either take me as I am or not at all. I’m rich. Stupidly rich.” It’s my turn to laugh like a crazy person. “I never imagined in my life that being rich would be the thing I was judged for.”

  “I’m not judging you—”

  “It’s my birthday tomorrow. You becoming my partner is my birthday present. If you want to argue about that, we do it the way I like,” I say as I grab her face and plant a boozy kiss on her just to shut her up as I walk us to the bedroom. I want to scream at her but fucking might be the better choice.

  31

  Two is better than one

  Friday, September 1

  Jenny

  The gel on my stomach is cold but it’s worth it when Dr. Almer smiles wide and says, “There’s the baby. See.” She turns the monitor and shows us the little bean.

  “Oh man, look at him. He’s huge.” Lori’s eyes are wide with excitement. Seeing his reaction is better than seeing the blob on the screen. Even if we’re hardly talking after the money fiasco. There’s been a lot of angry sex and the paperwork hasn’t left the counter. It sat there through the small birthday party and everything.

  Dr. Almer moves the wand on my belly to the opposite side and we all pause. “Oh.”

  “What’s that?” I whisper.

  “Is that a mirror image?” Lori tilts his head.

  “No,” I whimper. “That’s just part of the sack or a reflection or something—”

  “No. It’s a sack. That’s a second baby. You’re having twins.” She tries to sound excited but it’s the same as last time. Forced and hollow. She moves the wand all over me, showing us the different angles of the two babies.

  The whole world comes to a grinding halt and I scream inside my head.

  “Twins.” Lori nods, registering the news so much faster than me. He shrugs. “I mean, how much harder can a second baby be?”

  “It’s more common in tall women.” Dr. Almer laughs nervously and I burst into angry tears.

  “That’s it! I can’t take one more thing!” I’m lost.

  “Red, don’t cry. This isn’t bad news. The babies are healthy. It’s fine.” He hugs me but there’s no consoling me. I don’t even know if this is why I’m sobbing, but I’m lost in it.

  “He’s right, they look great. Obviously, this changes your birth plan, but for now just keep doing what you’re doing.” Dr. Almer beams at Lori. “Congratulations.”

  “Thanks!” He’s an idiot. He has no idea how terrible this is.

  “Two babies! How is this possible? Why doesn’t God love me?” I cry and he laughs.

  “I’ll let you guys get cleaned up and dressed.” Dr. Almer leaves us. That traitorous bitch is running away. I wish I could.

  “Come on.” Lori kisses my cheek and helps me sit up. He stands between my legs and forces my face up so he can look into my eyes. “This is not bad news.”

  “It’s easy to say when it’s not your vagina,” I sniffle. “Or your back. I don’t know anything about babies and now we’re gonna have two.”

  “Up you get.” He ignores my insanity and wipes my stomach and helps me put my shirt on while I am stuck blubbering shamefully.

  “I used to be cool, Lori. I was a cool girl. Just easygoing and chill and fun. I slept in and drank too many margaritas and had girls’ weekends with my friends. And then I met you—you’ve ruined me. I’m lame.” The words are a wet mess as I wave my arm randomly and point at the door. “Just take me out to the pasture—”

  He kisses me. “Why is pity party so hot on you?” He helps me off the table and hugs, taking a deep inhale of my hair. “As of right now, nothing’s changed. You’re just newly pregnant, your morning sickness is vengeful, and we still have what, seven months to get prepared? You need to calm down. And I’m not gonna lie, I still want all-I-can-eat sushi for dinner. You promised. And I’m starving.” He kisses my cheek again, pulls me from the room, and squeezes my hand tight as we walk to the desk.

  “All set then?” Janet asks in her telephone voice.

  “No. But I guess we need to book the next appointment.” I wipe my face and try to hide my swollen eyes from the patients in the waiting room.

  “Okay, well we like to do every four weeks at this stage. So how is the second of October?”

  “Can we do early?” Lori asks. “The season will be going and I’ll have games in the evenings.”

  “Of course. How is ten in the morning?”

  “I’m sure it’ll be fine,” I mutter, not bothering to say that I’ll have to book off work for it. Like I did this appointment, though Friday afternoons aren’t hard to sneak out. Half the office is normally gone anyway.

  She sends me a notification via email for the appointment and writes it down on a card which she passes to Lori. He flashes a winning smile and she blushes. “You guys have a great weekend.”

  “We will.” He slides his fingers into mine and we walk to the door.

  Outside, the air is heavy and stinky. It makes me wrinkle my nose and wonder if the city has always smelled this bad or if it’s just the morning sickness lingering. “How is this possible?” I stop and stare at my stomach. “There has to be a mistake. We can’t do this.”

  I’m panicking.

  “Come on, crazy. Some vegetarian sushi will make you feel better.” He kisses the side of my head and I stop walking, jerking his hand and making him stop too. He turns, moving in front of me. “You okay? You gonna puke again?”

  “No.” I take a deep breath as reality beats the ever-loving hell out of me. “I can’t move out.” I can’t believe I’m saying it but two babies changes everything. It and the throwing up until three in the afternoon every single day. There’s no way I can do this alone. I’m not the ultimate woman. I’m scared, weak, and pathetic. I’m not as strong as I think and knowing I have Lori to lean on makes me want to lean. For the first time in my life I don’t want to do something by myself.

  “Good, because if you thought you could move out and I wasn’t going to follow you, you’re nuts.” He kisses my forehead. “If I have to sleep in that condemned building every single night, I will. But me and you are together. We’re not seeing each other. We’re not dating. We’re it.” He pulls back and stares into my eyes. “I’ve made my decision. I love you. And twins is cool. And if you want to freak out and act like this is the end of the world, that’s okay. Because I got you, I’ll take care of you.”

  “Fine, but you have to take my name off everything. I don’t want your money.”

  “Nope. No deal. It’s our money now. Just like those are our babies. So you accept the money and you stay with me in our lavish lifestyle, and you promise me no more talk of moving out or me being twenty-three or a stupid puck.” He lifts my chin and kisses me before I can argue. “And you have to be extra nice to me on nights where we lose a game. You haven’t seen it yet but I get emotional.”

  “Lori, I’m being serious.”

  “Oh me too, Red. Very serious.” He steps closer, cupping my face. “I had zero drama before you came along with all your bad luck. I met you and my world got twisted and turned upside down.” He gives me the grin. The one I hate. “But now that I’ve been on this weird ride with you, I like it. You’re crazy and emotional and crying and puking, and now there’s two babies and your dad hates us and your brother’s talking about giving up smoking for the babies and mine’s in rehab. Every week something else insane happens and it’s keeping me on my toes. This is never going to get old or boring.”

  “I hate you right now,” I say with my own version of that grin.

  “No, you don’t.” He kisses me again. “You love me, the same way I love you. And it’s cool you don’t say it. You don’t talk about getting married or any of those things normal pregnant girls do. But you’re an assassin. So I expect that some things will be different.” He says this all casually, nonchalant and lacking emotion.

  “I do love you, Lori,” I say. “More than I can explain without s
tarting the pregnancy crying again.”

  “Enough to quit your job?” He wiggles his eyebrows.

  “No.” I stand on my tiptoes and kiss him, lingering there next to him. “But enough to say I’ll live with you and have babies with you. But we should renovate that apartment. Because we need a nursery more than we need all those bathrooms.”

  His grin widens and he turns and starts walking again, linking my arm in his. “Okay, but since you’re bringing it up, I want to suggest we sell the apartment. There’s no yard, kids need a yard. And being so high in the air, I mean what if one of them gets outside and climbs on the—” He shudders. “I can’t even say it. Look, my hands are sweating thinking about it.”

  The sentence and the sheen of sweat covering his trembling hands makes me giggle.

  “Why is that funny?”

  “It’s funny that this is already stressing you out.” I nudge him and feel like maybe, just maybe everything will be okay.

  “Aren’t you stressing out about that? Doesn’t it scare you the apartment being so high up?”

  “No.” I shake my head and laugh harder. “I haven’t even given it a moment’s thought. But I’m sure I will now. Can we screen it in?”

  “I’ll have some people meet with us and discuss options.” He wraps an arm over my shoulder and kisses the side of my face. “I’m so glad you’re going to stay with me in our apartment.” And then he does it again. He says the thing I need, “Because I don’t think any house would feel like home without you in it. You’re my home and I want to be wherever you are.” He runs a hand over my stomach. “Where all three of you are.”

  And then he carries on about sushi and renovating or moving and where would I want to live. As if he hasn’t just dropped the ultimate sentence all pregnant girls want to hear. To hell with it, all girls want to hear. Even this girl. Even if I didn’t know it until I heard it.

  I smile and nod and watch him as he convinces me we need to move to the Hamptons near Sami and Brady when the kids are born so they have someone to play with who isn’t their sibling because studies show it’s important to develop friendships early on.

  And I realize a truth I haven’t noticed before. This guy, this puck, this rich kid, is everything I needed. And that maybe things had to fall apart so they could be put back together with him as an integral part of my life. He’s rambling on as my eyes lift to the sky and I smirk. God doesn’t hate me and isn’t against me. God knew the only way this would work was if I was a big enough mess that I would let someone like Lori in. I never would have given him the chance he deserved if all the nonsense of the last three months hadn’t happened.

  And maybe things aren’t perfect—his brother is in rehab and my dad is hardly talking to me—but this, this right here, this is perfect. Perfectly imperfect.

  Yes, he’s rich.

  He’s a puck.

  He’s controlling.

  But I wouldn’t have him any other way.

  “Are you even listening to me?” he asks as he opens the door to the restaurant he swears will become my new favorite sushi spot.

  I don’t answer, I stand on my tiptoes and kiss him gently and hope my mom is looking down and sees that I have found someone who makes me happy. Crazy, but happy.

  32

  Twins it is

  Saturday, September 2

  Lori

  “Simon!” Brady rushes past me into the apartment and lifts the cat into the air like he’s reunited with his long lost lover.

  Nat, looking thinner and paler, sort of the opposite of what I expected when she came home from her honeymoon, walks to the sofa where Jenny is sitting and flops down. “Why is it still so hot out?”

  “I don’t know. But I’m hot all the time,” Jenny moans. “Especially at night.”

  “Me too. I have a sweat shadow when I wake up in the morning.”

  “Yeah, I’m washing sheets every second day right now.” Jenny glances at her. “It’s sexy.”

  Sami rushes me, similar to the way Brady and Simon met. She wraps her arms around me and squeals, “Lori, I missed you so much!”

  “Lori,” Matt says as he comes in, sporting a serious tan.

  “Lori!” Carson runs at me too, joining the snuggle. Rich waves but walks to Simon and Brady to get in on that struggle snuggle.

  “Jenny, how are you feeling?” Matt asks as he sits.

  “Fairly awful. The sickness started and I basically throw up at work all day and then gorge to recover my strength all night.”

  “Oh my God, me too! We’re having the same pregnancy,” Nat says as if baffled by the similarities. “I stop right at two in the afternoon, every single day. And I’m sleeping like fourteen hours a day right now.”

  “Speaking of pregnancies,” I interrupt, “we have another surprise.” I glance at Sami. “You’re going to be pumped. The photo ops for this are off the charts.”

  “Oh my God, Lori,” Jenny laughs.

  “It’s twins. We’re having twins. Two.” I hold my fingers up.

  “Twins?” Brady arches an eyebrow.

  “Yes, apparently my sperm are superior to yours. Some kind of superhero DNA or something.” I shrug and earn a whack in the stomach from him.

  “You mean superhero girlfriend,” Rich takes a stab at me but winks.

  “Oh man,” Nat laments. “Lucky. One pregnancy and you’re done.”

  “I never thought of that.” Jenny nods along.

  “What?” Matt asks as he sits and glances at Rich petting Simon.

  “You need two kids, bro.” Brady offers this fact up with some serious attitude.

  “I want four.” I flash a grin at Jenny. “So two pregnancies.” I wink at her, earning a middle finger for a response.

  “Yeah, no. First time ever for this, I’m with Brady.” Jenny points at him. “You only need two kids. Me and my brother were best friends. Still are.”

  “Twins,” Matt repeats as if this has just sunk into his thick head. His eyes lower to her flat belly. “You can’t even see anything yet.”

  “The doctor said because I’m tall it’s more likely I won’t show right away. More torso for the babies to sit in.”

  “How big were you as a baby?” Nat asks me.

  “Nine pounds and some change. Why?”

  Nat winces. “I was six pounds and Brady was ten. I’ll be the size of a house. I have no torso. I’m short. It’s already starting to show.” She stands and turns sideways and lifts her shirt and sure enough, there’s a tiny belly.

  Carson shakes his head in twitches. “I can’t believe you’re all having kids. Ruining our gang with babies.”

  “What do you mean? I want kids,” Rich pipes up. “I’m with Lori, I think four kids would be awesome. A little pack of them.”

  “Dude, no.” Carson waves him off. “You just need to see Lori up to his elbows in baby shit and puke while Jenny’s crying. You’ll change your mind. Actually scratch that, Jenny and Lori are going to ace parenting. It’s Brady you should watch.”

  “Wow.” Brady gives me and Carson a glare.

  “Oh my God.” Sami ignores everything but what she wants to hear. “Rich, you guys should have a baby. I would surrogate for you,” Sami says the most random thing any of us has ever heard. Particularly, Matt whose eyes widen with fear.

  “Only if we get to have sex and not test-tube it.” Carson laughs but Matt doesn’t.

  “Not on your life.” Sami scoffs. “But for real, I would have a baby for you.”

  “Not me,” Nat grumbles. “I’m genuinely not loving being pregnant.”

  “Me either.” Jenny wrinkles her nose.

  “So two babies?” Brady holds his fingers up, stuck on the news.

  “Yeah.” I grin, pretending the idea of it hasn’t drained all my life essence and robbed me of at least five of my golden years. When the doctor said twins, I nearly died, but the look on Jenny’s face told me to keep it together.

  It was nearly impossible.

  His e
yes dart to Jenny. “Holy shit.”

  “Finally, a normal response.” Jenny sighs.

  “You just called me normal.” Brady’s lips twist into a wide smile. His crush on her is epic, even now.

  “Guess that means hell has frozen over. I’m having twins and Brady is making sense.” Jenny lies back into the sofa more. “Can we talk about the honeymoon?”

  “Capital idea, Jenny.” Carson points at her. “This baby talk is going to kill my boner for at least a week.”

  “That works for me, little spoon.” Rich winks at him and I laugh.

  “It was amazing. I’ll load the photos on Insta over the next week. But Nat has a bunch of pictures on her phone.” Sami waves a demanding hand at Nat.

  “Yeah, the designated sober person was also the camerawoman,” Nat grumbles and lifts her phone so Jenny can see them.

  “Oh my God, this is amazing. Where were you?”

  “Malta and all over the Med and Adriatic. It was so cool,” Nat gushes and moves her finger like she’s scanning through pictures.

  “You ready for the season to start?” Matt asks me. His eyes flicker for the briefest of seconds to Jenny.

  “Yeah.” I stand and walk to the bar, hoping he’ll follow. It’s Matt, of course he gets the hint.

  “How are things?” he asks as I start making some nonalcoholic beverages for the girls.

  “Fucking insane,” I whisper.

  “Don’t leave me in there with the estrogen train like that. If you’re coming in here for a manly chat, signal me. Carson just asked if men can produce milk. I can’t sit through that conversation.” Brady comes in a second later. “What’s insane?”

  “My life.” I take a deep breath, trying to figure out where to start. “We landed in Vancouver last Monday. Jenny was napping off her motion sickness while Grace was chewing my ass about bringing her to meet the parents when Mom and Dad come strolling in, mid fight. They were screaming.”