“We’re together,” JT says, his voice sure and smooth.
My uncle nearly laughs. “No, you’re not.”
“Coach—”
JT’s protest doesn’t even register.
“You,” Uncle Hudson says, pointing at JT, “have a hockey career. And you,” he says, shifting his focus to me, “haveclasses to finish and exams to take. Jesus Christ, Margo. What were you thinking?”
He doesn’t need to answer his own question. I’ve heard the lecture before and could probably recite it by now. JT lifts me from his lap and moves to stand behind me, his arms wrapping around me like a blanket.
“We’re together, Coach,” JT repeats. There’s no anger, no indignation. But there’s no hesitation, either, no need for approval.
“Maggie is my girlfriend. I’m her boyfriend. We’ve been sneaking around, hiding it, but we’ve been together since?—”
“Doesn’t matter, Norris. Whatever the hell this is, it ends now.” My uncle’s words are final, his tone direct. He’s a man used to giving orders and having them followed without question.
JT’s voice is just as steady. “It doesn’t end, Coach. Not now, not ever, if I have any say. And sure as hell not for the next eighteen years.”
Uncle Hudson’s jaw drops, and Jules’s eyes widen comically.
If I thought he was angry before, he’s livid now. “The fuck did you just say to me?”
JT’s not backing down. I was afraid of this moment, and with good reason, but he’s holding me tightly, sharing his strength with me when I need it most. His hand rests on the bump that’s just starting to show. “I told you the truth, Coach. That Maggie is my girlfriend. But it’s more than that. She’s my family.”
Uncle Hudson’s attention shift to me. “You’re pregnant?”
The words are a condemnation, a confirmation that I’ve ended up exactly the way he predicted I would. It’s so much bullshit I can’t stand it. It’s like we’re both looking at the sky and I’m calling it blue and he’s screaming that it’s red.
“You can go, Norris,” my uncle says, dismissing his starplayer like he’s a kid who just got in trouble. “I’ll deal with you later. Margo,” he begins, his focus back on me.
“I’m not going anywhere, Coach. Not unless Maggie asks me to.”
“Maybe I didn’t make myself clear, Norris. Get your hands off my niece and get the hell out of my house. I’ll see you at practice tomorrow.”
JT doesn’t move.
“Did you hear me? This is a family matter.”
“Yeah, loud and clear, Coach. I’m her family. She’s mine.”
He pulls me closer against him, but the chaos is too much. My ears are ringing and suddenly it’s a million degrees in here.
“Stop it, both of you,” Jules commands. “Let Maggie sit before she passes out.”
JT deposits me onto the couch before heading into the kitchen. “I’ll get a cold towel. That helps sometimes,” he says.
Uncle Hudson starts to protest, but Jules cuts him off quickly.
“I’m fine, really,” I say, starting to stand. But then the room spins, so I lean into JT’s embrace and let the cold cloth work its magic.
“How far along?” My uncle asks, his words clipped.
“Our first appointment is next week,” JT says. “We just found out not too long ago, but,” he looks at me and smiles, “our best guess is that Maggie’s almost four months along. The baby should be here in mid-May.”
“Jesus Christ. Did you meet her out in California and fuck on the plane ride here?”
“Hudson!” Jules’s voice cuts through the tension in the room. “Don’t be an ass.”
