He smiles sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’ve got a Swedish passport and grew up there, if that’s what you’re implying. But my mom is half Swedish, half Spanish. My dad was Australian. As my mom likes to say, I’m a United Nations baby.”
“So, our baby is going to have Swedish, Spanish,andAustralian heritage from your side, not to forget that I’m half Spanish?”
“Yep,” he says, his voice softening as he switches to Spanish for his following thought. “Nuestro bebé.”Ourbaby.
I repeat his words in a whisper. The weight of those words lands between us, heavy and undeniable. Before I can respond, he steps forward and wraps his arms around me. His body is tense, his hold a little tighter than usual friendly hugs, like he’s grounding himself with the contact. Yet, his embrace is still comforting and steady, and I lean into him without thinking.
The feel of him against me brings back memories from that night we spent together. His large hands gripping my waist, that rock-hard naked body against mine, the deep sounds he made when we kissed, and how he worshiped my body all night long.
Damn, Haisley, you shouldn’t be thinking about how you want to hump your baby daddy in the middle of your parents’ party.Ugh, baby daddy.Nope. Just nope. Maybe I should call him something else. Or use his first name. That’s neutral.
Lost in my thoughts, I don’t notice Rasmus stepping back. When our gazes connect, he whispers, his voice breaking, “We’re in this together, okay? No matter what happens.”
“Okay,” I whisper back, feeling hope ignite in my chest. “But if you ever find yourself unable to handle this new reality, tell me. We can come up with an arrangement.”
His grip on my waist tightens. “No way. Haisley, listen. I’m not the kind of guy who bails on something this important.” He lets out a breathless sigh. “Even if I feel my brain is short-circuiting right fucking now.”
“But aren’t you scared?”
Rasmus drags both hands down his face. “Me? Scared?” He asks with a humorless laugh. “Fuck, I’m absolutely terrified. My entire life flipped upside down in the span of five minutes. I was planning on spending the rest of this party avoiding rich old ladies trying to set me up with their granddaughters. Instead, I’m standing in your dad’s office, who happens to be my new GM and the team owner, finding out I’m gonna be a dad,” he rambles on. “I’m about to have a panic attack, but I can’t because you’re the one who’s actually carrying the baby, and me freaking out won’t help either of us…so, no, I’m not scared. I’m fucking petrified. But I’m not walking away from this baby.”
His words wash away my doubts and fears of raising a kid alone. But they also bring vulnerability to the surface. I hadn’t realized until now how much I’d braced myself for rejection or for him to run. But he’s still standing here, holding onto me, promising that we face all this together.
“I didn’t expect you to just accept this.”
He chuckles softly, a hint of disbelief in his voice. “Are you kidding me? It feels like I got hit in the face with a puck, and my brain is still rattling inside my skull. As I said, I’m freaking out inside. But I’m—” He pauses, running a hand through his hair. “I don’t know how to explain it in any of the languages I speak. Somehow, this was supposed to happen, you know? The universe is giving me a wake-up call or something.”
I blink at him, caught off guard by his thoughts as they’re mirroring my own. “You truly believe that?”
“I don’t know what to believe right now. You could tell me that the sky is green, and I would nod, agreeing with you. All I know is that I’m here, and I’ll do whatever you want me to do.”
“Okay. Then we figure this out together.”
“Together,” he echoes, the word feeling as solid as a foundation being laid between us.
And I feel maybe, just maybe, we truly can figure this out.
What can go wrong with two strangers raising a baby together anyway?
11
FUCK, WESTERHOLM, YOU CAN BE SO DENSE
RASMUS
Ababy.
We’re having a baby. And I’m going to be a dad. A father to Haisley’s baby. My baby. She’s carryingmybaby. My future child. Her stomach will grow round with it, and everyone will see.
Fuck. Why does that make me feel so primal? Like I need to stake some invisible claim? I want to wrap her up in my arms and keep her safe from the world. Fucking hell, am I aroused? What is wrong with me?
Becoming a dad was never my plan. Not really. I thought I’d play a few more seasons of hockey, retire, then figure out what to do with the money I’ve earned all these years.
But parenthood? Never in a million years did I think becoming a parent was in the cards for me. My life has always been structured around seasons and games. How the hell do I make room for a baby in all that madness? I can’t even keep a cactus alive!
And yet, now that I know about this little miracle we created that one wild drunken night late last year, my world is turned upside down. I’m thrilled. Completely unprepared, though. Fucking terrified, too, but thrilled. I don’t know how to explain it, but something inside me has shifted.
I’mactuallygoing to be a dad. And I don’t want to be a half-assed one. No fucking way.
