She’s my pregnant fuck buddy, who wouldn’t be my fuck buddy if she weren’t pregnant with my kid. But I couldn’t tell themthat.
“She’s my friend who happens to bepregnant.”
Well, that was one way to render those three speechless. At the sametime.
“And who exactly is the father?” Sean asked, the first to recover. The question was merely a formality. They alreadyknew.
I let out a heavy breath. “Yes, it’smine.”
“This is better than those fucked up reality shows Becca likes to watch,” Mark said, a little too excitedly if you asked me. “So, are you guys involved, or are you just there for childsupport?”
I grabbed my jersey from my locker and pulled it over my head. “I’m not really boyfriend material. But I do plan to be there for my child in every way possible.” I didn’t want to be a reincarnate of my father. That much I didknow.
But since your father wasn’t much of a role model, the voice of reason asked,how the fuck do you plan to be a goodone?
Sean exchanged looks with Mark and Jyri. “So, what do you think, guys? Should we induct him into thegroup?”
They both looked me over like I was a racehorse for sale. I rolled myeyes.
“Do you think he’s ready?” Jyri asked, eyeing me with skeptical amusement. For some reason, his Finnish accent was always stronger when he found something particularlyfunny.
“Ready for what?” Iasked.
“To join HDF,” Sean said as if it wereobvious.
“HDF?”
“Hockey DadsForever.”
I threw back my head, laughing. Let me guess—one of their wives came up with thename.
Three hours later, a weary team returned to the locker room. I stripped out of my sweaty uniform and headed for theshowers.
“So when’s the baby due?” Sean asked, standing under the shower head next tomine.
“February twenty-third.”
He cringed—as did Mark, who was showering on the other side ofhim.
“What’s so bad about that date?” I hadn’t seen anything inWhat To Expect When You’re Expectingto make me believe there was anything horrifying about it (or the month) when it came to pumping outbabies.
“You could be out of town for a game,” Mark explained. “That’s what happened to me. Took Becca a month to get over it. Took my mother-in-law three months—and some days I think she still hasn’t gotten overit.”
Both Sean and Jyricringed.
As it were, Holly still hadn’t told her parents about the baby. Her brothers knew. And let’s just say I wouldn’t be traveling to Australia anytime soon to hang out withthem.
The phone conversations with them had gone something likethis:
“What the hell is your problem?” a rather pissed off Aussie accent said over the phone. It was three in the morning, and I had answered the phone without checking caller ID first, thinking it wasHolly.
“You’ve got three seconds to tell me who this is before I hang up on you,” I growled, the sleep in my voice making me sound even crankier. Did I mention it was three in the fuckingmorning?
It wouldn’t be so bad if Holly’s warm body was next to me. That would’ve helped me get back to sleep after I hung up on her dumbassbrother.
And yes, I knew it was her brother—I just didn’t know whichone.
“It’s Chris. Now will you tell me why you knocked up my sister? Especially since you two aren’t reallyengaged?”
