Page 175 of Goaltender Interference

“Ehh,” Connor said. He trusted Jesse’s judgment.

“Daddy,” Evie said. “You and Jesse hug a lot. How come?”

“Because I’m the Hug Monster,” Jesse shouted, diving for Evie. He picked her up, tossing both of their bodies onto the sofa. She landed between him and the cushions, squealing, and Connor held his head.

How in the fuck was Jesse doing that with a hangover? Oh right, he was twenty-four.

Cushions went flying off the sofa and Maura threw herself into the pile of bodies. For a moment, Connor stared down at three of them, smiling softly.

When Jesse finally emerged, red-faced but grinning up at Connor, Connor decided although he appreciated Jesse’s excellent distraction, there was no need for it. With Viv’s approval, they’d agreed to tell the girls about them dating whenever it felt right.

“Girls,” Connor said quietly. He took a seat beside Jesse’s hip. “How would you feel about Jesse staying with us? For good.”

“What?” Evie popped her head up, her glasses askew. “What do you mean?”

Connor settled a hand on Jesse’s chest. “You know how Momma and I dated and were in love? And how that wasn’t the best for us, so we split up?”

Maura nodded.

“Well, now I’m dating Jesse.”

“And you love him?” Evie asked.

“I love him very much,” Connor said.

Jesse reached up, threading their fingers together and pressing them against his chest. “And I love your dad too.”

Both girls cheered.

“Does this mean Jesse is gonna stay forever and ever?” Evie asked.

“That’s the plan,” Connor said, then winced, because he hadn’t forgotten about the whole ‘the devil smiles when we make plans,’ thing. “We’re gonna work hard at it, anyway.”

Jesse smiled up at him, squeezing his hand.

Connor glanced between Maura and Evie. “What do you think, girls? Should we keep him?”

They both cheered, loudly, and Connor wondered if that was his punishment for over-indulging so much last night.

Ahh well. It was worth it.

An hour later, Connor herded his family down the sidewalk toward his parents’ house. His little family seemed to be growing, with Kyler and Nolan in the lead, the girls behind them, and Jesse by his side at the rear of the group.

Earlier, Connor and Nolan had discussed how the boys wanted to tell the extended family and Nolan had decided he was gonna walk in and introduce Kyler as his boyfriend. That was fine with Connor, though he did have a feeling there would be a little bit of confusion since they’d already met Kyler plenty of times before as his friend and teammate.

But if that was what felt natural to Nolan? Connor was on board.

When they reached Connor’s parents’ house, Nolan marched up the sidewalk, hand-in-hand with Kyler and through the front door without a second of hesitation.

Maura glanced at Evie and took her hand, clearly assuming it was a safety thing, like when they crossed the street, and the girls followed them inside the house.

Jesse laughed, glancing over at him. “Cute.”

“Yeah, my kids are pretty great,” Connor agreed with a smile. “And what do you say? Should we give that a try too?”

“Why not?”

Why not indeed. With a shrug, Connor reached for Jesse’s hand. He certainly hadn’t thought of any better ways to tell his family about his new relationship. Maybe Nolan and Kyler were onto something.

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