Page 193 of Pucking Strong

I glance from Poppy back to the phone. “He tried. But, like Henrik said, he was drunk, and his team had just lost. It doesn’t excuse anything, but I don’t want to press charges.”

“We have five witnesses to the altercation,” Henrik goes on. “Including the team captains of both the Rays and the Chicago Blackhawks.”

Clearing her throat, Poppy sits forward. “Miss Ågren, Poppy St. James here. I’ve spoken to the head of PR over at the Blackhawks personally, and they assure me Mr. Lamont will not be pressing any charges. To do so would mean legal retaliation, and Mr. Lamont is the one at fault here. Not Henrik, and certainly not Teddy. There’s not a judge in the state of Florida who would rule otherwise.”

“Can you get me something in writing to that effect, including witness statements?”

“I can,” Poppy assures her.

Elin is quiet for a moment. I think she might be taking notes. “By sharing your marriage license publicly, we’ve put the gossip about you not being married to rest. But there’s still the matter of the rumored infidelity. You must know how serious this is in cases of child welfare. The rules about paramours being introduced to children are quite strict—”

“There is no infidelity,” Henrik says over her. “Miss Nilsson works for us. She’s our in-home nurse for Karolina.”

“Yes, I have that noted here. But she stays in the home with you? She shares guardianship of Karolina?”

“No, sheworksin the home,” I clarify. “But she’s no more a guardian than Karro’s teacher, Mr. Torres. Or is he part of this dark web of infidelity too?”

Henrik squeezes my hand.

Poppy sits forward again. “Miss Ågren, how serious is this? They can’t really be considering revoking Henrik and Teddy’s custody, can they? It’s too cruel for words.”

Heart in my throat, I slap my other hand atop Henrik’s on my knee, bracing for the tsunami wave.

“They can,” Elin replies. “They are.”

“Oh god.” Tears burn my eyes.

But Henrik lunges forward, grabbing the phone off the table. “Elin, clarify. They’reconsideringrevoking custody, or theyarerevoking custody?”

“They’re still just considering,” she replies.

I let out a breath, my hand pressed to my chest. My heart is racing, and I feel sick.

“Elin, tell them to come again,” Henrik declares.

“What?”

“They must come again and interview us all.”

“Henrik—”

“I will not have the custody of my niece determined by baseless tabloid articles and meritless speculation! They will come,and they will interview everyone in Karolina’s life, everyone who has been close to her these past months—Nurse Hanna and Mr. Torres, the Langleys, Frank at the ice cream shop, her doctors and PTs. Everyone will tell you what you already know: My niece is happy and loved.”

“Surely, there must be a way,” Poppy chimes. “Given the public nature of Henrik’s job, these are certainly unprecedented circumstances. A second home study seems only fair. The team would cooperate in any way you need.”

Elin is quiet for a moment. “I’ll ask them to schedule another home visit.”

Henrik lets out a breath, sinking back against the couch. “Thank you. All we want is a fair chance. In the end, these media stories will play themselves out. When the dust settles, Teddy and I will still be here, loving and caring for Karolina. Because we’re a family. And I will fight for my family. I’ll do whatever it takes.”

I still have tears in my eyes, but now I’m smiling, looking at my husband with such pride glowing in my chest. He’s so good to us. Goodforus. So quiet, and principled, and strong. It’s crazy to think that just a few months ago, I was more worried about Burning Man and trips to Thailand. Henrik and Karro have taken every single one of my life plans and flipped them inside out. I don’t care what we do, so long as we’re together. I’ll move to Sweden and dance around a maypole. I’ll eat pickled herring with my breakfast. Hell, I’ll even learn to knit.

Okay, I won’t actually be doing the second one. But the other stuff sounds cool. In the end, Henrik’s right. It only matters that we’re together.

He switches to Swedish, his voice measured and controlled as he plans with his lawyer. All the while, he keeps one hand on my thigh. Firm, unwavering.

For six years, the idea of Henrik Karlsson was a fantasy. I painted him as perfect in my mind, timeless and untouchable. I still can’t believe I now have the real thing. But he’s no longer perfect to me. He’s moody and taciturn, slow to change. Sometimes heleaves his beard trimmings in the sink. He’s completely tone deaf and annoyingly prompt. He’s perfectly imperfect.

And he’smine.

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