Page 47 of Power Play
"We're all with her, not each other. There's one other thing." Lacey's gone deathly still and pale. "Lacey's pregnant, and any of us could be the father. That's not something we care about, though, and we've all stepped up to raise the babies."
"Bab-ies?" Siobhan emphasizes the last syllable.
"Yes, she's pregnant with twins." I can't help the proud smile that crosses my face.
"Sonofabitch," Craig growls under his breath.
Lacey flinches. She looks at him. "I really am sorry. I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I just..."
I squeezed her hand again to shut her up. She has nothing to apologize for. She's a beautiful young woman, living in a new city, and living her best life with men who adore her.
She looks down again, clearly ashamed. I need to set her right when we get home tonight. My mind starts to wander onto all the ways I can punish her until she realizes her worth.
I can make her come again and again and again until she can't stand it. I can fuck her in front of a mirror so she can see how fucking gorgeous she is. I can make the others beg to have her.
A throat clears, and Craig raises an eyebrow at me.
"If there's nothing else, I'd like to tell the team now. Are there any concerns?"
Siobhan's already writing down notes, muttering to herself about something in the water. HR's been silent, because there's really nothing they can say. They might have to negotiate a messy breakup if it happens, but I'm confident it won't.
I stand, pull Lacey's chair out for her, and nod towards the door to the boys. We all filter into the hallway and back to the elevators.
"Ready to tell the team?"
Ben smiles. Lacey and Garrett cringe. Well, that won't do.
Chapter twenty-five
Jonesy
We follow Coach into the locker room, where we know most of the team is gearing up for practice. Lacey looks nervous as hell, and I have no idea what to do about that. She said no PDA at work, so I can't hold her hand. Do I tell her something encouraging? I suck at words. That's more of Coach's and Ben's territory.
I've been better about showing her what I think or how I feel behind closed doors. This boyfriend thing is easier to do when it's just us. When we can just be us.
But will I ever not second guess myself? And how I'm supposed to treat her? Scott and Ben have been great about giving me little pointers here and there about how to make her feel special. About how to consider her wants and needs. Which is not something that comes naturally to me. But I promised to practice.
Scott enters the locker room first, flanked by Lacey and Ben. I hold back.
No one will judge Lacey or Ben or Scott for being involved. But me? I've been the lone wolf, the manwhore, the fuck up for nearly ten years. The Titans are going to judge the shit out of me. Which, fair. But I really don't want them to judge Lacey for being with a piece of shit like me.
I really don't want her to look bad for her association with me.
"Gents!" Scott shouts, getting everyone's attention with his commanding and booming voice.
"I have an announcement I'd like to make, just to clear the air before any rumors start." I look around the locker room just to be sure Tracey isn't around. She's going to find out eventually, but it doesn't have to be today. One shit storm at a time.
"Myself, Ski and Jonesy are all dating Lacey, our new PT. There's nothing dramatic or scandalous about it, and if any of you assholes think about making Lacey uncomfortable with our relationship status, I'll bench the fuck out of you."
"Scott," Lacey whispers, placing a delicate hand on his forearm. But instead of nervousness or tension, I see a small smile on her face. She likes his protective nature, even if she does think it's too much.
Catcalls and whistles go out and Ryan wraps a meaty arm around Lacey's shoulder, jostling her a bit and ribbing her good-naturedly. My shoulders relax. I'm entirely relieved that they're already treating her like one of us. I get a few good-natured punches to the arm and happy disbelief that someone could get me to settle down.
It's a good feeling.
And just like that, it's over. It's back to work and back to practice like normal. But I feel lighter than I have in a while. No more secrets, no more self-doubt. We announced that I'm one of Lacey's boyfriends and something about that made my teammates like me more. I hadn't made any friends on the Titans, and I recognize that that was an active choice of mine. I pushed everyone away.
But by letting Lacey, and then Ben and Scott in, it made them see me differently. Chad actually chats with me as we put our gear on. Where before, it seemed terrifying to let anyone get close to me, or see the real me, letting Lacey see me, and knowing she loves and accepts me for who I am. Maybe others can, too.
