Page 94 of Hot Puck
And I can’t help it. My lips tug up and I’m smiling wide as I watch two of my best friends attempt to hold in their mirth while the other lets it run free.
These women are my people.
It’s been the four of us against the world for over a decade and in that time, we’ve gotten degrees, won gold medals, taken a start-up company from the ground to global success, and shaken up the male-dominated arena of professional hockey with a winning team.
“Is this intervention over?” I ask. “Do you all have time to go get lunch?”
“A working lunch?” Cami asks.
“No. Just lunch. Maybe a bottle of wine…okay, no wine for you,” I say, my gaze on Cami’s midsection.
“Yeah, so, no wine for me either.” With a frown, Oakley raises a hand. “I think.”
“What?” “You’re pregnant?” Cami and Blake lunge for Oakley as they speak.
I take my time getting out of my chair and moving around my desk. “You think?” I question.
“I haven’t done a test. But I’m late. We’ve been trying. We love Micky so much and watching him with Drew and Candace...” She shakes her head. “We want him to have siblings. We never want him to be alone again.”
Tears shimmer in her eyes and like we’ve done too many times to count we move in for a group hug.
“He’ll never be alone again. He has all of us. Just like Whitney, Cassidy, Crystal, and Candace, he’s part of our family now. We might not share blood, but we share something better. We chose to love each other.” Cami’s voice is coated in tears.
“We know. We still want him to have siblings. Cousins are fun too, but we want him to have brothers and sisters.”
“Hell, woman, you don’t even know if you’re pregnant for sure and you’re talking more than one? Of each?”
Oakley laughs. “I want at least four.”
“You do not!” Blake says.
“I do. I always wanted a sister and brother. I have you girls but when I was younger, it was just me at home. I want the big family I never had but always envied.” Her watery gaze lands on Blake.
“Well, as the only one of us qualified to talk about what it’s like to grow up in a big family, I can say it’s a love-hate thing. But yes, I want what I had growing up, Bran does too. I’d like Drew to be out of diapers and sleeping through the night before we try for another, but I’m not getting any younger and Mom and Dad are talking about staying down here more often now that Mason is thinking of moving to Baton Rouge permanently with Cash.” Blake shrugs.
Cami pulls back with a gasp. “I just realized, well except for Nat and she kind of is, we’re all moms now!”
“Er…” Three sets of eyes land on me. I haven’t told them I adopted the girls. Didn’t even mention I was doing it.
Cami raises a hand, index finger out, and draws circles it the air in front of my face. “What’s that?”
“What?”
“That look on your face.”
“I, um...”
“You’re pregnant!” Oakley grabs my arm.
“Oh lord.” Blake’s eyes pop wide.
“No! I’m not pregnant.” I roll my eyes and laugh. “Unless it’s an immaculate conception.”
“Oh.” Oakley pouts. “I thought we could have babies together.”
“No. I have a baby. She’s almost one.”
“You…” Cami tips her head. “Wait, wait, something the twins said… Oh! I know! You’re their legal guardian, same as their brother.”
