Baby Daddies: Puck Buddies Series

by Tara Brown

  “Working for a tech and ecosystems company, running their marketing and ad tech division.”

  “Tech and ecosystems? Is this a West Coast situation?” He doesn’t sound excited.

  My voice wavers when I say, “Vancouver.”

  “BC?” he shouts and swerves, cutting someone off and driving faster for an exit, though it’s not the right one and we end up near Yankee Stadium. He pulls over on a side street and gets out.

  I’m vibrating and my breath hitches in my throat, mostly from the way he was driving. He opens the door on my side of the car and I undo my seatbelt and climb out, but he doesn’t back up. He’s so close my chest rubs against him and I crane my neck to look up into his stare.

  Expecting his reaction to be fierce after the abrupt departure from the expressway and the car, I’m surprised when he gently cups my face and lifts, staring at me with more emotion than I imagined he could muster. “Don’t go. Don’t take the job. Stay here. Please. Something else will come up.”

  I part my lips to protest but he lowers his face and kisses, transferring the emotion in his eyes to his lips. His body forces mine to give in. My hands slide up into his hair as his hands roam my back and butt. The kiss that started a conversation without words becomes more. His body grinds against mine, bringing a moan from my lips as his fingers rake against my back and I wrap a leg around him, clinging.

  Someone honks as they drive by, shouting obscenities from their car and cheering. We pause and laugh as I push him away. “You can’t go from calling me madam to roadside sex. It’s not that kind of date,” I tease but my heart’s not in it.

  He steps back, holding his hand to his chest. “Don’t go.” His expression slays me.

  “I have a few days to think about it before they need an answer.”

  “We’ll never see each other.” He winces when he says it.

  “Then quit the NHL and come with me,” I joke weakly.

  “Okay.” He walks to me again and kisses me. “I’ve been missing the West Coast rain lately.”

  “Then it’s all worked out.” I kiss him again before pushing him away and climbing into the car.

  He gets in and sighs as he slowly pulls away from the curb, not driving like before. “You’re taking it, aren’t you?”

  “I don’t know.” And I don’t know if that’s a lie or not.

  We drive in awkward silence to my place. His mouth opens several times like he might say something but he doesn’t. I think that’s worse, him wanting to talk and not doing it.

  He parks his stupidly expensive car behind my neighbor’s beater truck and grins. “I haven’t seen a Datsun truck in years.”

  “What?”

  “Nothing.” He laughs but his heart isn’t in it either.

  We climb out and I point at the small red brick building. “This is it.”

  “I’ve always wondered what these kinds of places look like inside.” He walks to the door and waits for me to put my key in.

  “This is legit how the other half lives. Prepare yourself.” I open the door and we walk into the stifling stairwell where summer heat radiates from the brick building.

  “Oh my God, it’s like a sauna.” He wafts his shirt as we climb the stairs.

  “Yeah, it’s warm.”

  When I open the door to my apartment, he pauses and stares back at me. I can’t tell if he’s scared or worried but watching him take up almost the entire hallway is funny. He’s enormous compared to the narrow spaces. I close the door and lock it, watching him explore with a bewildered expression and hesitant steps. A few times he tests thin floorboards before putting all his weight down, making me laugh.

  Finally, he comes back, there’s panic in his eyes. “You can’t live here. There’s asbestos or worse, it’s one of those buildings where the mob put the dead bodies into the walls with lime to hide a murder.”

  “Wow.” I roll my eyes, laughing at him.

  “I’m being serious, Jenny. You’ll end up with cancer living here.”

  “Come on, you big baby.” I take his hand in mine and pull him to my bedroom. “I know I said I wanted to slow things down, but having you here, so near my bed is making me rethink that.”

  “I can’t get hard here,” he mutters as he continues to stare at everything. “It’s haunted.”

  It’s against the rules I laid out about us slowing things down, but I prove him wrong a minute later. He even sleeps over. And in the quiet of the night, when he’s snoring next to me, I tell myself that this is it. I’m not taking the job. I’m staying.

  He’s younger.

  He’s crazy.

  He’s a terribly aggressive driver.

  He’s the last person on earth I imagined myself with.

  And yet, somehow, nothing has ever felt this right.

  I snuggle into him, melting my body into his, even in the heat of the brick oven I live in. Falling asleep this way is a first for me. It’s bliss.

  6

  Church porno boobs

  Friday, July 21

  Lori

  Trying to get comfortable in the tiny chair at the bridal boutique, I adjust again.

  “So the building is like condemnable?” Sami asks as she walks from the dressing room where Nat is doing her last fitting.

  “Yeah, I called the city. The inspectors went through it a couple of years ago and the reports say it’s fine. But honestly, it’s creepy.”

  “I can’t believe you slept there,” Carson shudders.

  “It’s fine, you psychos.” Nat laughs from the dressing room. “You people are accustomed to a level of lavish that us commoners can’t comprehend either. I bet when Jenny saw your Versailles knockoff mansion that you call an apartment, she was shocked.”

  “I guess it was odd watching her explore my place,” I admit in a low tone to Carson. “She kept saying ‘oh my God’ and ‘seriously.’ She still makes comments about the fridge.”

  “What kind of fridge is it?” Carson asks.

  “I don’t know. A fridge?” I shrug.

  “Miss Sami?” the dress lady with the thick Russian accent calls from behind the door.

  “Coming,” Sami says and walks back there, instantly shouting at what she finds, “Oh my God! I told you no pizza! You suck. Look at those things! They’re huge!” She rips open the door and points at me. “Come here!”

  We scramble up and walk to the dressing room, aware of the problem the moment we see them. Nat’s boobs are massive. I can’t stop staring. They’re like tractor beams.

  “That’s hot,” Carson mumbles, his eyes are stuck on Nat’s chest.

  “Which means it’s a problem!” Sami bursts.

  “I think it’s fine.” Carson waves her off.

  “Yeah, Brady’s gonna love it.” I crack a grin.

  Sami points. “See, these lecherous perverts are drooling. Those will end up being dirty church porno boobs.”

  “That’s not a thing.” I scoff.

  “Yeah, it is.” Carson gives me a blank expression.

  “Okay, gross. Katia doesn’t want to hear about your nun fetish.” Sami covers her face.

  “What?” the Russian lady asks, lost fortunately. “I don’t know about this nun, but we can try to tape them,” she says. “The problem is you chose a dress with no room for error. A-line with spaghetti straps offers no support or place to hide a brazier.” She touches the white lacy V neckline that plunges between Nat’s enormous breasts to her ribs.

  “This is a disaster.” Sami throws her arms up and stomps from the dressing area, pacing. “Show me with the tape.”

  “She means please, Katia.” Nat scowls.

  “Okay, I’ll do it.” Katia closes the door.

  Carson and I take our seats again and wait.

  But Sami doesn’t stop ranting, “I told you to stick to the diet. The wedding is in a week. If you’re lucky you can maybe lose five pounds between now and then and we’ll pray your boobs lose it first.” Sami continues pacing.

 
“You’re being a dick!” Nat calls from behind the wall, followed by some grunting. Katia opens the door again and the dress is much better but Nat looks like she might die.

  “Oh thank God!” Sami sighs with relief. “That’s great like that.”

  “Speak for yourself. I feel like my boobs are in a vice.” Nat clings to them and steps back into the dressing room.

  “Maybe you’re pregnant,” Carson jokes, earning a scowl from Sami and a middle finger from Nat before Katia closes the door. “What? That’s what happened to you, Sami. Your boobs were huge.”

  “I’m not pregnant!” Nat shouts from the dressing room.

  When she comes back out, we walk to where Sami has asked Vincenzo to bring the limo. He’s waiting for us and smiles wide when he sees me, which is more than anyone ever gets. “Lori!”

  “Vincenzo!” We hug and he gives me the one pat on the back. “How are you?”

  “Good, my boy. And how is the training going?” He nudges me and lifts a hand like he might punch.

  “Good. Fun. I haven’t seen them in a few months, not since playoffs started. But I’m hoping to start training again soon,” I say, though I don’t know what free time I’ll have with this summer of Jenny wanting to move away and break my heart and all the weddings.

  “You’re still training with Vincenzo’s assassin squad?” Sami snorts.

  “Yeah, you know, fighting off all the ladies trying to get up in my—”

  “Oh my God. Stop.” Sami rolls her eyes and climbs into the limo.

  Vincenzo laughs as he closes the door. He knows I wanted to learn to fight because I like being able to take care of myself.

  “I have an appointment with the florist. Do you guys want to come?” Sami asks from her phone, not looking up.

  “No,” Nat and I say at the same time but Nat continues, “I’m hungry and tired. I had a crappy sleep last night, and I still have some work to do for the website.”

  “Fine,” Sami relents but glances at Carson who’s unaware he’s being voluntold to do something since he’s too busy checking his phone.

  After a couple seconds of silence, he lifts his attention back to us. “What?”

  “You’re coming to the florist and not another word about it!” Sami points. “You’ve slacked hard on these weddings. You can do this one thing with me.”

  Carson lifts an eyebrow at her, about to say something back, but I nudge him with my foot.

  “Vincenzo, can you drop us at Nat’s place?” I ask, certain Brady’s still there playing video games with Mike and Cap.

  “Of course.”

  “Thanks,” Nat and I say at the same time again.

  “So after the florist’s today, all that’s left is the rehearsal setup tomorrow.” Sami glances at her schedule. “I’m using the Grand Ballroom at the Plaza; it’s about the right size. We’ll set up completely and go through the table service.”

  “Is this included in the pauper price for the wedding?” I ask, teasing Sami who has struggled with the budget on this one.

  “Obviously not, Lori.” She is in no mood.

  “Did you forget to eat today?” Nat questions Sami’s attitude.

  “No, I had—” She pauses. “Shit.”

  “You keep doing this.” Nat pulls a protein bar from her purse. “Here. I carry them for Brady. He’s also an ass when he’s starving.”

  Sami parts her lips to fight back but we all stare. “Oh my God, fine.” She takes it and rips it open, taking a big bite. She chews aggressively until about halfway through.

  “How much is this wedding costing?” Carson asks Nat.

  “Twenty thousand. And for a hundred and fifty people it’s been tough to do. My mom is pissed.” Nat sighs. “She was hoping I’d do some extravagant wedding like Sami’s. She hates that I’m the pauper and she’s not getting a show out of it for her fancy friends.”

  “Matt and I both said we could do the pauper—”

  “And I said no,” Nat cuts her off. “I’m the pauper. I want to do this. The challenge is good for us.”

  “It’s a pain and I’m half ready to quit and just throw money at everything. Twenty thousand has been twice the work for us.”

  “That’s the pauper life,” Nat jokes as the car stops.

  “Don’t get out, Vincenzo. Thanks for the ride,” I say and open the door for me and Nat. “See you guys in a bit.” We hurry out before Sami forces us to go and smell flowers again.

  “Eight days,” Nat mutters as we watch them drive away. “Eight more days and we’re free from weddings.”

  “Yeah, but she said she’s moving on to babies the moment this is over. She’s created the photo shoots already with Eli.”

  “Who knew slack-ass Sami was better?” Nat chuckles and walks toward their building.

  “Me, I could have told you that ages ago. Her needing to impress Matt was the best-worst thing that could have happened to her.”

  “Agreed.” She rubs her stomach. “I think I’m coming down with something. I’ve been feeling funky for days. It better pass before the wedding.”

  “Maybe you are pregnant.” I nudge her as the doorman gets the door and nods at us.

  “You’re not funny. You or Carson. I’m on the pill, ass.” She pushes the elevator button and walks in. “I just need a nap.”

  “But I thought we were gonna game. I wanted to be on your team.”

  “You’ll be fine without me.” She sounds exhausted and seems to be going downhill quickly. When we’re in the apartment, she waves and goes to the bedroom to pass out.

  “Enjoy your nap.” I make my way into the games room, seeing Mike, Cap, and Brady playing Brady’s early copy of NHL 17 that Nat got from a friend. “Hey.” I grab a beer from the beverage fridge and sit down.

  “Hey,” they say at the same time but don’t stop playing.

  “How was the dress fitting? Did yours fit?” Brady laughs at his own joke.

  “I saw Nat naked so it was worth it,” I lie.

  “What?” Brady turns his head as Cap steals the puck and skates down the ice to score. “Naked?”

  “Gotcha!” I point at him.

  “Fucker,” he grumbles as Mike and Cap laugh.

  “What’s this I hear Jenny is thinking about moving to Vancouver?” Cap asks. Sukii and him dating means he knows everything before I do about my own girlfriend.

  “She’s been offered a killer job,” I grumble. “Great salary. Top ten company in BC. Her brother has a house there she can crash at. They’ll pay for the move.”

  “She can’t go, man. You guys won’t make it at that distance,” Brady says as he maneuvers around a player and scores.

  “I know.” I sit quietly, my mind whirling. “But we just started dating. She isn’t going to pick me over a new job, especially after she lost the last one because of me.”

  “That’s why she’ll pick you. Just let her move in with you.”

  “She won’t,” I say quickly with a lot of tone. “I thought the strong and independent woman thing was amazing. Now I’m begging her to be my housewife and let me take care of her.”

  “I feel ya,” Brady mutters. “Speaking of which, where is Nat?”

  “In bed. She’s feeling like garbage.” I point at the door.

  “Great. I told her not to eat that cake. It was two weeks old.” He hands me the controller and gets up. “She doesn’t cook so she lives off whatever’s in the fridge and takeout. If I don’t make sure anything that could possibly be bad is junked out, she’ll eat it. She does a sniff test to determine if it’s rotten or not. It’s like she’s five.” He walks out as we chuckle.

  Cap restarts the game. “In all honesty, Lori, if you like this girl don’t let her move away without telling her. It could make all the difference in the end.” His tone hints that there’s more to the story, and I wonder if he’s talking about his ex-wife. “You seeing her again soon?”

  “Yeah, tonight. She’s coming to my place for the night.” I grin. “I’ll
work at showing her how I feel.”

  “That’s not what I meant and you know it.”

  The puck drops and we become lost in the game, thankfully. Talking about my relationship before it has chance to become one isn’t my idea of fun.

  7

  Bad news

  Monday, July 24

  Jenny

  I hurry into the doctor’s office in Midtown, a bit unprepared for my exam and shot. The appointment reminder woke me, and I literally dressed and ran out the door without saying anything to Lori. Now I’m feeling out of sorts, like I forgot something. But the reality is that all I need is my vagina and bank card.

  Not having a job yet means I don’t know what day it is and sleeping over at Lori’s stupid mansion apartment all the time makes me feel like I’m living out of time. His world isn’t real, but it’s become my life since he refuses to stay at my place until I sort out the air conditioning situation.

  “Hi, Jenny,” the office assistant greets with a smile. “How’s it going?”

  “Oh fine, you know. Same old, same old,” I fib. “How are you?”

  “Great. Here’s your sample jar. Fill that up and take a seat and Dr. Almer will be with you in a moment.” She beams and we both know when Dr. Almer will be with me is a crap shoot.

  I grab the urine sample jar and walk to the bathroom, hating this part slightly less than the next part. At least I didn’t pee before I left so I don’t have to do that struggle pee to get an adequate sample.

  When I’m sitting again, with my sample handed in, I pull out my phone and check my texts. Judith has messaged to call her ASAP.

  I check the waiting room for the angel of death, because surely a pap and Judith in the same morning has to be a bad sign about how the day’s going.

  Certain I have five minutes to call Judith, I call and hold the phone to my face.

  It rings once and she shouts into the phone, as always, “Jenny! I was hoping you’d have time to get back to me.”

  “Hi, Judith,” I can’t imagine what this call is regarding.

  “How are you?”

  “Oh good. How’s it going there?”