Sincerely, The Puck Bunny (Totally Pucked #2)(45)

Me: I know. It’s hard, Ty. I just… I don’t want to tell him about The Puck Bunny. It’s only going to hurt him, what good would it even do? We’re already so tangled in this mess. I just, ugh, I don’t know what to do.

Ty: I know honey, but what if you don’t tell him? What will happen in the end? Will he be angry that you didn’t tell him in the beginning and think that you lied? Maybe you should, and then you can start with a clean slate and things will wind up much better than you think.

Tears well in my eyes, and I quickly swipe them away. Sheesh, my hormones are completely out of control. I blame them, but deep down, I’m scared. Each day that passes, I struggle more and more with the right thing, the right decision. I’m scared if I’m honest, it’ll destroy him even further, and I can’t stomach that. But… at the same time, if I don’t tell him, then what happens? What will the future hold? After the conversation the night that we got home from the hospital, it’s been all that I can think about, co-parenting or not, he’s my little girl’s daddy.

Me: Love you, Ty. Give Kyle a kiss for me. Visit us soon?

Ty: You know it, baby. Uncle Kyle and I can’t wait to give sweet girl snuggles.

By the time I’m done texting Ty, the water in the pot of noodles has begun to boil over, and I curse.

“Shit.”

Suddenly, I feel a presence, and I look up to see Briggs standing behind me, reaching over me to remove the pot from the burner that I almost burn my finger on.

“I’ve got it,” he says softly, before stepping around me to pour the boiling water into the strainer.

“Thank you, I got distracted.” I bring my hand to my forehead and massage the ache that’s beginning to form behind my eyes. “I think you’re right; I am exhausted.”

He nods, giving me a small upturn of his lips. “You need rest. Let’s eat, and then after, you can take a hot bath and relax. I’ve got Olive.”

“Are you sure? I’m okay, really. Once she has her last feeding, she will-” He cuts me off by placing the rough pad of his finger over my lips.

“Yes, Maddison. I’ve got this. Relax.”

“Okay.”

Together, we set the table for the two of us and sit down together. He works on the food while I put ice in our glasses and fill them with water. It feels… strange. Truthfully, I never thought I’d be around Briggs again and now we’re sitting down and eating a meal while our daughter sleeps peacefully just feet away.

“Your friends are hilarious,” I tell him. “The tall one, with the blond hair and light blue eyes? He’s obviously the funny one out of all of you macho guys.”

I’m teasing him, but he pretends to be offended. “Are you saying that I’m not funny Maddison?”

His dimpled grin makes my heart flutter. I love when he teases me like this, especially over his friends or hockey. We don’t talk about his job much. For obvious reasons, it’s a bit of grey area that we haven’t ever really discussed, but bringing them here today, it opened a new door that we can’t sit silent and ignore. Even after the time we’ve spent together, there’s still a whole side of Briggs, a large part of his life that I don’t know anything about.

“No,” I laugh, “I can just tell he’s definitely the most outgoing.”

Briggs takes a sip of his ice water from the only actual nice glasses that I own, a housewarming gift from Ty and Kyle when I moved into this apartment and out of the one that we shared together, then he nods. “Graham Adams. He’s the rookie. Kid doesn’t have bad days, he’s always like this hyper-ass chihuahua with an endless amount of energy that seems to recycle into even more.”

“That is a terrible analogy, Briggs.”

He shrugs and laughs, deep and low, “Yeah, but it’s true. He’s a good kid, works harder than anyone I know to be better at hockey. Trying constantly to improve. I respect it. I mean, he’s going to hit on anything with two legs, but mostly, we just ignore that.

“That, I can see.” I laugh. “It was nice of them... you know...to come here and help out. Graham seems enamored with Olive.”

“Trust me, he is. Better someone else’s kid than his own. That’s the last thing he needs.”

I swallow thickly. “I used to say that too. But, I wouldn’t trade Olive for anything.”

“Me either. She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” Sincerity shines in his eyes as he speaks, and it causes my already pounding heart to feel like it might come out of my chest.

We finish our meal in comfortable silence. After dinner, Briggs clears the table for me, just as my breasts begin to ache, signaling it’s time to pump or to feed Olive. I glance at the clock and realize it’s time for her feeding.

“I’m going to feed Olive before I head to bed. If it’s fine with you, I’m going to feed her in here,” I say, nodding toward the couch.

“Of course. Our daughter’s hungry, she needs to eat.” His eyes hold mine and he steps closer, brushing his fingers lightly over the pink of Olive’s cheeks. “Don’t ever feel you have to hide it from me unless it makes you feel uncomfortable.”

Why do emotions suddenly clog my throat? I don’t know. I know that the close proximity of Briggs has my heart racing a mile a minute, and when he throws in his charm and ridiculously sweet, attentive words, I feel like putty in his hands.