“It wasn’t even me, bro! It was Kodi!”
“Well, I am not going to yell at your wife, man, so you get to take the brunt of it.”
As soon as we enter his theater room, all three guys' heads whip up and they are sitting on the edge of their seats. I’m not harboring some international secret—just a small one that is going to change the course of the rest of Darcy’s and my lives.
“So who is she?” Dom blurts immediately, and I feel my cheeks redden, a dead giveaway that he’s closer than I want to admit.
“You’re fucking with us,” Collins says.
“Bro, did you not learn from Mav? Always use protection with puck bunnies.” Nik chimes in, followed swiftly by a pillow chucked at his head. He’s got at least four inches on me, and multiple pounds of muscle, but I suddenly want to punch Nik in the face after his comment. The insinuation that Darcy’s a puck bunny has me seeing red.
“First of all, Niklaus,” I start, spitting out his full name, “She isn’t a bunny. Secondly, you will not talk about the mother of my child like that if you want to keep those precious teeth you’re lucky to have left as a goalie. ”
“Sheesh, man. I’m sorry,” he remits, backing down. Nik isn’t one to apologize easily so he must see the anger written across my features.
“Then who is it?” Interjects Dom.
He’s so impatient, but I can’t shield her from them forever—she’s their friend, too. I finally sit with them beside Maverick, who is currently the most level-headed of the group. It’s time to rip the bandaid off.
“Darcy,” I announce to the room.
“Like Kodi’s best friend Darcy?” Collins asks, eyebrows raised.
“Yes, that Darcy.”
“Dude, how did this happen? You are always so careful about using protection.” Chimes in Maverick, who evidently must not have gotten all the details from Kodi.
“There’s always been some flirtation between us. At the wedding drinks were flowing, we shared an Uber home, and now here we are.” I explain, choosing not to share the details of my night with Darcy with these vultures; they’re as bad as the old women at Baptist churches sometimes.
“So what are y'all going to do?” Nik asks, the combination of his Russian accent and the word y’all stick out like a sore thumb.
“In a couple of weeks, I need all hands on deck to get her moved into my condo. We aren’t together, but we will both feel better once we are under a single roof. I’m committed to doing this whole dad thing.”
“Wow, okay, another kid in the family. I hope it’s a boy.” Dom says excitedly. He is such a golden retriever. Ignoring the important details, yet wagging his tail at the prospect of a new pack member.
At that moment, my phone chimes with a text from the Mother of my future child.
Darcy
Appointment is set for the 21st at 2 PM. Figured two weeks would give you time to figure out your schedule. *smiley face emoji*
Me
Yeah that works perfectly, thanks for letting me know.
I pause, briefly, before double-texting.
Me
Please text me if you need anything at all or just want to talk.
Darcy doesn’t respond, simply thumbs-upping my message, which stings more than I’d care to admit.
“She send you an update?” Collins asks from across the room.
“Yeah, our first appointment is in two weeks.”
“How are you feeling about all of this, man?” Nik asks.
