“Sorry!” Knight blurts. “We got held up in the…” He stumbles to a stop at the sight of the baby basket. “No.”
“Surprise!” the guys bellow in unison.
“Nooooo!” Knight presses his hands to either side of his face. “Who told you? It was supposed to be a surprise!”
Viktor puffs up his chest. “Knova’s known for weeks. A couple of the other ladies were speculating at the bar the other night, and I finally annoyed her until she spilled the beans.”
“Wait.” I glance back and forth from Knight to the basket. “Sofia’s pregnant?”
That cuts through everything else for a second. Real life. Good news. Something that actually matters.
“You can’t tell anyone!” Knight wails. “My parents don’t know yet! Do not incentivize my father to go back to using the hose as a weapon!”
“Wait, really?” Viktor cackles and darts for his locker. “I’m calling them right now.”
“No cell phones in the locker room!” Knight screeches. He tackles Viktor.
“Ow! Get off me! I have your mom on speed dial!”
“If you tell her, I will literally murder you.They will never find the body.”
“You think I’m scared of death threats? Ha! Knova threatens my life at least three times a week! I get off on it!”
“Fuck you!”
“Thanks, but no thanks. I don’t think Knova would be into that.”
The two of them tussle until Knight comes out on top. Viktor splutters and tries to wriggle free of the power wrestling move that Knight just invented.
“Let me go!” Viktor chokes.
“Only if you swear you won’t call my parents.”
“Fine!”
“Swear it.”
“Okay, Jesus, I swear.” Viktor wrenches out of Knight’s suddenly slack grip. “A thank you would have sufficed, jackass. Do you know how much diapers cost? NHL players still need a coupon.”
I frown at the basket. I wasn’t out for a whole week, but I somehow missed so much. I didn’t have a chance to get anything for the basket. I make a mental note to get something to contribute while I get ready in silence.
Even though I don’t say much, it’s good to be back. I feel normal for the first time since that stupid fight. Or close enough to normal that I can pretend for a few minutes.
That normalcy ends the moment we head out to practice. Coach Metcalfe is making little notes on his clipboard, and the look he gives me could curdle milk. Not angry or yelling. Just watching, like he’s already decided what I am and he’s waiting for me to prove him right.
I guess the guys have moved on, but Coach doesn’t seem so quick to forgive and forget. I tear my gaze away from him, only to notice Remy in the stands, chatting with Marley, Knight’s assistant, and Minnie, Tristan’s wife.
She doesn’t look out of place. That’s the problem. Like she’s supposed to be here, like she belongs in this space I’ve always kept separate from everything else.
My hands ball into fists. What’s she doing here? Things have been going so well. What, is she worried I’m going to go after one of my own teammates?
I know exactly what she’s doing here. Watching. Assessing. Deciding whether I’m a problem she can manage or one she can’t.
The guys were joking about this babysitter thing, but that doesn’t mean I want her hovering around all the time.
Viktor bumps into me during warm-ups. He nods to where Remy sits, watching me from the corner of her eye. “Don’t stress. Shadowing builds trust.”
I don’t acknowledge him. Nor do I acknowledge Adler when he skates up beside me to say, “Hey, your babysitter’s hot. Is she single?”
