It was like everyone knew we needed a private moment because they cleared the ice, taking the kids with them. Emmie shot me a supportive smile before following them.
Mom stood there, staring at us, hesitation clear on her face. Even Steven stood there like he wasn’t sure what to say or how to act. It was clear I needed to be the one to say something.
Feeling nothing but happiness for my mom, I skated toward her. “Congratulations, Ma.”
“Yeah?” The way her voice cracked a little made my chest want to cave in. I put my arm around her upper back, pulling her into my chest for a hug and steadying her when her ice skate slid a little. She hugged me back just as tightly, and for a split second, it was like I was six again being wrapped in my mom’s arms.
“You deserve to be happy, Mom,” I said softly.
She pulled back a little, eyes searching mine as if she needed to be sure I was telling the truth.
“You couldn’t have found a better man. In case you didn’t notice, we all kinda like Steven,” I joked lightly.
Mom sniffled. “He is pretty great.”
“I’m happy for you.” I meant it with every fiber of my being. I leaned down and pressed a kiss to her cheek, untangling from her so my brothers could have a chance to talk to her.
When I turned to Steven, I contemplated doing the whole tough guy act like I did when I first found out he was seeing my mother, but I was pretty sure it wouldn’t work on him. It never did.
So instead, I pulled him into a hug, grinning at the awkward pat that landed on my back. “Took you long enough,” I said.
When I stepped back, Steven shook his head, but he couldn’t deny the smile trying to form on his mouth. “Gee, thanks.”
“You know what this means, right?” I wiggled my eyebrows, which earned me a long sigh.
“I’m dying to know what will come out of your mouth,” he said, his lips turned down.
“This means you’re my daddy now.”
“Oh for fuck’s sake.” Steven closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. My grin got even wider at his reaction. Have I mentioned how much I loved teasing him?
“What? It’s true.” I tilted my head to the side. “Does your reaction mean youdon’twant me to call you Daddy in front of the others? Because that’s kinda harsh.”
“That word will never leave your mouth again, is what it means.”
I heaved a dramatic sigh. “Even in private?”
“Mateo.” Steven’s tone told me I was on thin ice.
“Fine. Fine. We have time to work it out before the wedding.” I put my hands up and pushed back on the ice,putting space between us in case Steven decided to punch me. Judging from the hard look on his face, it was a possibility.
Thankfully, before he could do that, Landon appeared next to me. I patted his back in silent thanks and skated back a few feet to give everyone room.
I crossed my arms, watching as Wyatt talked with my mom while Landon spoke with Steven. I caught bits and pieces of their conversations—I’m so happy for you, andI’m glad you kept your promise to take care of my mom. All of it was genuine.
When Wyatt stepped in front of Steven, I half expected some lingering tension—old habits from the whole coach thing—but there wasn’t any. Not really. Six years was a long time, long enough for Wyatt to see what Steven meant to our mom.
Their hug was a little awkward, but it didn’t feel forced. When they pulled apart, they both looked genuinely happy.
“When did this happen?” Landon asked a moment later as we stood there together.
“Steven proposed on the cruise.” Mom beamed up at her now fiancé, wrapping her arm around his back. “It was really romantic.”
I scrunched my nose at the two. While I was happy for them—truly—I didn’t need to see my mom giving Steven lovey-dovey eyes. From the grunts beside me, my brothers thought the same thing.
“Well, we’re really happy for you two,” Wyatt said.
“We know this may be a little soon, but we want to have the wedding in a few months.” Mom looked at Wyatt and me. “We want to have it while Mateo has a bye week and Wyatt doesn’t have back-to-back games.”
