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“Is that really new for you, Maddox?” Andi asks.
He shrugs. “No. Not really.”
It’s only a minute or two before a door in the hall opens and Jesse comes flying into the living room with his shirt off. He’s waving it over his head and his muscular body is covered in big, black words sloppily written by his own hand. “WE ARE PREGNANT.” It’s written on his chest and back.
I cover my laugh with a hand. I guess this is his idea of a pregnancy announcement fit for NHL players?
He storms into the room, jumps on the table and hops up and down as he whoops and cheers. Like a bunch of animals, the other guys are already cheering and joining him, ripping off shirts and jumping on furniture before they’ve even had a chance to read the words on his chest.
“What the hell is going on?” I ask, having to yell for Andi to hear me.
“Athletes,” she says. “Take off your shirt and all they know is it’s time to celebrate something.”
I give Andi a hug while the guys still dance and celebrate, even though I’m almost positive none of them but Jesse even know what they’re celebrating yet. “I’m really happy for you. And jealous,” I add with a laugh.
“Jealous? Really?” she asks, making me wish I hadn’t thrown that last bit in.
“I mean, no,” I say. “It’s not like I want to get knocked up today or anything. But I have always wanted a family some day. And I’m not getting any younger…”
“Oh, stop,” Andi laughs. She pretends to examine me, touching my hips and then holding her hands in front of my breasts as if she’s weighing them. “You could pop out so many babies, dude. Like you could be the next octomom, if you wanted.”
“I said a family, not an army.”
“What’s so funny?” Jesse asks as he throws an arm around Andi’s shoulders and pulls her into a gentle hug. He’s breathless and still shirtless. The ink on his stomach and back is slightly smeared because all the other guys took their shirts off too and were chest bumping each other.
Andi kisses his neck, hugging herself into him like he’s the world’s biggest pillow. “Your idea of a pregnancy announcement, for one. I don’t think the guys know what you just celebrated.”
“What?” Jesse asks. “Hey!” he says, projecting his voice with impressive ease. All the guys look up. They’re hoisting a bear rug over their heads right now and doing a kind of stomping dance in a circle like some kind of ritual. “What are we celebrating?”
They all pause for a moment. Maddox is the first to speak. “Right now? How sick this rug is.”
“Hell yeah!” Carter shouts. He pumps one fist and all the guys start hopping and circling again with the rug over their heads. They’re hooting now, too, like a group of owls.
“Stanley Cup next season!” Jake shouts.
The guys all roar, pumping fists and jumping until I can feel the floor shaking.
What the hell?
Jesse winces. “Okay. Maybe they didn’t get it,” he says to Andi. “Guys!” he shouts again, pausing the ritual once more. “Read my chest!”
He spreads his arms and all four guys stop to squint in his direction.
“We regent?” Jake asks, struggling to read the smeared ink.
“Isn’t that like an oldschool word for king?” Carter asks. “Hell yeah, dude, we’re fucking kings! We regents! Bow down, fucking peasants!”
Maddox falls to his knees, bowing and laughing.
I put my face in my palms, shaking my head.
11
NOLAN
Ishow up to Jesse’s cabin with handfuls of supplies to cook. It’s Sunday, and the restaurant has a full week ahead of it starting tomorrow. Today was going to be my day to chill and clear my head before the big week. Instead, Jesse had to go and announce he’s going to have a baby with Andi. And then he had to ask me a favor he knew I couldn’t say “no” to, given the circumstances.
Asshole.
