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Yeah, our agent was definitely more than a little interested in the owner's daughter, but he knew better than to compromise his work ethics, especially if she was really going to be running the IceCaps one day. Monderra had the right idea, because if he couldn’t get the members and fans on board with us all being in a relationship with one woman, then Baby Monderra was going to struggle when she took over, being a female team owner in a world of good old boys.
It was coming up to the Christmas break, and I was excited for Huey’s first Christmas.Ourfirst Christmas. “I think we should ask Nova to marry us.”
Rigby turned to me, his mouth hanging open. “You don’t think it’s a little soon?”
I shrugged. “We don’t ever have to have a ceremony, but I think a physical sign that we’re in this relationship for good, all three of us, would cement our bond.”
Rigby frowned, chewing his lip as he thought it over. Finally, he nodded. “I think I’d like that. I want her to know that we’re serious.” He looked at me as I pulled up into the driveway, ignoring the paparazzi still camping at the gate. “If it’s okay with you and Devan, I think I’d like to give her my grandmother’s engagement ring. I know you guys could afford a Mt. Rushmore-sized rock, but it would mean a lot to me.”
He looked so unsure in that moment, like I’d throw a tantrum about that shit. I pulled him into a man hug across the center console. “I think that would be perfect. I think she’d like that too.” I swallowed hard. “I never said this, man, but thank you. Thank you for being my friend. Thank you for pushing me and Devan out of our comfort zone and giving us the opportunity to find someone we could love this much.” He opened his mouth to protest, but I shook my head. “Nah, man. We both know we wouldn’t be where we are today without you. I love you.”
Rigby grinned at me, thumping me hard on the back. “I love you too, man. Obviously.” He grabbed his door handle. “Let’s go inside before the paps get a picture of us hugging and then run a story we were tongue-kissing and having a torrid affair.”
I snorted. “You’d be so fucking lucky, man.”
We hurried into the house. If someone had told me six months ago it was because I was eager to see a woman and not a cold beer, I’d have laughed. The house was quiet, though.
“Hey, where is everyone?” I called. I’d never tell anyone but my therapist, but every time I came home and the house was empty, I still wondered if she’d decided to leave because it was too much. I knew better now, but it didn’t stop the fear that they’d leave one day.
“Out back in the hot tub,” Nova called back, and Rigby slapped me on the back with a grin.
“First one there gets Nova on his lap.”
I grabbed him by the shirt and yanked him back. I was going to get the girl—but then I’d give him a turn, because that’s how families worked.
Epilogue
NOVA
EIGHT MONTHS LATER
“So,I feel like everyone thinks they know your story, but do they really?”
The interviewer sat across from us in the living room, her face perfectly made up and her phone recording on the coffee table between us. Huey was in the playpen with his favorite IceCaps toy, flinging it around happily.
We’d agreed to a single interview, and the money would go to the American Stroke Association in Alana’s memory. We’d decided, after a lot of begging on their behalf, that it would be the best way to put the whole narrative to rest, and also shed some light on the ideals behind a poly lifestyle. To explain that it wasn’t one size fits all, despite the crap being spouted in the newspapers again this week. Apparently, we’d inspired the sports world to evolve from the ground up, but that didn’t mean that the world was taking it smoothly.
I smiled at the interviewer. “As outsiders, no one ever knows the real story, do they? Unless you are living it, it’s always just rumors and conjecture.”
River snorted beside me. He was still super pissed with the whole media storm that had gone down when we first got together. I couldn’t blame him.
The interviewer didn’t seem to take offense, though. To her credit, she focused on me instead of fawning all over the guys. “That’s very true. Some have discredited your relationship as a media stunt, others as an attack on religion, but more than a few people have argued that polyamorous groupings are the way of the future, especially as the world gets more and more difficult to navigate on even a dual income. Working class families are in a similar position as the single mother of a decade ago. Struggling to make ends meet. The working poor.”
I shrugged. “I couldn’t even begin to comment on that. I’ve never been in that position, but I understand that a lot of families live below the poverty line. I wouldn’t suggest polyamory as a financial strategy, though. It takes a lot of hard work to balance the needs of four adults and a child.”
The interviewer smiled. “And one on the way.”
I grinned at her, stroking my stomach. I was only just starting to show, but it had recently become headline news. That was another reason we’d decided to give this interview.
“Yeah. At least there’s always someone about to do night feedings,” I joked, and the interviewer laughed along with me.
“Any idea who the father is?” she asked, making Devan scowl.
I patted his thigh gently. “Of course I do. It’s Devan,” I said softly. “And Rigby and River. They’re all the father. The exact paternity isn’t something we need or want to know unless there's a medically necessary reason for it.”
She nodded. “Understandable.” She looked at her notes, and then turned her attention to Rigby. “Some people are saying polyamory is the key to winning the Stanley Cup. Congratulations again, guys. As a lifelong IceCaps fan, I couldn’t be happier for the win.”
Rigby grinned, and damn, the man was disarming. The poor interviewer looked like she’d been struck by lightning. “We had a lot to win for, and we’re stoked that we could bring the Cup home to Ann Arbor. It’s easier to focus on hockey when we aren’t constantly being hounded.”
