Page 30 of Just my Puck (Love & Laughter #1)

CARTER

S itting in my truck in the driveway at home, I glare at the other two cars parked up.

I knew they would be here already. I dragged my feet, not wanting to face them just yet after my admission.

A large part of me wishes that I hadn’t come clean.

I must’ve sounded like a real idiot in front of Steele.

I’ve had one interaction with this girl while she was wrapped around him, and now I’m drooling all over her like a puppy and trying to force my way into their relationship.

What the actual fuck am I doing?

I lay the blame solely on my mother for this.

She meddled at lunch, telling me to go for it.

I wish I hadn’t brought it up, but she was pestering me about her neighbor’s niece again, and I snapped and told her about Lucy.

Out of frustration, I blurted out everything about Steele and his girlfriend and how Jason was also interested in her.

I thought she would’ve just brushed it off, seeing as Lucy is already taken, but she seemed intrigued and practically leapt on the fact that Jason was also getting in there.

My mother has always been a hopeless romantic and loves playing matchmaker, so this is right up her street.

Taking a deep breath, I run my hand through my hair and finally decide to face the music. As soon as I step out of the truck, Steele comes up to me with a bottle of cold beer in his hand. He gives me a knowing look and hands me the bottle without saying anything.

Gulping back a mouthful, I lean against my truck. The silence between us is deafening, but the sound of crickets chirping, leaves rustling, and the ocean crashing to shore calms me down.

“I’m sorry, man,” I finally say, breaking the silence. “I shouldn’t have said anything. Did you speak to Jason yet? If not, don’t. I’ll get over it.”

Steele looks at me with a smirk. “Nah, it’s cool,” he says with a chuckle. “It takes some balls to admit something like that, and no, I haven’t said anything yet.”

Giving him the side-eye, I frown. “You’re not mad?”

He shrugs his shoulders and takes another swig from his beer. “Not at all,” he says nonchalantly. “To be honest, I kinda expected it.”

My jaw drops. “What do you mean you expected it?”

He grins slyly. “Let’s just say that I’ve always had a plan of how I wanted to end up.

This is pretty much it. As soon as I saw Lucy, I knew she was the one I wanted.

With her being cute and a little bit awkward, plus very sweet and with a sense of humor that brings out the best in her, I was hoping she would catch your eye, if not Jason’s as well. ”

“You’re fucking joking? You want to end up in a what? Four-way?”

“It’s not so fucking weird. Remember my family? I have one mom and three dads.”

“True,” I murmur, feeling like a bit of dick for sounding so surprised. Of course he feels this way. He should. It’s me that feels this isn’t right because, to me, serious relationships are one on one.

Steele takes another swig from his beer, studying me with a curious expression.

“Look, I get that this isn’t for everyone,” he says, his tone serious now.

“But it can work for us if we want it. It’s not just about the sex, although that’s definitely a perk.

It’s about the connection we would share, the trust we’d have in each other, and the support we’d give one another. ”

Nodding slowly, I take in his words, seeing the passion in his eyes as he speaks about this unconventional relationship.

Maybe it’s not so weird after all. Who am I to judge how people choose to live their lives?

Who is anyone to judge me? I already know my mother doesn’t give a flying crap.

She told me to open up to Steele and see how he felt about it.

I wasn’t expecting this.

Jason is one thing. They’ve known each other since high school. I’m the new guy. I’ve only known them since I became a regular on the Titans’ first team. We hit it off instantly, so maybe that should tell me more about this situation than I’m allowing it to.

“So what happens now?” I ask him, taking another sip of my beer.

“Well, first of all, we need to talk to Jason so he isn’t blindsided,” he says firmly.

“We have to make sure he’s comfortable with this before we proceed.

And if he is, then and only then can we bring Lucy around to the idea.

I think she is happy to go on dates with Jason while being with me, but I don’t think she has grasped that this is about so much more.

Admittedly, I’ve been a bit vague in that area thus far. ”

I can feel my heart racing at the thought of having this conversation with Lucy. What if she thinks we’re all insane? What if she rejects all of us completely?

But at the same time...what if she’s open to it? What if she feels the same way we do?

“Okay, we’ll start with Jase. I hope he isn’t in a mood because of Taylor’s tackle earlier.”

Steele grimaces. “Yeah, that looked like it hurt.”

“Are you worried?” The fact that I’m more positive than ever now that Jason is downplaying his shoulder injury, is cause of major concern. But confronting him will only shut him down further.

Steele nods his head slowly, taking a deep breath before answering.

“A little bit. I don’t want this to cause any tension between us.

You know how he gets. He will shut down and not just about the injury.

I think we need to address this first, get it out of the way and then maybe bring up his shoulder. ”

Feeling the weight of the situation starting to settle in, I take another gulp of my beer.

“Okay then. Let’s go talk to him.”

Steele nods in agreement, and we make our way into the house.

Jason is slouched on the sofa, watching TV.

“Where’ve you been?” he asks irritably, not bothering to look up.

“We need to talk,” Steele says firmly.

Jason sighs heavily, turning to give us a wary look. “What about?”

“It’s about Lucy,” I say, feeling a knot form in my stomach.

His eyes narrow suspiciously. “What about her?”

“We’re all interested in her,” Steele says bluntly.

Jason’s face immediately creases in confusion. “What?” His gaze lands on me. “You as well?”

Shrugging, I try for a casual smile, but I think it’s more of a grimace. “Yep.”

He snorts with amusement. “Well, what the fuck are we supposed to do now? All date her?”

“If she’ll have us,” Steele replies. “But it’s not just about dating.”

“Or sex?” Jason pipes up.

“No,” Steele says, his exasperation bubbling up.

“It’s about being a family. It’s about Lucy being the center of our universe, and we all have to orbit around her, making sure she gets all the love and care she deserves - no questions asked.

If you don’t show your full dedication to this cause, then you back away now. ”

“Geez,” Jason whines. “Who made you the relationship police?”

“I did,” he growls.

“Fair enough,” I chime in, giving him a thumbs up for good measure.

Steele gives me a look, which was supposed to be one of appreciation for having his back, but it just ends up being kinda creepy.

“We all good?” I ask because I’m not sure Jason has agreed to anything yet.

“Yeah,” Jason says. “We’re good. If I were going to share a woman with anyone, it would be you two anyway.”

“Same,” I say with a shy smile.

Steele doesn’t say anything, but then he doesn’t need to. He is the one that will bring us all together, and I feel like I might actually have a shot with Lucy.

If she will give me the time of day once she finds out about this.