Page 161 of Pucking Around

Caleb groans, shaking his head with laugh.

“What’s wrong?” I say.

“Cay’s just trying to steal my thunder,” Jake replies. “He doesn’t believe in my superpower.”

“It’s not a superpower,” Caleb huffs.

“It is! Stop trying to take this away from me.”

“What’s going on?” I say, my gaze darting between them.

Jake turns to me. “Oh, he’s just mad because he doesn’t believe me when I say I have the magic ability to match every person to their favorite ice cream flavor on a look. It’s like a sixth sense,” he says with a shrug. “So, Mars, get over here and prove me right so I can rub it in Caleb’s face.”

Mars looks to me for help, but I just gesture him forward with a grin.

Jake snatches up the four pints of ice cream and lines them up in a row on the island bar. “Okay, Mars, pick one.”

I step up next to Mars, my arm around his waist, as I lean in to read the labels: chocolate peanut butter, lemon sorbet, pistachio, and mint chocolate chip. There’s utter silence in the kitchen as Mars deliberates. With a shrug, he reaches out and picks up the pistachio ice cream.

“Fuck,” Caleb mutters.

“Ha—yes! I fuckingtoldyou,” Jake cheers.

“That is the stupidest superpower ever,” he jabs, snatching up his mint chocolate chip. With his free hand he holds out the sorbet for me, leaving Jake his chocolate peanut butter.

“You’re just mad because you don’t have one,” Jake teases, snatching up a spoon.

“Are they always like this?” Mars mutters, his ice cream forgotten in his hand as he watches them make themselves entirely at home in his living room, moving the ottoman and rearranging pillows.

“Yes,” I reply.

He looks utterly defeated as he takes his ice cream and joins them. I’m not in the mood for my sorbet just yet, so I slip it into the freezer, grabbing a glass of water instead.

“Come on, Seattle Girl,” Jake calls, flipping a pillow down on his lap and patting it.

Smiling like a loon, I take in my guys all sitting in Ilmari’s living room eating their ice cream. Poseidon has already helped himself to a stretch of the rug, lying flat out on the floor. Stepping over the dog, I drop down onto the couch between Jake and Ilmari.

Jake pats the pillow in his lap again. “Come here, baby.”

With a grateful sigh, I lay on my side, letting my freshly blow-dried hair fan out across the pillow on Jake’s lap. I curl my legs up too, nestling my feet in against Ilmari’s thigh. Ilmari works the TV remote, connecting it to his laptop so he can stream the game footage on the big screen.

I lay with my head in Jake’s lap, smiling as he pauses every couple bites to stroke my hair. The guys all watch the game footage, quickly absorbed in pointing out plays to each other and talking strategy. All the while, Jake reassures us both with soft touches. I know it was his idea to come over. He just needs to be where I am. The feeling is mutual. Caleb may not say anything, but I know he feels the same.

I need Ilmari to want this too. I need him to wantus. This feeling. This sense of family. My lost and lonely boy. He doesn’t have to be alone anymore. None of us do. A beautiful future rests right in front of us, if only we’re all brave enough to reach out and take it.

71

“Wait—you’re gonna have to say that again,” Tess squeals, her voice echoing all around the inside of my Toyota RAV4.

When Jake learned I was terrified to drive my pickup truck, he drove it straight back to the Rays offices and handed the keys over to Vicki. He came home in this cute little SUV. It’s small enough that I don’t feel like I’m driving a spaceship, but big enough for me to fit all three massive hockey guys and still have room for Poseidon, beach chairs, and a cooler in the back for beach day.

Which is the plan for today. I’m currently driving halfway across town to pick up Ilmari. His truck is in the shop this week, so he’s missing a set of wheels. I only agreed to take him to the grocery store if he suffered through beach day with me and the guys.

Is this emotional extortion? I mean, yeah. But I want them all to get to know each other better. After our ice cream night, Mars said he would try. And I intend to facilitate that at every opportunity.

And I could strangle Caleb and Jake right now. They’re being so weird. I’m pretty sure Caleb means to avoid his feelings with his dying breath. It’s been so hard not to just slam open the door while Jake is in the shower and shout out, “Caleb is in love with you, you idiot!”

Meanwhile, Ilmari is using his no car bullshit as an excuse to stay away. They’re all running scared. From their feelings, from each other. Well, it stops today. Poseidon and I have a plan. Operation Beach Day will give us all a chance to just relax. And the public venue means there’s no chance of feelings boiling over into action. I may be a horny little horndog after three men at once, but I draw the line at public indecency.