Page 26 of Pucking Strong (Jacksonville Rays #4)

“ H ere.” Henrik turns away from the coffee cart to hand me my orgasm in a cup. It’s my first proper coffee in weeks. I immediately take a sip, savoring the sweet, nutty taste.

“Fuck, that’s good.” My eyes close as I enjoy a second sip.

Henrik leads the way over to the Rays admin wing and flashes his badge on the access panel. We walk down the long hallway, angling for the elevators. He checks his smartwatch. He’s been doing it every four minutes since we left the apartment.

“Relax,” I say, pressing the elevator Up button. “I’m sure she’s fine.”

Today is the first day Karolina is being left alone with Nurse Hanna, who is still so pretty and perfect, it’s actually a little annoying. Like, she doesn’t have to be that pretty, right? She could tone it down.

“What’s wrong?” Henrik asks, as we both step into the elevator.

“Nothing.”

I’m jealous of our nanny.

“Something’s wrong,” he mutters, sipping his coffee.

I fake rotating my shoulder. “Just a little tight. I think I slept funny.”

Another lie. They come so easily now. Henrik’s bed is like sleeping on a literal fucking cloud. I’m getting the best sleep of my life.

The elevator doors open, and we make our way down the hall to the PR office suite. A young, Chad-looking kid sits at the front desk. “Hey, can I help you?”

“Henrik Karlsson and Teddy O’Connor to see Poppy St. James,” Henrik replies.

Chad does a double take. “Whoa. You’re, like, a player.”

Snorting into my coffee, I roll my eyes. “Dude, where do you think you are right now? Of course he’s a fucking player.”

Henrik raises a brow at me. And yeah, whatever, I’m on edge. Our perfect nanny made my fake husband oatmeal this morning with freshly cut peaches and a swirl of cinnamon. He doesn’t want my eggs, but he definitely wants her oatmeal.

I mean, sure, she made me some too. And it was fucking delicious. But she served Henrik his bowl in Swedish. For all I know, she was complimenting his dick.

I take another sip of my coffee as Chad presses the intercom button on his office phone. “Hey, Poppy. Some guys are here to see you.”

The phone beeps. “Trevor, honey, what did we say about using guests’ names?”

“Uhh …” Poor fucking Trevor. He glances over the desk at us, pushing the button again. “It’s Karlsson and …”

“Teddy O’Connor,” Henrik repeats, pronouncing each syllable of my name.

Poppy appears in the doorway. “Well, if it isn’t my two favorite newlyweds!” Then she’s ushering us into her fancy corner office. “I’d ask if I can have Trevor get you anything, but I see you already stopped by the coffee cart. Please, have a seat.”

I follow Henrik’s lead and sit next to him on the couch.

Poppy takes the nearest chair, sinking onto it with a sigh, both hands bracing her pregnant belly. “How’s Karolina settling in so far?”

“Well,” Henrik replies. “Her nurse started today. I think she’ll be a good fit.”

“That’s wonderful. She’s such a sweet little girl. Grace hasn’t stopped asking when they can play together again.”

When Henrik doesn’t respond, I give him a nudge.

Catching my hint, he sits forward. “Yes, we should set that up. Your daughter is welcome to my home anytime.”

“Oh, she’ll be so glad,” she replies with smile.

And because I’m in that much of a mood, I smirk, taking another sip of my coffee. “Trevor seems nice.”

Her smile falls. “Don’t get me started.”

I snort. “Come on, spill the beans, Pop. How did you get stuck with him? Don’t tell me his last name is Talbot.”

She crosses her arms over her belly. “A nephew, or so I’m told.

And I’m giving him exactly one more day to learn how phones work before I march him up to Mark’s office by his stupid, floppy surfer-boy hair.

” She takes a deep breath, then lets it out.

“But we’re not here to talk about my seemingly endless staffing problems. We’re here to talk about you, about your delicate situation. ”

I force a laugh. “Delicate situation? Jeez, you make it sound like we’re made of glass over here.”

“The analogy isn’t far off,” she replies.

“Announcing a player’s coming-out can be tricky enough.

Add in a surprise adoption and a quickie marriage, and this is a recipe for chaos.

If even one of our cards is out of alignment, this whole house collapses.

And I’m not just talking about the two of you. ”

Henrik and I exchange a glance. “What are you talking about?” I ask for both of us.

“I’m talking about the dangerous precedent you’ve set. I’m talking about the potential ramifications that could spiral outward, engulfing us all. This is so much bigger than you now. You understand that, right?”

I watch the way her hands guard her baby bump, and a bolt of shame zaps me in the chest. I set my coffee aside. “Poppy, this won’t blow back on anyone else, I swear.”

Her blue eyes are cold as ice as she glances between us. “But of course it will. Do you not realize that your actions constitute everything the close-minded jerks in this country have come to fear about people like us?”

Next to me, Henrik sets his coffee aside. “I don’t understand.”

Poppy sighs. “Gentlemen, the homophobia in this country is a river that runs deep. What do you think the fans will do if they find out your marriage is a sham? That the only reason you got married was to trick two governments into giving two men custody of a young child? Worse still, a young female child? In short, you are their worst nightmare. You are everything they’ve been told to fear. ”

My stomach twists in uncomfortable knots. I’ve worked so hard to convince myself this was the right thing to do. But is Poppy right? Have I really done wrong? Have my actions put others in danger?

Ignoring my squirming, Poppy goes on. “What impact do you think that kind of negative press might have on the rest of the team? You have queer teammates, Henrik. We have children too. Families.” Her hands splay wide over her bump, protecting the baby she shares with her two partners.

“Try as we might, we are not safe from their hate. Our lives are made of invisible nets of legal protections—adoptions and powers of attorney, civil unions, joint bank accounts, shared assets. But it’s not enough.

It will never be enough. We are, at every moment, just one cruel law away from being torn apart.

I’d call that pretty darn fragile, wouldn’t you? ”

Fuck, I think I’m gonna be sick. “Poppy, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t.” She raises a hand. “Put in your position, I probably would have done the same thing. As I told Henrik at the airport, now we just have to focus on minimizing any potential damage.”

Henrik finally speaks. “You have a plan, yes? You know how to see us through this?”

She looks to him. “I do.”

He nods once, wholly resolved. “I’ll do anything you say. I will protect Karolina and Teddy with my life. My career means nothing to me. Not if it costs them peace or happiness.”

She smiles. “Well, I’m certainly relieved to hear you say that.

” Then it’s like she flipped a switch, and all her gloom and doom is gone.

“Right then, let’s do this.” She swipes a little remote off the coffee table and clicks it over her shoulder.

A projector in the ceiling hums to life, flashing onto the blank white wall behind her.

“Welcome to your crisis management orientation session.”

I lean back. “You made a PowerPoint?”

“I did.” She clicks the remote again and the slideshow starts. “I’m calling my PR plan ‘Operation Mighty Oak.’” The slide shows a corporate-looking logo featuring an oak tree. Jesus, she had to take her time to design this. I very much doubt it was Trevor.

Next to me, Henrik stifles a groan.

She glances over her shoulder. “Something wrong, hun?”

I can’t hide my grimace either.

“No,” Henrik mutters.

She glances between us. “Well, don’t be shy now. This is a group project. I want everyone’s input here.”

I dare to say what we’re both thinking. “It’s just … Well, I mean, does it have to sound so …”

Her brows arch. “So what, honey?”

“Gay,” Henrik finishes for me.

Oh god, he said it, not me. “Yeah. I’m sorry, Pop. But it does sound really gay. And I’m gay,” I add.

Poppy huffs. “Gracious, will you two get your heads out of the gutter? The mighty oak is not a reference to your penises. This is about your marriage. Your loving, committed—if admittedly spontaneous—marriage. Now, what are the essential parts of an oak tree?”

Henrik and I share another glance. “Seriously?” I say. “Like, you want us to just start naming the parts of a tree?” At the same time, Henrik says, “Acorns.”

Poppy beams at him. “Oooh, you’re getting a bit ahead of me there, honey. I was looking for roots .” She clicks the remote, and a new slide pops up featuring the root system of a tree. All around the roots, she’s added in little words and phrases like “friends to lovers” and “inevitable.”

“Now, all good relationships, like strong trees, require roots buried deep. In your case, we need to build the case that you have these roots. So, here’s the spin: yours is a love kindled from nearly a decade of friendship.

Henrik, your niece’s unfortunate situation merely sped up the timeline you were both already on. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

I nod up at the words on the screen. “We’re inevitable.”

Now I earn a smile. “Yes, exactly, Teddy.”

“Friends to lovers,” I add, still reading the screen.

“Yes. That’s the story of your roots. You met six years ago when Teddy was an intern. You didn’t pursue anything then, because you were keeping things professional. Also, Henrik, maybe add in something about Teddy being a little too young for you. Maybe a bit too immature.”

Okay, ouch.

Also, accurate.