Page 2 of Pucking With My Head (Pucking Pregnant #4)

Jensen

“ D ad, can I come with you next time you go to a team practice?” Joey asked as she nibbled on the edge of her bagel. Was she done with them? Usually, she devoured bagels like a rabid animal, especially the morning after a skating lesson.

I nodded as I pulled some cream cheese out of the fridge for my own breakfast. “I don’t see why not. You want a bit more ice time?”

Joey nodded. “I also want to see how the players practice. I know how figure skaters do…”

That seemed logical enough. Hockey was a family sport, and half of the team was bonded with children. There was one pack on the team that were young and unbonded, but I had seen them around the team children. They may have been manwhores, but they behaved perfectly around their Chargers family.

“You wanting to see what Daddy J used to do, kiddo?” Cullen asked as he ruffled Joey’s hair playfully.

“Maybe.” She shrugged. “When is Daddy G coming home?” she asked, cocking her head to the side.

“In a few days. He’s back Tuesday.” Our pack mate had left this morning on a short work trip—he had a deposition in Montana, so he was camping out in a hotel for a few days while he worked.

Joey nodded. “Good. I want him to watch me skate. Bethany says I’m getting so fast, maybe one day I’ll be as fast as her!” she declared excitedly.

I smiled at the mention of her ice-skating instructor.

The day before, when I had picked Joey up, I had been undoubtedly excited to see Bethany again. She’d clearly been exhausted, and I had resisted the urge to grill her on her diet and sleeping habits.

Still, she had beamed at me, that crisp apple scent potent and tempting as ever, despite the dark circles under her eyes. Though I’d done my best to maintain eye contact, I had struggled because the clothes she wore to teach were skintight.

Usually, that didn’t mean anything to me, and I could control myself. With Bethany… well, there was something special about her.

My pack mates weren’t immune to it either. Every one of us had been obsessed with her for years, but we had all agreed we weren’t going to make a move.

We had resolved against finding another partner, after what had happened with Joey’s mother, and Bethany was a lot younger than us. We were in our late thirties and she was in her early twenties—we were probably coming off as creepy old men unable to take our eyes off her.

Still, there was that deep primal instinct I had to care for her that I had never experienced with another omega. Sure, there was usually a degree of care; alphas thrived on being caregivers, but with Bethany, the urges were that much stronger.

After her lesson, we had taken Joey to a local pizza joint to get some dinner, and she had chattered about how much fun she had with Bethany.

Although our daughter was typically reserved, she and Beth had immediately hit it off.

It was the main reason we had encouraged her to continue; she lit up during those lessons.

“You know, I think we will need to get you some more clothes for your lessons soon,” I mused as I lathered a thick layer of cream cheese on my bagel.

“I’ll ask Beth!” Joey declared excitedly. “She showed me pictures of her show leotards, and they are so pretty!”

Just like the omega herself.

“Okay, you can do that when you see Bethany next week, but for now, we need to get you to school.”

Joey pouted at me but hopped off her chair all the same.

Most of my day was spent resting while Joey was at school. It took time to recover from working an ER shift. Even though I was in peak physical condition, I wasn’t exactly young anymore. I couldn’t down three energy drinks to get through a shift without having a killer headache the next day.

I still got to pick Joey up from school, though, and listen to her discuss all she had learned about plant life cycles.

“Are you working tonight?” Cullen asked, hurrying into my home office, his cell phone in hand.

“I am. There’s a game at eight,” I confirmed, another reason I had been resting.

Cullen’s face dropped. “Shit,” he hissed. “It’s all gone to shit!”

“What do you mean, it’s all gone to shit?” I asked, sitting up straighter. The worry in his tone put me on edge. “Is everyone okay?”

Cullen nodded. “Yeah—it’s work. Three staff members called out sick, the beer kegs are leaking, and we’re completely booked out with reservations for the night!” he said, shaking his head.

My eyes widened. Cullen owned a popular restaurant in the city. It had been his passion project, and we had funded it as a pack, but now that restaurant was more lucrative than my medical and Gideon’s legal career combined.

“Fuck—what about the new manager?”

Cullen had just hired a new guy so he could try and be home a little more. When he had made the hire, he had been excited and was making all these plans to take Joey to all her extracurriculars, as he would have more time on his hands.

“The fucker walked out on his shift this morning. Seems like he couldn’t handle the stress of a weekday lunchtime.” He growled as he started to pace my office, tapping away on his phone furiously.

“I’m guessing you need to get down there?” I asked.

Cullen nodded.

“Is Lila available to babysit Joey?”

He shook his head with a grimace. “I already called her. She can’t do it. Is there anyone else we know?” he asked, his face pinched with stress.

I shook my head. I couldn't think of anyone off the top of my head. We tended to be very particular about who we let look after Joey.

“I guess I could take her in with me?” Cullen suggested, but his face made it clear he knew that was a bad option. The restaurant was loud and was open late. Joey would be exhausted and unable to get any rest.

“If I could get out of this game, I would. Unfortunately, one of the assistants is down, so I’m needed.”

“Fuck,” Cullen growled.

For a moment, I racked my mind, trying to think of anyone else we could trust to look after our daughter. The list was extremely short. There had to be someone, though.

Not having someone to watch Joey was a rarity. Between the three of us, one of us was usually available, and we all made a conscious effort to be present in her life. In seven years, this sort of thing had only happened once or twice.

A thought crossed my mind.

“What about Bethany?” I asked.

“What about her?” Cullen said curiously, his pacing momentarily paused.

“She and Joey get along great, and she’s said multiple times she owes us one after Gideon helped her friend with her legal troubles.”

“She doesn’t owe us shit for helping her out.”

“I agree, but we’re up shit creek without a paddle and we need a babysitter.”

I pulled out my phone, looking up Beth’s number.

“Do you think she would do it?” Cullen asked.

“It’s worth a try.”

Clicking on her contact, I placed it on speaker and held my breath while it rang. What if she doesn’t answer? Am I getting my hopes up for nothing?

On the third ring, she picked up. “Hello,” that soft, familiar voice said.

“Hi, Bethany, it’s Jensen. I’m sorry to disturb you.”

“Hi, Jensen, what can I do for you? Is Joey okay?”

Despite my panicked state, I couldn’t help but smile at her immediate concern for Joey.

“Well, I know this is a somewhat unorthodox request, but we are in a bit of a situation and could use a hand. Gideon is out of town for a work thing, and I have a game with the Chargers tonight. Cullen’s just been called in for a work emergency as well, so I was wondering if you’d be willing to watch Joey for a few hours?

We will pay you, of course! It’s just, otherwise, she would have to go to the restaurant with Cullen, and we hate to drag her there late at night. ” I spoke in a rush.

“Sure, I can help!” Bethany said.

“Are you certain? If we’re disturbing you, let us know.”

A delicate snort came from Bethany. “The only thing you’re disturbing is a bubble bath, and I can take one of those at any time,” she assured us.

My eyes widened and my throat tightened at the mental image of her in a bubble bath.

Fuck, I wanted to see that.

Did that make me a creepy old man?

Judging by the way my pack mate’s eyes were nearly bulging out of his head, we were both creepy old men.

“If you’re sure…” I trailed off.

“When do you need me?” Bethany laughed lightly.

“As soon as possible?” I grimaced. “Cullen needs to leave ASAP, and I should be leaving any minute for the game, but I can hold on for up to an hour.”

“Just let me know where you guys live, and I will see when the next bus is.”

Bus?

She was planning to take public transportation to get here?

There was no way in hell I liked the idea of her taking a bus late at night. Sure, it was only late afternoon, but it was already starting to get a little dark, and I didn’t want her to take any risks.

Did she not have a car?

What was I saying? She was a student; of course she didn’t have a car. Most students didn’t need cars because everything they needed was on campus.

“There’s no way in hell you’re taking a bus,” Cullen growled. “I’ll pick you up.”

“W-wha—there’s no need for that! Honestly, I am more than happy to take public transportation,” she assured us, her tone surprised.

Was the idea of us offering to give her a lift really that shocking?

“We insist,” I said firmly.

“Where do you live?” Cullen asked in that gruff voice of his. I raised my eyebrows at him. Did he have any idea how grizzly he sounded?

“I…uh…”

“You can simply tell us a nearby location where we can pick you up from if you’re not comfortable letting us know where you live,” I assured her gently, glowering at Cullen as I did. He was coming on strong; the last thing we needed was for him to scare her away.

Somehow my pack mate’s eyes widened even farther when the meaning of my words sank in.

“No, it’s okay!” She reeled off the address and Cullen nodded.

“I’ll be there in fifteen. Is that okay?” he asked.

“S-sure. I’ll get dressed now.”

She wasn’t dressed? What was she wearing? That was an avenue I really shouldn’t be letting my mind go down. Bethany was about to be in our house, looking after our child. I could not be thinking dirty thoughts about her.

The sound of splashing water that echoed through the speaker only confirmed her nakedness.

“Thank you so much for this. Cullen is already out the door. He drives a black Lexus.”

“That’s good to know. Thank you. Honestly, I’m happy to look after Joey. She’s such a sweet kid, and I owe you guys big-time after everything you’ve done for me.”

“You owe us nothing. Hell, we owe you for this.”

Bethany’s beautiful laugh reached my ears. “That is something I think we’re going to have to agree to disagree on, Jensen.”

The use of my name made me instantly rock hard.