Chapter Seventeen Grayson
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN GRAYSON
W ith Vivian in attendance, I had my best game since the season opener. I was legitimately on fire. So much so that at the second intermission, Coach Murano was singing my praises.
But it wasn’t just me.
So were Bennett and Theo. It was obvious that Vivian was affecting all of our abilities. After the game, I planned on begging her to come to some of our out-of-town games.
After an impressive 5-2 victory, we headed into the locker room. Although I wanted nothing more than to ditch the usual post-game recovery activities, I knew I couldn’t do that to my body. After stripping out of our gear, Bennett, Theo, and I did our usual short ride on the stationary bike to rid our muscles of lactic acid. After some quick stretches, we got dressed.
We didn’t bother taking a shower. We didn’t want anything else keeping us from Vivian. I did shower myself in a hell of a lot of body spray so I wouldn’t smell like a sweaty ass.
As we exited the locker room, my gaze immediately started searching for Vivian. Apprehension pricked up my spine that she might’ve bailed on us again. But then my heart leaped into my throat when I saw her sitting on one of the benches down at the end of the corridor.
At the sight of us, she rose to her feet. While Theo played it cool, Bennett and I broke into a jog to reach her. When I got to her first, I drew her into my arms, sweeping her off her feet.
After I whirled the two of us around and around, my actions caused her to squeal. “Put me down,” she demanded breathlessly.
“I’m sorry,” I replied when I eased her onto her feet. Giving her my best puppy dog expression, I added, “I was just so excited by the prospect of touching you again.”
With a shy smile, she replied, “It’s not your fault.” After bringing a hand to her forehead, she replied, “I’ve been getting really dizzy lately.”
“You just need more protein,” I teased.
Bennett groaned behind us. “Please tell me your game ain’t so bad that you’re about to try to make a dick/protein joke?”
I chuckled. “Maybe.”
After bestowing a kiss on Vivian’s cheek, I eased back to make way for the others. Theo had caught up to us now, but it didn’t matter since Bennett threw an arm around Vivian’s shoulder, drawing her against him. “How have you been, Pretty Woman?”
Vivian nibbled her lip anxiously. “Fine. And you?”
“Busy dividing my time between here and The Dive.”
Seeming distracted, Vivian only nodded absently. She then eyed the three of us. “Is there somewhere more private we can go to talk?”
My heart leaped into my throat. Closing my eyes in exaggerated bliss, I said, “Please tell me that’s a code for us hooking up again?”
“Way to be obvious, Gray,” Theo grumbled.
“Don’t tell me you weren’t thinking it,” I protested
Theo’s eyes narrowed on Vivian. “Of course I was.”
“Same here,” Bennett added while winking at Vivian.
Her cheeks bloomed under the heat of our stares. “No. It’s just to talk.”
“Fuck that’s disappointing,” I mused good-naturedly.
“Sorry,” Vivian replied.
“We could use the film room,” Bennett suggested.
Taking Vivian by the hand, I tugged her away from Bennett. “Why don’t I lead the way?”
“Okay.”
While Bennett fell in step with us, Theo remained behind us, silently scowling at Vivian. I couldn’t imagine why he was still so pissed when she was here with us. I shot him a look to knock it off, but he ignored me.
To try and lighten the mood, I said, “We’re having a hell of a season.”
Vivian’s downcast face brightened. “I know.”
With a grin, I said, “Let me guess. Your dad has been reporting back to you.”
She smiled. “Of course.”
I wagged my brows teasingly. “It must be hard not telling him the part you’ve played in our success.”
“Grayson!” she replied while swatting my arm.
Always the gentleman, Bennett suggested, “Let us get him some front-row tickets.”
“He would love that. Thank you.”
Bennet flashed her a pleased smile. “Anytime.”
After I swept us inside the film room, I let go of Vivian’s hand to turn on the lights. As the fluorescent lights poured on, Vivian walked slightly ahead of us. I cut my eyes over to Bennett who shrugged.
As silence hung heavy around us, I jerked a hand through my hair. “Come on, Viv. Don’t leave us in suspense. What is it you need to talk to us about?”
After pushing a strand of auburn hair behind her ear, Vivian swallowed hard. “There’s no easy way to say this.”
Anxiety rippled through me. For some reason, her comment about dizziness popped into my head. I strode over to her.“Oh God, are you sick? Like cancer sick?” I blurted.
“What the hell, Gray?” Theo demanded.
I held my hands up. “She said she’d been dizzy and what she had to say to us wasn’t going to be easy. That shit was exactly what my mom said when she told me about her cancer.”
Vivian’s green eyes bulged. I knew she remembered me telling her about my mother’s cancer scare two years ago, and how thankfully, she was in remission now. Rubbing my arm reassuringly, she replied, “Oh, Gray, no, it’s nothing like that, I swear.”
As I exhaled a relieved breath, Bennett asked, “Then what is it?”
“This is a horrible segue from the mention of cancer,” Vivian lamented.
“Just spit it out, Viv,” Theo ordered. Although his tone was gruff, concern was etched across his face.
“I’m pregnant.”
Whatever relief I’d felt about Vivian’s clean bill of health was short-lived with those two simple words. Everything around me screeched to a stop like a needle across a record player. I blinked furiously at Vivian while my hearing became muted like I was underwater.
Vivian was…pregnant.
Vivian was going to have a baby.
And then it hit me.
Someone had gotten her pregnant.
Someone was going to be a father.
Since the three of us were most likely the last ones to have sex with her, one of us was going to be a father.
Holy fucking shit!
It wasn’t just me in a shocked stupor because Theo growled, “What the fuck?”
Bennett’s brows furrowed. “You’re seriously pregnant?”
Vivian nodded. “Very serious.”
Crossing his arms over his chest, Theo challenged, “Like multiple pregnancy tests serious or–”
“It’s been confirmed by a doctor,” Vivian replied.
“Motherfucker,” Theo replied.
Vivian’s shaky hands reached into her purse. Although I imagined what she was going to pull out, I still staggered back in horror at the sight of a grainy ultrasound picture. Photographic evidence made it all too real.
“I’m just six weeks weeks,” she said. In the heavy silence that followed, she giggled nervously. “The doctor says I’mmeasuring slightly ahead because the baby is going to be tall. After looking at my vertically challenged self, she said, ‘It must take after its father’.”
Right. Because its father is tall.
Of course, that fact didn’t eliminate any of us. While Bennett was the shorty of our trio, he was still 6 feet. It could just as easily be his.
Or Theo’s.
Or mine.
When Vivian glanced up at us from the ultrasound, her smile faded. She quickly stuffed the picture back in her purse. The silence around us grew even heavier. After a few painful moments, Vivian stared imploringly at us. “Say something. Please,” she whispered.
“I’m sorry, Viv. This is a big shock,” I replied.
Bennett nodded slowly. “Considerin’ I’ve only been with dudes this past year, this sure wasn’t what I was expectin’.”
A nervous giggle bubbled from Vivian’s lips. “I guess not,” she mused.
Theo didn’t respond. Instead, he remained somewhat glaring at Vivian. I was just about to tell him to knock it off when Bennett placed a hand on his shoulder. “Chill out, bro.”
Slinging him away, Theo snarled, “Don’t tell me to chill out. There’s no way in hell I’m going let this fuck with my life!”
As Vivian recoiled in horror, I grabbed her hand in support while Bennett glared at Theo. “Watch your fuckin’ mouth, T,”he warned.
I nodded. “Besides, this isn’t just about you. Bennett and I were there that night just as you were. That means we’re all in this together with Vivian.”
A wild gleam burned in Theo’s dark eyes. “No, we’re fucking not. Don’t you get it? This bullshit could fuck with my head when the scouts are in the stands. I could blow my last NHL prospects.”
“I’m so sorry, Theo. I never meant for this to happen. I swear,” Vivian said.
He shook his head maniacally. “I suit up every fucking time to keep bullshit like this from happening!”
Although his delivery sucked, I realized that Theo did have a point. Placing my hand on my chest, I protested, “Now that you mention it, I–” I glanced around at the other guys. “ We all used condoms.”
“Lots of them,” Bennett added.
“I’m aware of that,” Vivian replied.
“Then how are you pregnant?” I countered.
Crossing his arms over his chest, Theo said, “Good fucking question considering they’re like 99% effective.”
Bennett shook his head. “Try 98%.” When Theo and I stared questioningly at him for the statistic, he shrugged. “I like to be safe when I hook up, so I did my research.”
“Whatever,” Theo grunted.
Cocking his brows, Bennett remarked, “And that percentage drops to like 87% when they’re not applied properly.”
“Are you saying I don’t know how to wrap my shit up?” Theo asked.
“I’m just sayin’ we were all a little tipsy when I joined in.” When we continued staring at him, he shrugged. “I’m just sayin’ there could’ve been some human error.”
Theo grunted as he pushed past Bennett to stand in front of Vivian. She shrank back slightly at his aggressive stance. “If you were going to be fucking three men like a whore, why didn’t you have the decency to be on birth control to keep a mess like this from happening?”
Oh hell no. He had not just dared to call Vivian a whore. As red crisscrossed over my vision, I shouted, “Motherfucker!”
While I clenched my fist to punch him, Vivian beat me to it. Her palm cracked against his cheek. “How dare you speak to me that way!”
As her body shook with fury, she jabbed a finger at him. “For your information, I can’t be on birth control because blood clots run in my family.”
“What about a fucking IUD?” Theo countered.
As Vivian’s eyes narrowed to fury-filled slits, Bennett growled, “Shut the fuck up, Theo.”
I jabbed a finger at him. “I swear if you don’t shut your fucking mouth, I’m going to lay you out.”
“Fuck you,” he spat back at me. Turning to Vivian, he said, “And fuck you if I think I’m going to let you ruin my life. The only money you’ll see out of me is if you go to a clinic and take care of it.”
This time I didn’t wait for Vivian. Once again, my arm stretched back to hit Theo just as Bennett’s fist slammed into Theo’s face. After executing a perfect right hook, he came back to slam his left fist into Theo’s nose.
Vivian screamed in horror before clapping her hand over her mouth. I stepped in front of her, blocking her from the violence with my body.
As Theo threw up his fists to deflect Bennett, he demanded, “What the fuck, Bennie?”
“Don’t you ever talk that way to her again!” Bennett snarled as his chest rose and fell in harsh pants.
“Please, stop,” Vivian pleaded.
“Only if he keeps his fucking mouth shut,” Bennett replied.
Swiping the blood from his lip, Theo shook his head. “Fine. You two can have her. I’m out.”
After storming over to the door, he threw it open so hard it banged back on its hinges, causing Vivian to jump.
Once he was gone, I whirled around to check on Vivian. Tears streaked down her cheeks. “Oh God, I’m…I’m so sorry,” she whispered.
Shaking my head, I replied, “You have nothing to be sorry about, love.”
Her gaze went to Bennett. “But he’s your teammate and your roommate.”
“He was out of fucking line,” Bennett argued. “Nothing you could’ve possibly said or done should’ve ever warranted that.”
“B’s right. Theo can go fuck himself,” I said.
Our response only caused Vivian to cry harder. I pulled her against me, wrapping my arms around her. As she continued to sob, I ran circles over her back. When I glanced up, Bennett was staring longingly at her.
At that moment, I wanted to tell him to fuck off. Vivian was mine. Only I would be comforting her. I might’ve shared her that night, but it was different now.
But then the cold hard truth smacked my possessive ass in the face.
As long as there was a possibility Vivian was carrying Theo or Bennett’s baby, she couldn’t truly be mine.
So, I did the gentlemanly thing. Jerking my chin at him, I nodded.
After closing the gap, he wrapped one of his arms around her. “Please don’t cry, Pretty Woman.”
In hiccuping gasps, Vivian replied, “I-I n-never meant f-for any of this to h-happen.”
Bennett swept a strand of auburn hair out of Vivian’s face. “Of course you didn’t. You couldn’t hurt a fly.”
“Since you came to tell us, I assume that means you’re planning on keeping it, right?” I asked.
At Vivian’s wary look, I held up my hands. “I’m just asking. Like I said before, we’re in this together.”
“Yes, I’m having the baby.”
I felt conflicted by the news. There was a part of me that wanted all the fear and uncertainty to disappear, not only for me but for Theo and Bennett. The only definitive way for that to happen would be if Vivian wasn’t having the baby. At the same time, I realized from her expression that Vivian wanted to be a mom. Even if it wasn’t my baby, I wanted her to have that.
With that last thought in mind, I said, “You’ll be an amazing mom.”
“You sure will,” Bennett echoed.
Our compliments sent Vivian’s bottom lip trembling. “Really?”
I grinned at her. “Hell yeah, you’ll be amazing. Not to mention your kid is going to rock the best knitted outfits.”
She hiccuped a laugh. “I’m sure Fleur, Muse, and Gibb will enjoy the reprieve from all the hats and sweaters.”
“I still want a cozy for my stick.”
“I’ll get right on that,” Vivian mused.
Bennett took her hand in his. “What do you need from us tonight?”
“Nothing that I can think of. I just needed you guys to know what was going on.”
There was one question I wanted to ask, but I feared too. Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore and blurted, “So when do we find out who the father is?”
“Seriously, Gray?” Bennett questioned.
Grimacing, I replied, “Sorry. I couldn’t help asking.”
“My doctor told me there’s a blood test we can do right now where they can extract the father’s DNA from the fetal DNA in my bloodstream. So, I would just need DNA from the two of you for them to do a comparison.”
“If it doesn’t match either of us, I guess it’s Theo’s, huh?” I asked.
She nodded. “Considering the way he just left things, I don’t see him coming with us.”
Bennett sighed. “I wish I could say just give him time to get used to the idea, but I don’t know. I haven’t ever seen him like that.”
“It’s fine. We don’t need him,” Vivian huffed.
“So, how exactly do they extract our DNA?” I asked.
Vivian laughed. “It’s nothing painful. Just a cheek swab.”
I exhaled a relieved breath. “Good.”
Bennett snorted. “Exactly where did you think they were goin’ to get it from?”
With a shrug, I replied, “I didn’t know if they were going to need my swimmers, and I didn’t like thinking of a needle near my balls.”
“I’m pretty sure they’d have you come into a cup, rather than suckin’ your jizz out with a needle,” Bennett replied, which earned a horrified shriek from Vivian. He gave her a sheepish grin. “Sorry, Pretty Woman.”
“It’s okay.”
To change the subject, I asked, “When do you need us to go with you to the doctor?”
“I could see if I can get an appointment this week.”
Nodding, I replied, “Our days are pretty much free at ten after morning workouts. Then we’d just need to be back here at four.”
Vivian smiled. “I think I can work with that window.”
“Great,” Bennett replied.
“Well, I guess I'd better go,” Vivian said.
“It was good seeing you,” I said.
“Even though I was the bearer of terrible news,” she challenged.
“While it might be scary, it isn’t terrible,” Bennett argued.
“That’s right.”
Tears shimmered in Vivian’s eyes. “You two are the best.”
“We know,” I teased.
Vivian laughed. “I’m sure you do.”
The next thing I knew she shot up on her tippy toes to bestow a gentle kiss on my lips. “Thank you, Grayson.”
As I was blinking at her in disbelief, she did the same to Bennett. When she pulled away, I knew his pained expression matched my own. A brief kiss from Vivian was absolute torture when you knew you couldn’t have more.
“Bye, guys,” she said as she turned to go.
Grabbing her hand, I said, “Wait. Let us walk you to your car.’
“You’ve already done enough.”
“We meant it when we said we’re here for you, Viv,” I argued.
Nodding, Bennett said, “Anything you need, you just have to ask.”
“Okay, I guess you can walk me out,” Vivian relented.
“Are you hungry?” I asked.
“All the time,” she replied with a smile.
“Then let me buy you some dinner,” I said.
“I can’t let you do that.”
“You can, and you will.”
As she stared intently into my eyes, Vivian finally sighed. “But only dinner, and I’ll drive myself to the restaurant.”
“You drive a hard bargain, but we accept. Right, B?”
“Right.”
“Then let’s go.”