Pucking Sweet: An MMF Workplace Hockey Romance (Jacksonville Rays Book 3)

Listen, there are no guarantees in public relations. You can think a story angle is compelling, and pray it brings you some good press, only for it to fall flat. You can post an innocent picture of a player standing by a balloon arch, and have that picture become a banner cry for environmental reform. Social media is a hellscape. Fans choose violence every day.

In the midst of this chaos, there is one true and good thing left on this earth. Cute animals. It doesn’t matter who you are—your religious affiliation, your stance on rainbow-colored tape on hockey sticks. Everyone loves cute baby animals.

So, when the Jacksonville Humane Society approached me, asking if the Rays would like to be an official sponsor, I jumped at the chance. Today, we’re shooting our first promo. All the animals featured will be available for adoption at tomorrow’s home game.

Working with Claribel and our media team, we get everything set up for an on-ice commercial spot. We’ve got the banners set, the carpet is all laid out, the animals are ready. Now, where the heck are my hockey players?

“You told them all eleven o’clock, right?” I say at Claribel.

A few of the dogs yip excitedly in their cages.

“I told them eleven,” she replies.

I groan, pulling out my phone. It’s almost 11:30 a.m. I don’t have any missed texts or calls. “Who all volunteered?”

“Morrow, Jake Price—Woody was in, but he had to leave,” Claribel reads out from her phone.

“I guess I can see if any more players are hanging around. Otherwise, you’re gonna have to pick up that Chihuahua and say ‘cheese.’” I turn around and groan with relief. Colton is walking toward me, a smile on his face. My own smile falls to see who is walking at his side.

Oh god, has Lukas gotten more beautiful in the time we’ve been apart? How is that possible? How is it fair? It’s not like I haven’t seen him around, but I’ve been doing my best to keep my distance. I don’t let myself get too close. Certainly not this close. The wanting is just too painful.

My eyes immediately fix on the thin red line along his jaw. The cut ends at his hairline right above his ear. Heavens, it could’ve been so much worse. An inch or two lower or higher…

I swallow, pushing that fear down deep. The doctors did an amazing job. It should heal up well, leaving hardly any scar.

“Look who I found,” Colton says in greeting, a hand on Lukas’s shoulder. “He heard we were doing a pet adoption, and he just couldn’t volunteer fast enough.”

Claribel glances between the three of us with a smirk. She may have caught me kissing Colton last week.

“You’re late,” I say, nerves on fire.

Why is Lukas looking at me like that?

“You said 11:30,” Colton replies.

“No, I said—” I let out a breath. “It doesn’t matter. I’m just glad you’re here.” I wave forward our Human Society rep. “Okay, so Wendy is gonna get you set up with your animals, while Claribel and I go track down a few more warm bodies.”

“Pop—” Colton calls after me as I spin away.

Oh goodness, what is happening right now? I mean, Colton’s kept me informed over the past few days as he’s been camped out over at Lukas’s house. I think the idea is mad and, frankly, a little invasive. I mean, if I made it clear I wanted out of a relationship, if I made it clear I didn’t want the child that was the product of that relationship, I think I’d be pretty upset if my ex-partner then moved himself into my freaking house.

Colton assures me it’s the right plan of action, and that he’s “helping him get out of his own way.” I’m personally less convinced. I love Lukas, and I want him with us, but he has to want to be with us. He’s right, I’m done accepting anything less than what I deserve, and I deserve to not have to beg him to love me.

I spy Ryan Langley sitting in the stands at the other practice rink. Oh, he’s perfect. With that baby face and the green eyes and the floppy blond hair? Shove a puppy in his hands, and you have PR gold. Waving him down, I call out. “Yoo-hoo, Ryan!”

He looks like a bunny who just got his name called by the Big Bad Wolf. Behind me, Claribel snorts. Am I really that scary?

I step up into his bleacher row and walk toward him. “Hi, Ryan. You got a minute?”

“What’s up, Poppy?” he says in welcome, giving Claribel a nod.

“We’re looking for one more Ray to help us with this commercial spot, and you’re perfect. Come on.”

“Well—wait—”

I glance back.

“I—” He groans, shifting his weight as he gestures out to the ice where the other forwards are skating. “Well, I can’t just leave. Coach wants me watching practice.”

“This will only take a few minutes,” I say. “Now, come on, handsome. The camera crew is waiting.”

He follows us down the bleachers. “What are we doing?”

“We’ve partnered with the Jacksonville Humane Society to shoot a pet adoption promo,” I explain as we turn the corner. “I found one,” I call out with a wave to our waiting camera crew.

I try not to let my heart flip at the sight of Lukas and Colton laughing and holding dogs. Well, Colton is laughing. He’s holding the cutest little Labrador mix. The yellow puppy licks his chin and I think my ovaries are going to explode.

Too late. I’m already pregnant.

“Nov, look,” he says as the puppy squirms. “Look, I think he likes me.”

I glance at Lukas and fight a smile. He looks miserable. He’s holding the ugliest dog I’ve ever seen. It’s a little Chinese Crested, with a poof of white hair on his head. Otherwise, his speckled pink skin is completely hairless. I smirk at Wendy. Did she do this on purpose? The poor thing looks more miserable than Lukas.

“Come on, this is bullshit,” Lukas says at me. It’s the first words he’s spoken to me in eight days. “You know I’m allergic to dogs.”

“Which is why I gave you the hypoallergenic one,” I reply, flashing a wink at Wendy.

“Dude, I told you, that’s not a dog,” says Colton. “It looks like that thing that sits on Jabba the Hutt in Return of the Jedi.”

“Ryan, come take your pick,” I call. “We’ve got a cute little bulldog over here, a few kitties—oh, sweet heavens—look at the way she’s looking at me.” My heart is suddenly fit to burst as I take in a fluffy gray and white kitten with big green eyes peering out through the bars of her cage. The little thing puts her white paws up, mewing at me like I’m her momma. I stick out a finger, brushing it over her soft little toes. She sniffs my finger and I wanna die. “Claribel, tell me I don’t need a cat,” I whine, feeling like my heart will break if they take this kitten away from me. Screw love at first sight between humans. This right here is the purest kind of love.

“You don’t need a cat,” Claribel says at my shoulder.

“Can we hurry this up?” Lukas calls out. “This thing is hairless, and this is an ice rink. I think it’s getting frostbite.”

Pulling my finger away from the precious fur baby, I huff, flicking my ponytail off my shoulder. “Hold your horses. And it’s not a thing, Lukas,” I add, feeling raw and vulnerable under his heavy stares. “It’s a dog. A very rare breed of dog called a Chinese Crested.”

“It’s shivering, and it can smell my fear,” he says with a scowl.

Okay, who spit in his cereal? Why did he even come?

Ryan is the perfect distraction, stepping in with his big body to block me from Lukas. “So, uhh, what’s the deal here?”

“We’re shooting a short commercial for the Humane Society,” I explain. “It will go on all our socials too. Just pick an animal and take the card on top of their cage. Then you read out what’s on the card in front of the camera.”

“You, uhh…you want me to read what’s on the card?”

“Mhmm.” I take one off the top of the bulldog’s cage. “So, this one says her name is Gracie, and she’s a five-year-old American Bulldog. She’s house trained, loves kids, blah, blah, blah. Just read the card.” Slapping the card to his chest, I turn, taking a deep breath. “Colton, you’re up first.”

He’s still standing with Lukas, tickling his puppy’s tummy. “Dude, I swear, I’m gonna adopt this little guy myself.”

“At least yours has fur,” says Lukas. “I feel like I’m holding a raw chicken.”

Colton snorts as they both follow me over to the camera spot. Lukas steps in at my back. “Hey—can we talk after this?”

Down the other end of the rink, the goalies still haven’t finished their practice. “Hey, can you stop slapping pucks for five minutes,” I shout. “You can stay in the shot, but we need some quiet for this.”

Eric glares at me. “You realize this is a hockey rink, and this is a hockey practice!”

“I reserved this rink for 11:30,” I call back. “You were supposed to be done a half hour ago. Now, clear off my ice, or I’ll drag you all in front of the camera. Yes, I mean you too, Eric!”

He knows I don’t actually mean it. Eric is tough as nails as a coach, but a big softie once he steps off the ice. A box of my homemade toffee nut cookies will smooth this over easily.

Lukas isn’t deterred by my pathetic dodge. He’s right there at my back, still cradling that poor little dog like it’s a pit viper. “I’d like to talk to you,” he says again. “After this—like, not now. Not holding this,” he adds at the shivering dog.

“Lukas, I have an impossible day—”

“Five minutes of your time,” he pleads.

“Hear him out,” Colton says.

I glance between them. “Please don’t do this here,” I whisper, knowing the camera man is approaching. “Please. I’m barely holding it together.”

With a stiff nod, Lukas steps away.

It only takes them a few minutes each to shoot their spots. Colton goes first, charming the cameras with his little rundown of “Pepper” the puppy. The camera angle is perfect for when the excited puppy starts to pee, and we all laugh.

Lukas is also a natural. He sells the hell out of that little hairless dog. I can’t help but smile as I watch him. A picture flashes in my mind of him holding our baby like that, laughing and smiling as he swings him toward the camera, just to make him squeal. The image feels so real, it makes my heart physically hurt. I have to step away.

“Okay, Ryan,” I call out. “You’re up. Did you pick your animal? Let’s go, honeybun. We don’t have all morning.”

Ryan is distracted talking to Mars. The goalie towers over him in his full kit.

“Ryan,” I call again.

“We’re coming,” he says. “Mars and I are gonna shoot the spot together.”

“Oh…” I glance between them, confused. Mars Kinnunen Price never volunteers to help with this kind of thing. It’s usually all we can do to get him to sit for press conferences to talk about hockey. “Oh, that’s wonderful,” I say, hurrying over.

Ryan steps over to the row of cages and pulls out the tiny gray and white kitten.

My heart squeezes tight again. “Oh, my goodness, that kitten is double cute.”

He holds it close to his chest, and I step in, unable to help myself from giving her a few pets, wiggling my finger under her chin. She turns her little face up, purring like she’s got a box of marbles in her chest. How can such a big sound come from such a tiny animal?

“You’re just the sweetest thing,” I coo at her. “Yes, you are. Yes, you are.” Ducking down, I give her a few kisses. She flicks her fluffy tail in my face and my heart literally bursts. This cat is now my child. I’m convinced.

“Uhh…Pop?”

Realizing I have my hands on Ryan’s arms and my face nuzzled into his chest, I stiffen. Slowly, I right myself, flashing him a smile. I’m a working professional, and yes, I’m going to pieces over a cat. Let me live. “Are we ready then, gentlemen?” I glance from Ryan to Mars, who is still in his full hockey kit, sweaty hair tied up in a messy bun. Honestly, the aesthetic works. “You got the card?”

“Got it,” he says, holding it up.

I just can’t help myself. I have to know. It’s a fate thing. The dice are rolling, and the lives of one cat and one pregnant woman now hang in the balance. “What’s the kitten’s name?”

Mars glances down at the card and frowns, shooting a glare over at Ryan. “Miss Princess.”

Be still my freaking heart. I turn back to Ryan, desperate to pet her again. The mother-child bond is nearly complete. “Oh, it’s perfect,” I squeal. “She is such a little princess.”

I can feel Lukas and Colton watching me. The pressure of their eyes is enough to have me ready to melt onto this ice. But I can’t focus on them right now. This is my job. We’re at work. I can’t run to Lukas and shake his shoulders, begging him to tell me all the deep dark secrets of his heart. I can’t crash through these cameras and announce to the world that I’m pregnant and in love with two men.

What I can do is run this commercial shoot…and hopefully adopt this kitten.