Page 79 of Slap Shot Surprise
“Hello?”
“Hey, it’s me.”
“Hi! You make it down to Chicago okay?”
“Yes.”
“How was the game?”
“So much fun.” I paused, running a hand over my belly. “But I have to tell you about something that happened last nightafterthe game.”
She gasped. “You slept with him.”
“No,” I said. “But I can’t say I wouldn’t have if the opportunity had presented itself.”
“Tell me everything, right this second.”
“So we were in, like, this private room at the back of a pub, and?—”
“Wait, who’s we?”
“A bunch of his teammates and some of their wives and girlfriends.”
“Got it. Go on.”
“Joe was shooting pool and I left the room to go to the bathroom, and when I came out I went to the bar to get some water. The bar was super crowded and there was this guy who offered to let me get closer, and I thought he was just being nice.”
“Oh dear.”
“He wanted to buy me a drink and put his hand on my back. I told him no, thank you, and pushed his arm away. He put it right back, and I got more forceful with him, and I was about to just walk away when Joe suddenly appeared, grabbed the guy’s arm, and got right in his face.”
“Really?”
“Yes. And he said, in like this deep, growly voice, ‘You best keep your hands off the mother of my son.’”
She let out a shriek. “Ahhhh, I amswooningup here!”
“I know! And then the guy got belligerent—I cannot imagine what he was thinking, since Joe was way bigger—and I literally had to pull him back and tell him not to punch this asshole.”
“Holy shit.”
“I was in shock. I couldn’t believe he said it out loud—he hadn’t told anyone here yet about the baby and was planning to wait another month.”
“Why?”
“Just to protect our privacy, especially mine. He knows people are going to be nosy and gossipy, if not downright rude.”
“True. So did people hear what he said about his son?”
“It was loud in there, but that guy heard it for sure. I’m not positive he recognized Joe, but Iwaswearing his jersey.”
“It will get out,” Ari predicted.
“That’s what I told him, and he said he didn’t care.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, he was like, ‘I want everyone to know if they don’t treat you with respect, they will fucking answer to me.’”
