Page 31 of Power Play

“How are you holding up? Anything I can do?”

I shake my head. “I’m fine.”

“I heard Vanessa and Audrey came by. I should have arranged something for you. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. It was nice to be around other adults for a bit.”

I don’t have a support network here. Outside of Al, I don’t have anyone.

His arm tightens around me. “We’ll have to find you some new friends.”

“You don’t need to set up playdates for me.”

My scowl makes him laugh. “Noted. Maybe you can try some Mommy and Me meetups? Or Cari can babysit so you can go to Vanessa’s book club?”

I’m stuck on the suggestion. “I’m not a mom, though.”

Al nudges me. “You are.”

“Carter’s her mother.”

“But you’re her mom. You’re the one doing the work, day in and day out.” He pauses. “And technically, she’s your stepdaughter now. That makes you Mom.”

“I hadn’t thought of it that way,” I admit.

“I don’t want to push you into a label you’re not comfortable with. But you belong in those spaces. It’s just a matter of whether you want to be there.”

“Vanessa was telling me how Sven takes Leo to the pool. I thought that might be fun.” Nerves swarm in my stomach, and I bite my lip. “I didn’t learn how to swim until I was an adult. I don’t want that for her.”

“We’ll take her,” he promises. “We can all go together.”

“You want to come with us?” I think of Al shirtless, his ripped, muscular body on display as he treads water with his baby in his arms, and my heart beats a little faster. Is it wrong to wish my husband weren’t as gorgeous as he actually is?

“We’re a family now,” Al says. He catches my gaze, maintaining eye contact. “However this all happened, we’re married, we’re raising a baby together. We should spend some time together.”

“I’m not going to sleep with you.”

He laughs. “I’m not propositioning you. The last thing I want is to make you uncomfortable. Nobody has to know what goes on behind closed doors. But it will look odd if we are never seen together.”

“I’ll think about it,” I finally say.

“There’s a matinee game on Saturday. Some of the wives and partners bring the kids.” His throat works as he swallows. “I… I’d like it if Emmy were there.”

“Vanessa told me. I wasn’t sure if you wanted to go public with… everything.” A violent shiver shakes my frame, but with Emmy on my lap, I can’t put my hands in my pockets. Hastily, I tuck them under her blankets.

Turning on the bench, Al tucks me further against his side, rubbing his hand over my upper arm to keep me warm.

“To the outside world, you’re Emmy’s mom,” he murmurs. “If you want me to tell the world about Carter, I will. But if you’re okay with it, when people start asking, all I want to say is that I’ve married the mother of my child. Because to me, that’s who you are. You’re Emmy’s mom in both name and act. I can’t bring Carter back. All we can do is move forward.”

“I don’t want to lie to her.” My eyes well up with tears when I think of my sister. “I don’t want to erase her.”

“And when Emmy’s old enough, we’ll tell her all about Carter. I will never erase her birth mother,” he promises. “I’m talking about what we say when this gets out. You and me.”

“I thought your agent made a plan?” That was the deal; he makes the plan, and I follow through. There wasn’t anything on the brief that I disagreed with, at least not enough to back out of this thing.

“Yeah, but I want to run it by you. It’s more than only me impacted now.”

“My social media is locked down, I deleted any inappropriate photos, and I’m… well, prepared isn’t the right word, but I’m resigned to this. The partner of the hockey player thing.”