43. Monty

Chapter forty-three

Monty

“Should we change your nickname? Papa Bear instead of Monty? Oooh, or we could just call you Daddy.” Yami smirks at me as he struts past, a towel wrapped around his waist. We’ve just won our game against the Boston Revs, and we’re all feeling pretty fucking good about how the season is going. And because today’s was an early afternoon game, I’m looking forward to a quiet evening with my girl.

I pretend to consider his suggestions. “If only I was older, I would make a hot Zaddy.”

“Too young for that,” Orson calls out. It’s good to hear him joking around again. He went through a shitty time last fall when his wife abruptly filed for divorce.

I shrug and give them all a grin. “Call me what you want. But you best believe I’m gonna be killing it with the dad jokes.”

“Boys, cover up. Ladies coming in.” Willow’s loud voice carries from outside the locker room.

Everyone scrambles to make sure their bits are covered as Sin glowers at anyone who’s taking too long. Willow struts in, followed by a couple of other women from the marketing department. Clapping her hands, she fixes us with a sharp stare.

“Alright. None of you here right now are rookies, so I expect you all to know the drill. We’ve had a good start to the season and no one has made any messes I needed to clean up. Let’s keep it that way, okay? Don’t do any stupid shit that I’m gonna have to deal with. If you find yourself tempted by stupid shit, stop and think WWWD.”

“What would Willow do?” Yami says, scratching his head. “But Wills. You’ll do just about anything!”

Sin slaps him upside the head, but it’s Willow he should be scared of. Her eyes are glinting. “That’s right, Yami. I will. Don’t mess with me this season.”

You can sense everyone’s balls shriveling. Willow Lawson is a powerful woman, and now, as head of the media relations team, she’s even more intense. I respect the hell out of her and we get along great. Probably helps that I’ve never done anything to cause an issue with the press.

“Moving on.” She raises her voice. “Sheena and Gurdeep are here to shoot some B-roll for socials and some short-form content. We’re stepping up our game in connecting with the fans, which means you all need to put on your best smiles and get ready to charm the camera.”

There are nods and sounds of acknowledgment as she looks around the room. Once satisfied, Willow saunters over to Sin and presses a kiss to his cheek before leaving the locker room. Her two colleagues stay behind and make their way over to certain players to get to work while the rest of us try to get dressed without flashing them.

When it looks like I’m getting out of here without having to do any media shit, I make a hasty exit and head through the building to find Lark.

She moved into my place this past weekend. Despite our having a game that evening, most of the team showed up to help, and we were done in record time. Having her officially living with me is fucking awesome. Seeing her toothbrush next to mine, our laundry mixed together in the hamper, hell, even her long blond hairs clogging the shower drain makes me smile.

I find her attempting to reach something on a high shelf in her treatment room, her adorable grumble of frustration causing a grin to spread across my face.

“Need some help, Birdie?” I ask, walking over and nuzzling her neck.

“Yes, I do,” she gripes. “Your darn baby is getting in my way.”

I wrap my arms around her, cradling the growing bump. I still marvel at the miracle every time I see her. “My baby, huh? It’s half yours, you know. You have to take some accountability for this.”

Turning in my arms, Lark tries hard to hide her smile under a glare. “Right now, it’s all yours. This belly is getting in the way of everything. How am I going to work when I’m the size of a house?”

“We’ll figure it out.” I press a kiss to her lips, waiting until I feel her soften under me. Even now, months later, it amazes me that I get to do this. I get to touch her, kiss her, and have her whenever I want. She’s mine. The only woman I’ve ever wanted.

“Now, will you let me help so we can go home and I can rub your feet while you eat that disgusting olive crap?” I tease, hoping that mentioning her latest bizarre pregnancy craving will make her smile. She’s halfway through her pregnancy, just shy of twenty-one weeks, and the belly is definitely growing on her small frame. I only made the mistake of asking if it could be twins once, and I know better than to mention that possibility again, thanks to the death glare it earned me.

“Tapenade is not crap. It’s delicious,” she replies. “But yes. Please help me get this put away. I’m exhausted.” She emphasizes this with a yawn.

I take the boxes of supplies and get them up on the shelf easily while she grabs her things. Then, taking her hand, we head down the hall to the parking lot. The drive home is quiet, with Lark dozing in the passenger seat. The midwife said it’s normal to fatigue quickly, especially with a physically demanding job like Lark’s.

We’ve talked about her cutting back on travel and possibly even working reduced hours as we get further on in the pregnancy, but right now, my stubborn Birdie is determined to do as much as possible. She did, at least, agree for Mattias to hire someone early for her maternity leave so they can work together for a while, hopefully lightening Lark’s load. Personally, I can’t wait for that person to start. As much as I want Lark with me, traveling to the away games and at the stadium every day, it’s hard seeing the toll it’s taking on her pregnant body.

When we get home, I drop a kiss to her head. “Go take a shower. I’ll order some Thai for dinner.”

She nods and pads off down the hallway to the bedroom. I hear the water turn on and pick up my phone to sort out dinner. Once that’s done, I scroll through my messages and emails.

There’s a voicemail from my mom, asking me to call her back when I have time. The food won’t be here for another half hour, so I dial my parents’ house phone.

“Hello?” my dad’s deep voice answers. “Dan? Great game tonight, son.”

“Thanks, Dad. I’m just returning Mom’s call.”

“Oh right. Hang on, let me get her.”

I hear the clatter of him setting the phone down, the creak of his recliner chair being moved upright, and then his distant voice calling for Mom.

“Honey? Dan?” I hear her pick up the phone, probably the one in the kitchen, then Dad’s back on the other one.

“Hey, Mom.” I grin, picturing the two of them on separate phones. The way we used to talk before video calls were a thing.

“Hi, good job tonight. How are you doing? How’s Lark and the baby?” she rattles off the questions at me, and I know perfectly well she wants me to answer the second one first.

“They’re good. Lark’s tired, but that’s normal right now. She’s in the shower, but if we’re still talking when she’s done, I know she’ll come say hi.” The relationship Lark and my mom are building is freaking adorable. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad she’s mending fences with her own mother, but I have no doubt that no matter what happens there, Lark has a mom in Edith Montgomery.

“Of course, she’s tired. She’s growing a human. You sucked the life out of me for nine months, Daniel Montgomery. Make sure you’re taking care of her properly. Water, healthy food, and plenty of rest.”

“Yes, Mom,” I reply dutifully. I hear the water shut off and know Lark will join me soon. “So, you wanted to talk about something?”

“Oh, yes. Howard? Do you want to tell him or should I?” Mom sounds weirdly excited.

Dad clears his throat. “I’ll let you do it, honey.”

“Well, I hope you and Lark are prepared to see a lot more of us.” She pauses, I guess for dramatic effect? At that moment, Lark wanders out of the bedroom, toweling off her hair. She sits beside me, and I mouth my parents to her before putting the call on speaker.

“Mom? Dad? Sorry to interrupt the announcement, but Lark’s here now. I put you on speaker.”

“Hi,” she says into the phone. “What announcement?”

“I was just about to tell Dan. But this is perfect, you can both hear at the same time.” Mom clears her throat. “We sold the store.”

I leap off the couch, tugging at my hair. “What? How? Why? When?”

“Would you like to add in where ?” My dad chuckles. “Take a breath, son. Is he pacing, Lark? He sounds like he’s pacing.”

She glances up at me, a worried expression on her face before she answers. “Um, not yet, Howard, but he is pulling at his hair.”

“Daniel Dawson Montgomery, sit down and listen,” Mom says sharply. “You’ve been on us to retire for years. I thought you’d be thrilled with this news.”

“I am, Mom, but I’m allowed to be surprised. I thought you couldn’t retire because the shop wouldn’t go for enough money with the current market?”

“Turns out, we were wrong,” Dad interjects, then laughs. “ We got double what we were told it was valued at two years ago. Don’t worry about us, son, we’ve got more money than we know what to do with. We’ve already put a down payment on an apartment closer to the city.”

“And I finally convinced your dad to buy one of those fancy camper vans so we can tour the continent,” Mom pipes in. “See you play in all those cities we’ve never been to. Oh, we could even come south for spring training next year, so Lark and the baby have somewhere to stay.”

“That’s a lovely idea, Edith,” Lark says, raising her eyebrows at me. I finally sink down onto the couch and she takes my hand, giving it a squeeze. “We’re both thrilled for you. It’s just a bit of a shock, I think. But a good one, truly.”

I clear my throat. “Yeah, it’s great news. Sorry, you just took me by surprise, you know? I had this whole plan to convince you to retire next year once I secured my contract.”

“Oh, Daniel,” Mom murmurs. “Honey, it was never your job to take care of us like that.”

“I know, but I wanted to. I wanted you to know you were taken care of, and that you didn’t have to work so hard all the time.”

There’s a beat of silence before my Dad’s voice, gruff and emotional, comes down the line. “You’re a good man, Dan. I’m proud of you. And thank you. But now you can focus on your family and let us be the doting grandparents.”

Lark leans against my arm, and I sigh into the top of her head. A weight lifts from my shoulders. A weight I expected to carry for many more months.

We finish up the conversation with my parents when my phone beeps with the notification that our food has arrived. After saying goodbye, I pop downstairs to get it while Lark sets up for dinner.

When I get back to the apartment, she meets me at the door, taking the bag to set it down, then wrapping her arms around my neck.

“You’re still going to get an amazing contract at the end of the season. Because you are an amazing player and an even more amazing man. I love you, you know.”

I let my head rest on hers, breathing in the sweet smell of her shampoo. There’s nowhere on this earth that makes me happier or feel more at peace than right here in her arms.

She moves, tilting her head up to look at me. Love and mischief dance in her eyes. “We could always reheat dinner.”

I raise my eyebrows quizzically. “Reheat? Why would we reheat?”

In response, her hands travel down my body to my belt buckle, which she slowly slides open. “Because I’d like an appetizer.”

My grin tells her I knew exactly what she was getting at as I scoop her into my arms and walk to the bedroom.

“Only if I get to eat first.”