Chapter 60: Bryn

What are the odds of that creep doctor would be here? This day can’t get any more bizarre.

“Yep! I’ve decided to keep her, too.” Maddox says and I look at Sawyer in a panic.

“Hi guys, I’m here to take him to CT,” a guy in scrubs says as he walks over to us.

“Yeah sure man.” Sawyer wraps his arm around my waist and we move out of the way to let the guy take Maddox. “We’ll wait here.”

The guy nods and pushes Maddox and the whole bed he’s laying in, out of the small space and through a pair of double doors. Once they’re gone, I turn out of Sawyer’s hold and glare at him.

“Sawyer, what the heck? Why are you letting him say all those things?” I ask him.

He scratches the back of his neck and looks slightly regretful, so that’s something, but still not enough. Why is he letting Maddox think that me and him could be anything? I just met him! He just met me…WE JUST MET! This isn’t a movie or a book where two people fall in love at first sight. Okay, well, I may have thought that way about Sawyer, but that doesn’t happen again. You have your person and that’s it.

Me and Sawyer. Just the two of us…soon to be three, but our third is going to be our baby, not another guy! This is madness!

“He got hurt, Bryn. It’s harmless. I’m sure when his head is on straight he’ll be embarrassed he said all this shit.” Sawyer says, but I’m not going to let this go that easily.

“You’ve been encouraging him by playing into it!” I say a little too loudly.

The nurse at the station a few feet away looks at us and I give her a quiet apology.

“Babe, I promise I’m not trying to push you into whatever he’s thinking. I would never do that, but he’s hurt, and I wanted to keep him distracted. I’m sorry, okay?” Sawyer gives me a pleading look that makes it really hard for me to be mad at him.

I really hope our baby isn’t as good as their dad when it comes to making me crumble from one look. Who am I kidding? They’re going to be far worse. I’m doomed to be a pushover.

“Look I get it. He’s a little loopy right now and what he’s saying is really sweet, but… I don’t know. It seems wrong. It’s not something people normally do. Do you want us to bring someone else into our relationship? Do you want one of those open marriages?”

His face scrunches up. “What the fuck? No. I don’t want some other chick coming between us.”

“Okay, so why are you okay with another guy being into me? Isn’t it the same? It would kill me if you told me you wanted another girl as part of our marriage. How could you be okay with it?”

He sighs and slides his hands down my arms and wraps them around my smaller ones.

“It’s a bunch of talk, Bryn. I’m sorry if it’s made you uncomfortable, but all I want is you and our baby. This thing with Maddox…I don’t know. Seeing him again just took me back to some of the crazy shit we did. I didn’t mean for it to get out of hand. When he’s clear headed, I’ll make sure he knows not to say those things to you anymore.”

The idea of him telling Maddox I was uncomfortable makes me feel sick to the stomach. Maybe because it didn’t make me feel uncomfortable is what’s bothering me. He’s sweet and I don’t know…I guess there is something about him that draws me to him. It’s just not normal. People don’t look at other people with interest unless they plan on cheating or leaving their current partner. If people knew I was married and saw me with Maddox, there would be horrible rumors about us. I would be called some pretty awful things and what would it do for the guy’s images?

Who’s going to support the guys when people find out they share the same girl? It just doesn’t make sense or work.

Sawyer's phone goes off and I glance over at the nurse’s station and see a pair of eyes glaring our way. I smack Sawyer, and he fumbles to answer the call.

“Hello?” He says lowly and turns his back to the nurse.

I decide to check my phone too and notice a text from my sister.

*Poppy: So? How did the game go? Find any other single players for me to drool over?*

I shake my head.

*Me: You’re terrible. No, I didn’t take any more pictures for you to thirst over. We’re at the hospital right now. One of the players on the other team got hurt, and he’s a friend of Sawyer’s, so we’re here to get him checked out.

Poppy: Oh man, that sucks! Will he be okay? And is he cute?

Me: I think he has a concussion but otherwise he seems fine. And…yes he’s cute. He keeps saying really corny sweet things and Sawyer is okay with it! Apparently, they considered sharing a girl back when they went to the same school. This guy seems to think they will share me now. He might have some damage more severe than a concussion.*

I’m trying to play the subject off, but I’m curious of what she would think of that kind of arrangement. She doesn’t reply for a little too long and I start to panic and want to quickly clear things up and tell her I’m not taking any of it seriously, but then she replies.

*Poppy: Wow. Two guys? Not sure many girls could juggle that, but hey more power to the ones who can. Honestly, men used to do it all the time in the old days. Maybe it’s our turn as women to have more than one man to take care of us.

Me: They said there was a girl in their old school who was dating a couple of guys. She was super smart, and the guys planned on letting her take care of them. Like a sugar mama situation.

Poppy: (laughing and crying emoji) That’s amazing. She’s got those boys on a leash, I’m guessing. They’re probably so whipped for her, and all that extra fun to enjoy in bed. I’m a little jealous. Not that Zach is a slouch, but some girls have needs that one guy can’t fill. Let’s be real. It’s hard to find a guy that covers all of a girl’s needs.

Me: Are you serious? Are you saying if Zach was okay with another guy being with you, that you would be okay with it?

Poppy: I’ve never thought about it, but if he was and there was someone we both trusted and I liked enough…I would be open to it. Don’t be a prude sis, look who raised us!
*
She’s not wrong…our parents were hippies back in the day. Which means they were wild and tried all sorts of things.

*Me: Yeah. I don’t know, it just seems weird.

Poppy: Me think you protest too much (smirk emoji)

Me: I’m just saying!

Poppy: tell me…this friend of Sawyer who is cute and sweet…he’s got you feeling some things that you think should be wrong and you want someone to tell you it is so you won’t do anything stupid. Am I right?*

Uh, I hate her when she proves how well she knows me…

*Me: It is stupid! Sawyer and I are MARRIED! I’m pregnant! Why would I complicate things further? Plus, the guys are constantly in the spotlight since the draft will be coming for them soon. This has disaster written all over it.

Poppy: Calm your tits, sis! No one is saying you have to try the whole harem thing…or is it called something else when it’s just two guys? I’m not sure. Unless there’s someone else you have your eye on?*

WHAT?

*Me: no of course not!

Poppy: Okay sheesh! Anyway, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. Why not just hang out and get to know Sawyer’s friend? Nothing has to come from it if you don’t want it to.

Me: Uh, I hate it when you make sense. I just don’t want anyone to get hurt, including me. I don’t want to get attached to someone and be hurt. What if I get used to this weird relationship and things blow up in my face? I’m not sure I could handle that sort of disaster.

Poppy: Then don’t do it. Look, B, you’re young and in college. It’s a time for experimentation, so try it. If you want to have another boy toy and maybe more, then do it. You deserve all the love in the world, even if it comes from several men. Just be happy, little sis.*

Just be happy…Could having another person love me make me happy? Am I enough for two guys? I just don’t know.