Chapter 77: Nolan

Class has been running smoothly, much to my surprise. With the crowd that had surrounded her earlier, I expected them to swarm her once she was in the room, but everyone kept their distance. It didn’t keep them from whispering and looking at her through the whole lecture. Not that I’m any better, since I can’t seem to keep my eyes from moving in her direction. She’s been doing well at pretending not to hear or see the people around her, but I’ve caught her wiping her face once or twice.

“Nolan? Nolan!” My attention is brought back to class at the sound of Professor Stix's voice. “Are you with us?”

I clear my throat and sit straighter in my seat. “Of course Professor.”

He gives me an unimpressed look before he hands me a pile of papers.

“Good. Then pass these out to the class.” He says.

I want to throw the papers back at him and remind him I’m not a student anymore and carry a degree just like he does, but I bite my tongue. Besides, he might be a colleague one day, so I can’t burn bridges yet. So I stand and begin the unpleasant task of passing the papers out. When I make it to the back where she’s sitting, I stand next to her seat and wait. Her head is bent like she’s hoping she’ll suddenly become invisible, but I don’t think she could ever be invisible to me.

“Here.” I say quietly and hold the paper out to her.

She glances up at me, but then her eyes drop to scan the room. I do the same and see one or two phones pointing our way, so I kneel and try to get her attention. Her eyes move to me and widen a little.

“Don’t worry about them. Whatever they say or think doesn’t mean anything.” I tell her, and her expression cracks slightly.

“It’s hard to ignore them all the time.” She whispers to me.

I should leave and distance myself from her, but my hand reaches out and covers one of her hands that is resting on her leg. Her eyes move down to where our hands are together and then she looks at me with the saddest eyes I’ve ever seen. She’s tired. The dark bags under her eyes say as much and the tenseness of her shoulders tells me she feels like she’s a cornered animal right now, ready to run as soon as it gets a chance.

“I know, but I won’t let them hurt you.” I promise her.

Maybe it’s too big of a promise to make to a girl I just met, but she clearly needs to hear it because her whole body relaxes and she lets a tear fall.

“Why would you promise that? You don’t even know me.” Her voice shakes as she whispers to me.

I shrug. “Because I see you. You’re tired and scared. No one should feel like that.”

She searches my face and must see the sincerity of my words, because a small smile appears on her lips.
“Thank you.” She says, and I smile back at her.

I decide to take the seat next to her for the rest of the lecture and if someone looked her way; I glared at them until they looked away. My sister isn’t going to let this go once she hears or sees the photos of me and Bryn together.

Bryn…

I learned her name the day I took her to the hospital, but I resisted saying it even in my mind because that meant I would know something about her. It was personal, and I didn’t want things to get personal with anyone when I arrived here. I’m still not interested in dating, but if I can offer her friendship, then I will. My sister won’t let me live it down when she sees the pictures of us when they’re eventually posted. I will just have to remind her that no girl, not even the beautiful one next to me, will impede my plans.

When class ends, I stand and wait as Bryn packs her things away. I had to send some warning glares at a few people during class so that she could pay attention. My warning looks must have made a real impression because no one stands around to take any more pictures.

“Where are you going now?” I ask her once she stands.

My eyes fall to where her coat has parted and her stomach peaks out. She’s tiny, but I’m guessing she’s around five months now.

“Which one of the guys is the father?” I blurt out without thinking.

It’s only when she lets out a laugh that I realize what I just said. My eyes snap up to her face and see an amused look.

“You don’t beat around the bush, do you?” She asks, but she still looks amused instead of offended.

“Shit. Sorry, it just came out.” I cringe at my mistake, but she waves me off.

“It’s okay. Besides, it's better when people say things to my face. It’s worse when they whisper and make assumptions, so it’s kind of refreshing to meet someone not afraid to ask straight out. So, to answer your question, Sawyer is the dad. Maddox and I just…started things and are still navigating things.” Her face flushes slightly on that last part and it makes me want to ask another question, but I hold it back for now.

“I see. Can I walk you to your next class? Just in case anyone tries to swarm you, and it doesn’t seem like your guys are around to escort you.” I point out.

There’s a flare of anger at Goa along with my words, but I try to tamper it down. I have no right to get upset at her inadequate boyfriends.

“They have practice right now, and they can’t bring their phones on the ice. They probably have no idea what’s going on yet, but once they do, I’ll be smothered with questions.” She dips her head and smiles to herself.

“How does it work between you?” I ask as we pass through the class door.

I don’t bother checking with the professor to see if it’s okay for me to accompany Bryn. We don’t have another class until noon, so I have time to grade papers once I’m done.
“Honestly?” She asks, glancing around her.

I nod.

“I don’t know. At first, I wasn’t sure how to feel or what to think. I was also really worried that once people found out that it could ruin Sawyer and Maddox’s futures. They want to play in the NHL and a scandal wouldn’t help.” She explains.

“So, why did you post that information on social media?” I ask, pushing further into getting to know her territory, but I’m curious.

It isn’t normal for a woman to be in a relationship with multiple men and those men being okay with it. Most men that I know would be too jealous for something like that.

She shrugs at my question. “They convinced me we shouldn’t care what people think of our relationship. If we’re not hurting anyone, then it isn’t anything to be ashamed of. I’m still trying to get used to the idea, but the more they reassured me, the more I agreed. Why should I have to worry about what people think when I have two really great guys willing to be with me? I didn’t force them into it. It was their choice and their idea to begin with, so I don’t have a reason to be guilty. Besides, with Maddox, he can decide to leave any time he wants. Me and Sawyer are married, so we are legally connected, but Maddox isn’t.”

“I don’t mean to offend you, but I don’t get why they would want to share you. Most guys are too jealous for that.” I add that last part to make sure she understands I don’t mean it to throw shade on her.

“Trust me, I know. Sawyer was crazy, jealous, but they were really good friends at his old school. He trusts Maddox with me and knows he won’t hurt me. Plus, he said he say that we had a strong connection too.” Her face flushes again.

She’s obviously into this Maddox guy or she wouldn’t be blushing like a teenage girl talking about her crush.

“It’s an interesting dynamic, that’s for sure.”

“Yeah. Sorry again about what Sawyer said. He was a little out of his head. Don’t take it to heart.” She gives me a tight smile.

For some reason, that remark irks me. She is playing the situation off as no big deal, but I don’t feel the same way and I don’t know why.

“He was worried about you. That’s understandable. So where are you off to?” I ask when we exit the building.

“To the clinic. I have an appointment with my OB.”

Alone? I don’t like the sound of that and as her new friend; it is my responsibility to be there for her.

“Do you mind if I accompany you? So you’re not alone, I mean.”

She let out a small laugh. “Sure. Why not?”