Santa’s Pucking Hat Trick (The Forbidden Reverse Harem Collection)

30. Rachel

30

RACHEL

T he afternoon sun had already started to dip behind the low-hanging clouds as Bria and I made our way through the quaint little streets of Mistletoe. Black Friday had brought its usual madness earlier in the day, but by now, the chaos had mellowed out to a manageable hum. The twinkle lights strung across every shop window made the town look almost magical, like a Christmas card come to life. Bria and I had been shopping since dawn, our arms full of bags, but I was finally starting to feel the wear of the day.

“Alright,” Bria sighed, adjusting her grip on the mass of shopping bags she held. “Do we need to hit anywhere else, or are we done?”

“I think we’re done.” I rubbed my temples as a wave of fatigue hit me. “Unless you’re planning to bankrupt me with one more stop.”

Bria laughed. “Hey, we both did some damage. But it’s the giving season, right? We can justify it because we weren’t shopping for ourselves. Well, except that one pair of boots I found.”

“Well, they were such a good deal,” I teased. I smiled with her, but my mind was somewhere else. As we walked, I glanced into the windows of each shop, my thoughts drifting to the guys. I’d already bought most of the gifts for my family—the easy part—but I was still stuck on what to get for them. Roman, Sawyer, Wes…it felt like I should get them something meaningful, something that showed how much they meant to me.

And that was the problem, wasn’t it? How was I supposed to find the right gift for three men who, in their own ways, had become more important to me than I ever expected?

Sawyer, steady and strong like a true goalie off the ice too. He had this quiet presence, always reliable, always there when I needed him. I thought about the night at the outdoor ice rink, how patient he’d been teaching me to skate. Maybe something that spoke to his quiet love for the outdoors, his vague lumberjack energy I made fun of him for with clear affection? Or something that showed him I appreciated his strength—both physical and emotional. But what? My brain swirled with ideas, none of them sticking.

Then there was Roman. Fiery, unpredictable Roman. There was a depth to him I hadn’t seen in anyone else. He had this passion that burned hot but was often hidden behind his sarcasm and charm. But underneath it all, I knew he had a softness that few people got to see. I wanted to give him something that spoke to that, to show him I understood the parts of him he kept locked away. Something personal, intimate—maybe something that reminded him of his siblings, the family he missed but didn’t talk about much.

And Wes…my sweet, loyal Wes. He was the calm in the storm, always a source of comfort on a gentler level than Sawyer’s toughness. He’d been there for me since the beginning, even before I knew it, and he’d never once faltered. He was the kind of person you could trust with anything, and I wanted to give him something that reflected that loyalty. Maybe something nostalgic, a reminder of our shared past growing up together in Mistletoe.

I wasn’t good at gift giving. Never had been. But this time, it felt different. I wanted to get it right. Because these men—they weren’t just anyone.

They were mine.

Bria’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. “So, what are you getting for your mysterious hockey player friend?” she asked with a teasing smirk, clearly still poking fun at the fact that I hadn’t spilled all the details yet.

I opened my mouth to answer, but before I could, someone called my name. I turned to see Sharon, of all people, heading straight for us, her expression a mix of amusement and something more sinister. I groaned internally. The last person I needed to see, ever. But especially out in public with my sort-of aunt.

“Oh, Rachel,” Sharon said, her smile just a little too wide. “Still playing the ice queen role, I see?”

“Sharon,” I greeted flatly. “What a surprise.”

She shifted her gaze to Bria, and then, with the subtlety of a bulldozer, dropped the bomb. “Has Rachel told you about her…unconventional relationship? Looks like quite the little harem you’ve got going on. Three hockey players, huh? It’d almost be impressive if it wasn’t so sick.”

My stomach dropped. Bria’s eyes shot to mine, wide and full of shock. “Wait, three ?” she asked, clearly trying to process this new information.

Sharon crossed her arms, enjoying the show. “Oh, I’m sorry, did I share a secret? After that little show you sent me, I figured you weren’t one for keeping things on the DL. That’s too classy for someone like you.”

I clenched my jaw, trying to keep my cool. “I’m not concerned with what you think is classy, Sharon. Get out of here. Don’t you have puppies to go kick or something?”

With that, Sharon, clearly used to being the bully and not the one who got told off for her bitchiness, stormed off. When she was gone, I turned to Bria, who was gaping at me like I’d grown an extra head. Fucking great.

“So…” she began slowly, “is it true? You’re with three of them?”

I sighed. There was no point in lying. “Roman, Sawyer, and Wes.”

Bria blinked, then let out a low whistle. “Wow. And here I thought my love life was complicated.”

“I know how it sounds,” I said quickly, “but it’s not what you think. It’s…I don’t know. It just works. They all care about me, and I care about them.”

Bria’s expression softened, and she placed a hand on my arm. “Hey, I’m not judging. If it makes you happy, that’s all that matters. Does Michael know?”

I bit my lip, the weight of that question settling in. “No. Not yet. Please, let me and the guys tell him in our own time.”

Bria gave me a long look, then nodded. “Okay. I’ll keep quiet. But Rachel…you know this can’t stay secret forever.”

“I know,” I whispered.

Just then, a wave of dizziness hit me. My vision blurred for a second, and I stumbled. Bria grabbed my arm, her face full of concern. “Whoa! Are you okay, hon?”

“I’m fine,” I said, though my legs felt weak beneath me. “Just…tired. Need to sit down after all the shopping.”

“We really did shop ’til we dropped, huh?” Bria said, and I laughed weakly.

She helped me to a nearby bench, and I sat heavily, trying to catch my breath. But as I sat there, wondering at my weakness, the low energy levels I’d been feeling lately and had attributed to getting less sleep…something clicked in my mind. My period. I hadn’t had it in…how long?

Oh no. Now that the frightening thought had solidified, I was pretty sure I’d been slacking on taking my pill too. It was harder to keep track of it when I was splitting time between my place and three different guys’ apartments. Fuck.

Bria must have seen the panic on my face because she knelt down in front of me like she did when I was a kid with a scraped knee. “Rachel, what’s going on?”

“I…I’m kind of freaking out,” I whispered, my heart racing. “My period. It’s…I think it’s pretty late. I didn’t even think about it.”

Bria’s eyes went wide. “What?”

“Can you…can you get me a pregnancy test?”

She tried her best to keep her face neutral, but I could see the utter shock, the concern, the sheer terror that I was maybe projecting. But Bria nodded anyway, rushing off to run the most important errand of my life, leaving me and my bench to worry alone.

Well, maybe not alone . My hand rested on my roiling stomach, hoping for nothing more than those proverbial butterflies.