Cassie’s jaw drops, and you could probably fit a mansion in her mouth now. But she says nothing. She’s shocked speechless. That’s a first.

  My mother recovers her voice first. “You’re with both of them?” It comes out as a clarifying question, like she can’t possibly have heard me correctly.

  “Yes. We’re together. I’m with both of them, and each guy is with me.”

  “Oh,” she says, then tilts her head the other way. “Ohh.” She blinks. “At the same ti—” She slaps a palm over her mouth.

  My dad raises a stop-sign hand at Mom. “That goes under things I don’t need to know, honey.”

  Yeah, I agree, Pops.

  Chagrined, my mom looks at me. “I’m so sorry.”

  I scripted this morning a million different ways, but never did I think my mom would apologize for accidentally asking if I take a double dose of dick with my morning coffee.

  “It’s no big deal,” I say, even though they’ve got two very big deals.

  Cassie lifts a finger, speaking at last. “That’s why you were so upset the night you came to my house?”

  “Yes,” I admit. “I didn’t think it was going to work out with them. But it did after all.”

  “You didn’t tell me. You only said it was one guy. Why didn’t you tell me the truth?” she asks, hurt in her tone.

  Is that a real question? “Because you don’t like most of my choices?” I say, but it’s more of a question. How is this a surprise for her?

  “I don’t care if you’re with two guys,” she says, and is that honesty in her eyes? It sure looks like it. “I care if somebody hurts you. I never want anybody to hurt my little sister. And if they hurt you, they’ll have me to answer to.”

  “That’s sweet,” I say, as unexpected tears prick the back of my eyes.

  “It’s not supposed to be sweet,” she says briskly. “It’s supposed to be threatening!”

  Mom laughs, then Cassie and I join in, and I guess her personality type is the one I added—the protector. Like Ryker. That helps me understand Cassie a little bit more. “So you wouldn’t have judged me for being in love with two guys?”

  She’s quick with an answer, like she always is. “I think it’s strange. I don’t understand it. I don’t get it. But you brought me pound cake and called me when you needed someone, and you came to my shower with books. I think that’s all I can really ask for in a sister,” she says, and I suppose that’s as good as it’s going to get with her.

  “Thanks,” I say, meaning it.

  My mom clears her throat. “I have questions though.”

  “Darling, please don’t ask that again,” my father warns, his tone stern.

  “Not that,” Mom says, staring intensely at me. “More like what should I call them when I meet them? Will they both come over for Thanksgiving? I don’t understand how any of this works. It doesn’t make a lot of sense to me, but I understand it was a big deal for you to tell us. So I’ll have some questions. Like when I introduce all of you, should I say This is my daughter Trina and her boyfriends?”

  And I was today years old when I learned my romantic mother is highly practical too.

  I guess people have a way of surprising you. “Yes, that would work.”

  EPILOGUE

  TWO RIVALS AND THEIR GIRLFRIEND

  Trina

  A week later, I head to the park with my three roommates—my two boyfriends and my pervy little dog. We walk through the streets of Pacific Heights like, well, a throuple.

  Along the way, Chase says, “So, I was watching this new dog video from the vet dude, and he was talking about dog DNA, and I thought we should get Nacho’s DNA tested. How fun would that be?”

  “Only the most fun ever,” I say, because that sounds like Christmas and my birthday all at once.

  “Make sure he didn’t just eat any panties when you swab his cheek,” Ryker says dryly.

  I jerk my gaze to my bearded boyfriend, alarmed. “Is that your way of telling me he ate some undies?” Nacho’s been lingerie-less for several weeks now. I’m seriously proud of his panty-free diet. But he could relapse at any moment.

  Ryker shoots me a reassuring grin. “Sweetheart, we hung your hamper five-feet high. In a laundry room. With a door that shuts,” he says. “That’s our job in the household. To make sure that boy is safe.”

  He nods to the pooch leading the way, and I love that Ryker, a self-declared not a dog guy, has added Nacho to the inner circle of those he protects.

  Chase clears his throat. “Speaking of household, did you know the word ménage comes from the French word for household?”

  We all stop in our tracks, Ryker and I staring at Chase. “Is that you or did a word nerd take over your body?” Ryker asks.

  Chase blows on his nails. “I live with a couple word nerds. Gotta hold my own.”

  I squeeze his arm, gleeful. “And you did.”

  We enter the park and head to the tents, where the guys from the two teams are gathered for the kickoff event for the Hockey Hotties calendar. It’s a bark in the park for rescue pups, with dog treats, toys, pools, and jumps. As we walk up the grassy hill, I’ve got Chase’s hand in one of mine, Ryker’s hand in the other. Some of the athletes stare at us. Then, most of the athletes.

  I squeeze both their hands, but they don’t seem worried. Just ready. Like me. When we reach the Sea Dogs’ tent, Chase holds up my hand, joined with his, and says, “This is my girlfriend, Trina.”

  Right next to that tent is the one for the Avengers. “And this is my girlfriend, Trina,” Ryker adds. “Got it?”

  There’s silence for several weighty seconds as gears turn in heads. Then Erik draws a triangle in the air. “Like a three-way?”

  “And you can count,” Chase says as Ledger pushes past the guys and joins us, gesturing to Chase as he talks to me. “So glad this guy listened to my advice.”

  I smile. “Is that so?”

  “Yeah. I told him to get the girl,” he says, a little cocky, a little proud. His smile disappears, and he delivers a scathing look to Ryker. “But this changes nothing. We’re still going to destroy you when we play you.” Ledger turns back to Chase. “Right?”

  Chase scoffs. “Like we’d do anything else.”

  Ryker just rolls his eyes. “I’d like to see that happen.”

  Dev, the goalie from Ryker’s team, heads over, stopping to give the three of us a long, appraising look. “So it’s two rivals sharing a woman?”

  Ryker and Chase make a show of pretending to think on the question and then they nod.

  Dev cackles, then thrusts his arms skyward under the San Francisco sun. “Dude, thank god for the two of you, because we will never have to deal with the press again with what you guys are gonna have to handle.”

  All the hockey guys at the park crack up. “Talk about taking one for the team,” Ledger puts in.

  “Yeah, that’s why I did it,” Chase says dryly.

  Their teammates give them hell the whole afternoon. I never knew there were so many sandwich jokes. Meatball ones too. Then, Erik ups the ante asking if I’m the marshmallow between the graham crackers and the chocolate bar.

  “I do like s’mores,” I say, and he laughs, but some of their teammates are quieter. Some say nothing. Some just give us curious looks.

  Maybe this is just the way it goes, but I want to make sure my guys are good with everything.

  Concerned, I pull them aside under a tree. “Is this okay? Does it bother you that some are looking at us funny?”

  Chase shakes his head. “No. We did what we needed to do. We told them. It’s not a secret. We can finally be ourselves.”

  I relax some. We were never hiding because of worries over his teammates, or honestly even the press. We were secretive because we didn’t want to look like a pair when we’re three of a kind.

  “And the rest is out of our hands. Can’t please everyone,” Ryker seconds, then presses a reassuring kiss to my cheek.

  “But what about the press?” I ask, because their teammates think that’ll be a field day.

  “That is definitely out of our hands,” Chase says, and it’s clear the comment comes from experience. “But we’ll handle it.”

  “You’re worth it,” Ryker adds.

  I breathe a deeper sigh of relief. Whatever comes next I can handle. I did the hard thing—I told my family. That was always my biggest concern.

  Beyond that, I’m lucky to work in a field that embraces love, in all its shapes, sizes and forms, including unconventional arrangements. The women and men I interact with don’t judge who you love.

  Soon, some of them will be here—part of my found family and I can’t wait to share some of my love story with them.

  But first, I have one more thing to say to my boyfriends. “I love you two,” I say, and the worries fade away even more.

  A little later, Aubrey joins me at the launch. Ivy and Katie are here too, along with some of my friends from book club. Nacho’s parked at my feet in the grass, rolling on his back, showing off for the ladies as they ask me lots of questions.

  Unlike my mother, they have no qualms about asking the at the same time question.

  But I don’t kiss and tell. I just give a coy shrug and they move onto other queries.

  “Do you always go out together?” Kimora asks.

  “We’re figuring that out, but no, not always. Sometimes I hang out with Chase. Sometimes Ryker. And sometimes it’s the three of us.”

  “And do your parents know?” Prana asks.

  “They do, and they’re not totally freaking out. Just partially freaking out.”

  “And their parents?” Aubrey asks, pointing to the guys.

  Ivy laughs and raises a hand, swiping her dark hair from her cheek. “I’ll take this one. Our mom is completely cool with it and so is Chase’s. But they also were used to those two sharing toys when they were kids,” she says with a wicked grin, like she’s been dying to make that comment for some time.

  “Well played,” Aubrey says approvingly, then the conversation returns to more questions.

  “Do people look at you when you all go somewhere?” Prana inquires.

  I nod to the big packs of burly men several feet away. “Well, they all did. But I suppose I would too,” I admit, then my gaze snags again on that group of men.

  I could be wrong, but I’m pretty sure Ledger’s checking us out with obvious interest in his eyes. But is he looking at Aubrey or Ivy or one of the other gals?

  I’m not sure, but I see sparks in his dark eyes from a distance.

  I’ll have to talk to my guys later and ask what they think, but for now, I chat more with my friends, then I join my boyfriends for a picture.

  Later that night, as we’re all settled in on the couch, I prep it to post on Ryker’s social feed with the caption Two rivals and their girlfriend. But I add a heart.

  I show it to him and he arches a brow. “Really? A heart emoji?”

  Chase cracks up. “It’s just an emoji.”

  “It’s a whole new image,” Ryker grumbles.

  “It’s a whole new world,” Chase corrects.

  I look from one man to the other. “Yes. Yes, it is.”

  I don’t wake up to a welcome wagon on social media. There are plenty of questions, side-eyes and WTFs from hockey fans. At breakfast, Ryker’s and Chase’s notifications are blowing up with questions, and requests from the media—not even the hockey media. But from Page Six, and other celebrity sites.

  It’s still so weird to me. So surreal.

  I do worry about them. They’re mine after all. I can’t not worry. I set a hand on Ryker’s strong arm. “I hope this doesn’t mess things up for you with the team, and with everything we were trying to do,” I say. “Especially after the podcast thing.”

  “It won’t. The team wasn’t even upset about that. They get that we can’t control the media. They just wanted me to show more of myself online,” he says, then faux shudders.

  “You still hate that,” I say, laughing.

  Chase laughs too. “He probably always will,” he says.

  “Damn straight,” Ryker confirms. “But I’ll do it anyway. Since it matters to the people I care about. Like my team.”

  And I fall a little harder for him.

  Then I turn to Chase. “Is this going to distract you? What if I was the bad luck charm?”

  He scoffs. “Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. And the thing is, you showed me there’s room in my life for hockey and love.”

  My heart thumps louder for him too.

  “The real issue is this,” he adds, as he shows me his phone and his social feed. Right alongside the WTFs and the freaks are comments like cool, and can I come to the wedding, and whatever works, as long as she doesn’t root for the Sea Dogs.

  Ryker stares sternly at me. “See? That’s all that matters. You’re an Avengers fan now, Trina.”

  Chase clears his throat. “She’s a Sea Dogs fan, and that’s that.”

  “Avengers.”

  “Sea Dogs.”

  And I suppose that really is the biggest concern. Which means, it’s time to set our phones down, and not worry about the world, and all the things we can’t control.

  I have my guys, my dog, and some books to read. The rest is just noise.

  ANOTHER EPILOGUE

  THE DOUBLE WAG

  Trina

  A year later, I’m torn.

  This is seriously hard. I’m in the VIP suite, wearing my special jersey, nibbling on avocado bruschetta but feeling like I’m being ripped in half.

  “Nobody in my throuple support group warned me about this,” I joke to Aubrey, but I’m not really joking.

  Loving two players from two teams does a number on your sports loyalties. Mine have shot sky high in the last year since I’ve gone from hockey hater to hockey lover.

  The year hasn’t been all smooth skating. Like my two men, I’ve been subjected to a fair amount of scrutiny from the media—but we take it all in stride, and most of it is behind us now. All that’s important to me is that my guys are happy, and that our families accept us—which they do.

  Besides, what goes on behind closed doors isn’t anyone’s business but our own—and the stuff that does go on behind closed doors? It’s all so very worth it. Everything with them is because I love Ryker and Chase, and they love me.

  But I don’t just love my guys. I fell hard for the game too. I dare anyone to claim it’s not the best sport there is. But right now, the score is tied in the game as the Sea Dogs and Avengers vie against each other on the ice.

  “What do I do?” I ask. But it’s a question for the universe. An unknowable one.

  “Well, obviously blow both of them regardless,” Aubrey deadpans.

  “That’s a given, but still,” I say, staring down at the ice as the guys fly by at rocket speed. But when there’s a media time-out, I pull my focus from the rink and turn it straight to my friend.

  She’d been telling me about a new guy in her life and how very complicated the situation is. I listen, then give her my best advice, hoping it’s as good as the advice she gave me when I desperately needed it a year ago.

  The last year has been a good one for many, many reasons. The book club has tripled in size. Business at the store is terrific. We raised a good amount of money for Nacho’s rescue with the jerseys. And my boy won his most recent agility competition.

  He’s seriously the best dog ever. He’s also cut way down on his underwear snacks.

  Oh, and also, Selena-slash-Abby was exposed. At first, I’d thought some industrious reporter had tracked her down. Then I’d thought maybe the book club had put their clever heads together and found out who she was. Because they could do that with their big brains.

  Finally, I’d imagined the guys on the Avengers or the Sea Dogs had exposed her.

  But nope. I was wrong on all three guesses. It was my sister. Cassie put her determination to use and found out who The Stuntwoman was.

  Pretty sure it’ll be hard for the boys’ ex to pull off her tricks now—on anyone—now that everyone knows her name, and her face, and her voice.

  Such a shame.

  As for Jasper, I heard through the book club grapevine that he keeps getting on the apps, and getting shut down once women learn who he is—the guy who cheated on his girlfriend in front of her dog.

  It’s the kiss of death, it seems.

  Good.

  I’m just glad he never came around again, and I haven’t seen him once at a game.

  Well, I have excellent seats at both arenas. Perks of being a double WAG.

  Later, when the game ends, I wait in the corridor for my boyfriends, watching as they stride down the hall in their suits to take me out for a VIP night on the town. These two have been the best part of the past year. I don’t see them every day or even every night, and coordinating two hockey schedules with my own is like a game of Jenga. But it’s worth it. When we’re together we make the best of it, playing poker with Ryker’s grandmother, having lunches with their moms, visiting my family for the holidays, where my mom finally got to say This is my daughter Trina and her two boyfriends.

  I’m pretty sure every one of my extended family looked at us thinking at the same time?

  But no one said it.

  Now, it’s only me and my guys tonight, just the way I like it. “Want to play pool?”

  Ryker groans. “So you can crush us?”

  “Exactly,” I say.

  Chase shakes his head, sighing deeply. “Never should have taught you. Now you’re way better than we are.”

  They carried through on their first night promise and taught me the game. They even bought me a pool table for Christmas so I could work on my skills.

  Though mostly, I think they got it for, ahem, other reasons.

  “C’mon hockey guys, take me on.”

  And they do. They take me on at our home that night on the pool table.