Page 57 of Keeping it Real

Dad gets a lot of calls where no one is there.

“Hello?”

Whoever was on the other end hesitated before a gravelly male voice asked, “Who’s this?”

“Who is this?”Sheridan countered.

The line went dead.A fission of alarm raced up her spine.She bounced up from the chair.

“This”—she held up the cell phone—“is staying home from now on.If Finn ends up in detention again, it won’t be because he’s scrolling through his phone.”

Hattie letout a happy bark when Alek stormed into the house an hour later.The dog must have sensed his foul mood because she swiftly picked up the remains of the stuffed shark she was in the midst of dismembering and hightailed it up the stairs.He followed her, depositing his overnight case and his equipment bag in his room with a loud thump.

“Is that helping?”Sheridan asked from the doorway to her bedroom at the other end of the hall.

He leaned a shoulder against the doorframe.“Not really.”

She mirrored his pose.“What happened with the headmaster?”

Alek scoffed.“Lots of promises and ass-kissing.”

One corner of her mouth kicked up.“I guess it pays to be a professional athlete.”

“Not when people use me as a weapon to harass an innocent kid.”

It was the wrong thing to say, judging by the way her face crumpled.

“Maybe this wasn’t the best idea,” she said, her voice was barely audible from where he stood.

He closed the distance between them in six strides.His hands landed on her shoulders, and he gave her a little shake.“Don’t say that.Don’t ever say that.”

“But what if it’s true?If our being here is throwing you off?”

“Now you’re just being ridiculous.”It nearly killed him, knowing he’d been thinking the same thing days before.Because it was bullshit.It was a cockamamie excuse for him having an off game.

Or four.

She shook her head.“We went ahead with this situation because we both want what’s best for Finn.I’m worried it might have been too drastic a change for him.He’s being assigned the blame for something he has no control over.Not only is it taking an emotional toll but his health is being impacted, too.”

A lick of panic coursed through him.“Is something wrong with him?”

She waved him off.“Forget I said anything.”

“Hell, no I’m not going to forget it.”He tightened his grip on her shoulders.“Tell me what’s going on.”

She swore softly.“I promised not to.”

“Too bad.Tell me now, Sheridan.”He towed her forward so that her body was nearly flush against his.

“He’s been wetting the bed,” she mumbled against his chest.

Alek took a moment to process what she’d said before his body relaxed.“Is that all?”He barked out a relieved laugh.

She slapped her palms against his chest.“It’s very serious, Alek.Especially to a second-grade boy.It would kill him if he found out you knew.”

He wrapped his arms around her and pressed his lips to the top of her head.“You’re right.I’m sorry Finn has to deal with this.”

“Yeah, well, he’s not the one who has to wash his sheets every day.”