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Cash stays home from practice on Thursday night. The flu really kicked his butt. I offer to take Grady and then walk him home after practice.

Aly agrees, but guess who fucking shows up at practice while I’m on the sidelines?

I’m sure you guessed right.

Dickbag.

“I know you think I’m the biggest piece of shit around,” he starts off by saying, like he actually cares what I think about him. Maybe at a time when we were younger, he did. He doesn’t, so I’m not exactly surewhyhe’s talking to me.

I shake my head, trying to suppress a sarcastic laugh.

I don’t think it, dude, I know it.

“Maybe I am for the decisions I’ve made over the years. . . but you weren’t in my shoes. You weren’t trying to make it through law school and up at 3:00 a.m. every morning with your infant sons.”

Do you notice the way my fists tighten and my jaw clenches? It’s all an attempt to not lay this fucker out for placing the blame on anyone but himself. “So because you manned up to your responsibilities back then you should be forgiven for cheating on Aly with her best friend?”

Austin’s murderous eyes sweep to mine. He swallows hard. His jaw twitches. “I never said that. What I’m saying is you have no idea what it was like. We were fuckin’ kids, man. I never had the chance to grow up until I was forced to and yes, I fucked up a lot along the way, but don’t you think for one second I don’t love my boys and Aly.”

Can I punch him? No, seriously, can I?

Probably shouldn’t. He’d sue me.

“You loved her enough to destroy her,” I spit, my breathing increasing to the point that it sounds like I’m fucking panting. I hate that he’s drawing this reaction from me, but seeing his face as he tries to make these bullshit excuses is like hearing all the shit my mom used to spew to me. Excuses. That’s all they are. “I left her here, let you have her, and you fucking destroyed it.”

Austin steps toward me, the sunlight behind his back all but gone now. I know he has me on size, a little bit, but I know my anger for life in general has me not backing down to him. You know enough about me now to know it’s not an option.

“You don’t think Aly played a role in any of it?” Austin’s brow raises, and I can’t help but notice the disgust he holds for her. He honestly believes it has something to do with her. “You think she’s innocent?”

I know where he’s going with this. I do, and I’m not about to let him.

“Are you really going to be the guy who says if she gave it up more, you would have never cheated?” I lift an eyebrow, a smile ghosting over my lips. “Is that the card you’re going to play?”

Do you notice his face? He wants to tell me I’m right, but I don’t think he has the balls to do it. Instead, he says, “We hadn’t had sex in months.”

Should I tell him Aly and I had sex multiple times the other night?

For the sake of making a scene in front of everyone, I’ll leave that part out because I assure you, he’d fucking deck me if I said that. So I don’t say anything, for now. Unless he shoves me. If he does, fuck him. I’ll tell him in detail how I ate her fucking pussy on my table the other night.

“All right, let me get this straight.” I reach up and turn my hat around backward, like I’m actually interested in anything he’s saying. I’m not, but then again, I am in some twisted way. “By her not giving it up every night because she was busy raising your kids whileyouwere out doing God knows what”—like how I put emphasis on you? He doesn’t—“that gave you permission to cheat on her?”

Austin doesn’t say anything, at first. But his facial expression gives me an indication as to what he’s thinking. Do you see the twitch in his jaw? The fire in his eyes? Anger. I bet that’s one of them, but you know, I’ve been wrong a time or two. He doesn’t like what I’m saying, does he?

Guess what he does?

Shoves me.

“That’s none of your business.”

I drop the clipboard in my hand and shove him back. “You’re right, it’s none of my business, but you seem hell-bent on convincing me you’re the good guy here. I’m just letting you know I have my own theories on who you really are. And while we’re at it, shoving seems to be your answer for everything, doesn’t it?”

Look at him trying to be intimidating.

Ha. Ain’t he cute. I bet he thinks he can stop me from fucking his wife.

Too late.

Austin glares at me, his eyes narrowing into daggers, but he backs up, glancing around at everyone. “Fuck you.” And then he starts to walk away. Just like that.