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CHAPTER TWENTY

Carter

“Hey man, do you have a charger I can borrow?”

Bash doesn’t look up from his phone as he asks the question. Our flight home from a shitty road trip is landing in twenty minutes, and his question sets me off.

“Get your ass on Amazon and place an order for ten fucking chargers, Bash. Or thirty. Put at least a dozen of them in your travel bag so you’re not asking me for one every fucking time we step onto a plane or a bus.”

“Dude, just tell Suki you’re sorry and make up with her. You’re crankier than a woman on her period and I’m fucking done.”

I scoff. “Ha! You’re done? You’re the one who’s twenty-seven years old and can’t even keep track of a phone charger. Or drop off your dry cleaning. Or take a break from video games to go visit your goddamn grandma.”

“It was the first day the game came out and I went the next day, asshole.”

I press my lips together and ignore him. The tension between us started when I went to stay with him on the day Suki kicked me out of my own house and I told him the truth about our marriage.

He sided with her, and we might have gotten into a minor wrestling match over it. Then I had to sleep in his guest room on a bed with no sheets because the dipshit just covered it with a comforter and called it a day.

Our road trip was a back-to-back. Where we play a game in one city one night and another city the next. They’re always a grind. I wanted to call or text Suki, but my pride wouldn’t let me, so we haven’t spoken since Sunday.

We lost both games on the road trip and our goalie, Isaac, injured his wrist in the first one. Charlotte’s been texting me that Olivia is crying all the time over some boy, which makes me want to crush that boy with my bare hands.

I just want to get home. Charlotte told me Suki left a couple of hours ago and Harry’s at the house with them, which has to mean she’s still avoiding me.

Every hour of every day since she said it, I’ve replayed her saying she “probably” loves me. There I was, pouring my guts out about wanting to be with her, and she stabbed me in the gut.

Fuck probably. In fact, fuck everything. As soon as the bus, which is taking us from the airport back to the player parking lot at the arena, stops, I stand up. I get off as quickly as I can, not saying a word to anyone.

There’s enough snow on the ground that it crunches beneath my shoes as I walk to my car. I hope Suki’s ancient Toyota Camry still starts in this ice-cold weather. I’m pissed at her, but I still don’t want her stranded on the side of the road. She was driving my Navigator most of the time because the girls liked it better, and I was driving my Jeep Wrangler to the arena for road trips. But Charlotte told me Suki drove her own car when she left this afternoon.

Just one more fuck you , I guess. Women are goddamn impossible. I tried to just say fuck it, who needs her anyway , but that only lasted about forty-five seconds.

I need her. And the girls do, too.

I brush the snow off the Wrangler’s windshield while it warms up. It’s still cold when I get inside. The fatigue of a back-to-back hits me as I drive home. We stayed in Vancouver last night after our game, but I slept like shit. When I finally did fall asleep, I dreamed that Suki had told me she married Tyler.

Harry’s navy BMW is parked in the driveway when I pull into my garage. I need some peace and a nap.

I get my bag from the passenger seat and walk into the house, immediately hearing someone wailing.

Hallie. I put my bag down and rush into the family room. Hallie’s sobbing, her hands over her face, and Charlotte looks stunned. Olivia is standing next to Harry, looking anguished, his arm around her shoulders in reassurance.

“Olivia lost Darling,” Charlotte says when she sees me.

“Lost him?”

Olivia’s voice breaks with emotion when she starts to speak. “I took him for a walk. He saw a dog and pulled on the leash. I couldn’t hold on to it.”

“He’s going to die!” Hallie wails.

“When did this happen?”

Harry’s brows are knitted with concern. “Olivia just got home like three minutes ago. We were about to get in my car and go look for him.”

“I’ll go. Liv, you come with me since you know where you were walking him.”

“Can I come?” Charlotte asks.

“No, you stay here.”

“He’s going to freeze,” Hallie says, sniffling.

“He has a coat and boots on,” Olivia says.

“What about his snout?”

I put up a palm. “Let us get out of here and find him, okay? He’s not exactly fast. He can only book it briefly and then he wears out.”

“I called Suki. She’s on her way,” Charlotte says.

I nod, not wanting to leave now that I know that. But I have to. The girls love Darling, especially Hallie. I’ve got to find that fat fucker.

Olivia and I get in the Navigator, her expression solemn.

“Do you really think we’ll find him?” she asks.

“Yep. I’m not lucky enough to get rid of him this easily.”

“Uncle Carter!”

I shake my head and sigh. “He’s grown on me a little bit, I guess. Everyone in the neighborhood has seen us walking him and they know he’s ours because no one else is insane enough to have a farm animal in their house. If someone finds him, they’ll bring him back.”

“What if he just lies down and gives up on life? He could freeze to death.”

I scrunch my face in confusion. “He’s a pig, Liv. Why would he want to give up being petted and fed Goldfish and cupcakes?”

“I chased him for a while, but I was afraid I’d get lost. He went into the woods at the end of that cul-de-sac with the house that has a guest cottage.”

“Okay.” I drive in the direction of the cul-de-sac. “What’s this I hear about you crying over a boy?”

“Ugh, did Charlotte tell you?”

“Don’t worry about who told me.”

“Only Suki and Charlotte know, and Suki wouldn’t betray me.”

“Okay, drama queen. What happened?”

She shrugs. “He doesn’t like me. That’s it. And now he knows I like him and it’s embarrassing.”

“He needs to get some glasses. Any guy should consider himself lucky you like him.”

A smile tugs at her lips. “Thanks. I thought you’d be mad that I like a boy.”

“No, of course not. You can like boys as long as you stay at least six feet away from them at all times.”

“Are you serious?”

“Absolutely.”

“It’s him!” Her face lights up and she points out the passenger window. “He’s okay.”

Darling is walking in someone’s front yard, his snout to the ground as he explores. I’m more relieved than I thought I would be.

I park in front of the house and we both get out of the car. Darling lifts his head and looks at us.

“Darling, come on!” Olivia says. “Let’s go home.”

He turns and walks in the opposite direction of us, his leash dragging through the snow.

“Darling!” I call. “Come on, dude, it’s cold out here.”

We jog toward him. As soon as he sees me, he speeds up. I stop and shake my head.

“We can’t let him get away!” Olivia says as she runs to catch up with him.

It’s freezing out here and I’m missing my nap. I run faster this time, catching up to him. I bend down to pick his leash up, but he darts away.

“You bastard,” I mutter.

Olivia tries to grab him, but he eludes her, too.

“Let’s try to box him in,” I call out.

I get on one side of him and try to close in, making Darling run toward her. He does, but when he gets close to her, he dodges to the side.

He’s just jogging until we get close. He’s surprisingly fast when he wants to be.

“Treaties!” Olivia yells. “Want treaties, Darling?”

He stops and looks at her. I creep toward him, stepping as quietly as I can.

“Let’s go home and get treaties,” Olivia says, crouching down. “Want some Goldfish?”

He heads toward her, snuffling with excitement. I get close enough to grab his leash and I pick it up.

“Good boy, Darling,” Olivia says, hugging him.

“He’s not a good boy. He only wants treats.”

“Well, at least we caught him.”

I walk him over to my car, and when we get there, a guy is standing in his yard, filming us with his camera phone. Fucking great. I really don’t want the world to know I have a pet pig who wears a puffer coat and dog boots.

I ignore the guy filming and tell Olivia to get in the car. She does, and I pick Darling up to put him in the back seat. He squeals loudly, making it look and sound like I’m stabbing him or something. This isn’t unusual; he hates being carried.

“I swear I’ll put you on a sandwich,” I grumble under my breath. “Get your ass in the car.”

I manage to get him onto the seat, put the leash in the car and close the door.

“Can I see him?” I hear Hallie saying when I get in the car.

“I FaceTimed her,” Olivia says to me.

She points her phone toward the back seat. “There he is.”

“My darling!” Hallie cries.

“Hi, Darling.”

That voice belongs to Suki. I turn the car around quickly and step on the gas, eager to get home and see her.

“Did you have an adventure?” Olivia asks Darling. “Are you hungry?”

I let go of my irritation over freezing my balls off chasing the pig. It was his getting away from Olivia that made Suki come back. I want her to stay.

When I come home from a road trip, it’s to Suki and the girls. I was a dick when I made coming home to them sound like some sort of accomplishment, but I’m not a charming man. I’m a direct communicator, not a game player.

Hopefully she cooled off during our time apart. I definitely did. I’m disappointed she’s not all in like I am, but if she needs more time, I’ll have to be okay with that.

When we get back to the house, Suki’s car isn’t there.

“Where’s Suki?” I say out loud.

Olivia types out a text and then waits a couple of seconds. “Charlotte says she just left.”

“For fuck’s sake,” I mumble.

“Are you guys having a fight?”

I don’t want her to worry about it, so I say, “We’re fine. Just working through something.”

I pull into the garage, Hallie standing there waiting for us. As soon as I park the car, she opens the rear driver’s side door and greets Darling with hugs and kisses.

At least she’s happy. I’m sure as hell not.