fuckup. I get it. Message received. Loud and clear.
63
RIDER
“Hey, asshole,” Tank says. “Stop slamming the cabinets. The hinges are gonna fall off.”
I grumble an apology while I stand in my underwear in the kitchen and make my daughter’s formula. With a flip of my wrist, I turn up the monitor, so I can keep an ear out for the baby.
“Another bad night? Did you try those cool cloths?”
“Yeah. Her fever is down, but now she’s congested and cranky.”
Since my luck is what it is, the gremlin got sick this week. Poppy had a hard time sleeping on Monday night, but I assumed she’d sensed my anxiety over possibly losing my spot on the football team. So I rocked her and held her and paced my bedroom to help her relax. Then last night, she had a fever. Fortunately, it broke quickly, but I’m so tired I’m seeing double.
“I’m surprised Gabby’s not here. You know she’d help.”
I’m not prepared for how much it aches to hear her name.
I sink down onto a chair and let out an aggravated groan.
Last night was not my proudest moment. I handled that situation with Gabby all wrong and let my pride get the best of me. I was exhausted and stressed out and pissed that my last week of the regular season has been marred by bullshit. Instead of talking about my pass completions and touchdowns, the media is digging up stupid crap.
And then I woke up this morning after those restful twenty minutes of sleep and saw that Gabby had removed herself from the online babysitting schedule. She very conscientiously replaced herself with other people, but it still stings.
“I doubt Gabby will be coming over here any time soon. For any reason.” I had to eat some serious crow the first time to get her to consider being friends again. I can’t imagine what this will take.
“Why’s that?” Ben asks quietly as he enters the kitchen with Knox and Olly.
Fuck. Nothing this week is going my way. Might as well tell her brother the truth. I’m tired of people thinking I’m keeping secrets. “She thinks I’m cheating on her.”
He laughs. Like, a big-ass belly laugh. “Why would she think that? Even I know you’re crazy for her. And trust me, I had my doubts at first.”
I am crazy for her. Crazy about her. Constantly thinking about her. Wanting to be around her. Insane in the membrane. Even after I swore I wouldn’t let myself get attached to anyone before I locked down my future with the NFL.
And she fucking thinks I’m cheating on her.
That anger rises up in me again, and I wanna punch a hole in the wall right next to the one Ben made a month ago.
“You should ask her. She yelled at me across the lawn. Told off Miranda. Actually, she said she would pluck out Miranda’s eyes if she didn’t leave.” My woman’s wrath is breathtaking. I almost covered my balls.
She’s not your woman anymore, dumbass. Because you screwed up. Royally.
Ben laughs again, the dick. “That there is your first problem. Miranda totally wants to fuck you. Everyone knows it.”
I frown. “No, she doesn’t. She swore up and down she was cool being friends.” Tank gives Ben a look. “What?”
Tank scoffs. “And you believed her? Even I can see her little psycho heart-eyes from a mile away. You’re lucky there’s no bunny to boil.”
“Why the hell are we talking ’bout rabbits?”
“Aww, son, you’re such a young ’un.”
“You and I are the same age, asshole.”
“But I’m an old soul with a vast knowledge of 80s movies.” He shrugs. “My momma loves Glenn Close. Ever seen Fatal Attraction? Bunnies were boiled, my brother. It wasn’t pretty.”
That gives me pause.
Can Miranda be snarky and short-tempered? Definitely. But the guys seem to think she’s bunny-boiling crazy.
I freeze as I consider the accusations Gabby made about her last night.
I’m almost afraid to ask the question, but I trust Tank’s judgment. He might be outrageous sometimes, but he’s usually right about people.
A sinking sensation of dread washes over me as I realize I should’ve trusted Gabby’s judgment too. She’s never steered me wrong before.
Needing to piece this together, I say the words. “So do you think Miranda is unhinged enough to, say, leak the scandal in the first place?”
Everyone’s quiet, until Tank nods. “Definitely.”
“But why would she do that? What does she stand to gain from this?”
Tank smirks. “Did you or did you not hang out with her this week after not having seen her in