Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 80562 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80562 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
We’re crossing the small distance toward the private jet, which is waiting with the stairs down for us. The pilot is standing by the stairs.
He reaches for my hand. “Hey, Jake. Can’t wait to see you play again next season. I’m a huge fan.”
I shake his hand back. “Thanks. I appreciate the support.”
I notice Caroline rolling her eyes and pretending to barf a little bit.
I follow behind as we head up the stairs. I try to take Walker for her, but she won’t give up the baby carrier. I settle for keeping a close watch on her from behind–and it’s only partly because I’m enjoying the view up the stairs while her ass is at eye level.
I’ve always been an ass man, and Caroline has the kind of ass that an ass man dreams about. Today, she’s wearing light blue jeans that stretch over her ample rear end.
She turns around, catches me looking, and glares.
“Hey,” I say, hands raised defensively. “What kind of fake fiancé would I be if I didn’t admire my girl’s perfect ass when it’s right in front of me?”
“Nobody is watching, Jake.”
“Gotta do it right when nobody’s watching, so it feels natural when they are.”
“Well,” she says, darting her eyes away from mine. “I’m still trying to get rid of some of the baby weight, so stop staring, or you’ll make me self-conscious.”
“Of what? You look fu–” I catch myself and remember moms don’t usually like for people to swear around their babies. “You look amazing.”
“Well, thank you,” Caroline says quietly.
We get settled into our seats. Caroline sits across the aisle from me so she can put Walker in his seat beside her. The flight attendant helps her get the seat strapped in properly. When I arranged the flight, I made sure they’d be able to accommodate a baby in his carrier. The lady seemed to know what I was talking about, and I’m glad it seems like they’ve got it handled.
“By the way,” Caroline says as the plane is starting to taxi for takeoff. “I’m pretty sure you didn’t need to kiss me with tongue yesterday.”
“Old habits,” I say dismissively. “But I’m pretty sure your tongue found its way into my mouth right after that. And you really were drooling a little bit when I pulled away.”
She sits up straighter. “That’s bullsh… she pauses. “That is crap. Crud.”
I laugh. “You can’t protect that kid from swear words, you know. His uncle is an NHL player. He’s going to be surrounded by more cursing than he’ll know what to do with. Might as well embrace it.”
Caroline looks like she wants to say something but gets stiffer and keeps quiet.
I almost ask about Walker’s real dad. I can joke around all I want, but the truth is there’s something that twists inside me every time I see Caroline and Walker. It’s a sense of betrayal and hurt I know I don’t have any right to feel.
If nothing else, I wish I could kick his real dad’s ass. Caroline shouldn’t be stuck doing this all on her own, just like everything else in her life. It pisses me off. It hurts. Because I know Caroline never asks anyone for help. I admire that about her just as much as it frustrates me.
Hell, if I believed there was a remote chance she would’ve let me, I might have even offered to step in. Babies and kids aren’t my thing, but I could’ve at least helped her hire some help or babysat to give her some time off.
“Have you thought about what kind of ring you want yet?” I ask.
“Nothing crazy,” she says quickly. “Just enough to sell the lie.”
“Well, if you really were engaged to me, your ring would be something crazy. So…”
She eyes me. “I don’t want you wasting your money on a lavish ring, Jake. And make sure you can return it when this is done.”
“Right,” I say, even though I’ve got no intention of returning the ring. She can keep it for all I care. The idea of getting her some cheap thing doesn’t sit right with me, so that’s not how this is going to go.
Caroline leans over Walker’s carrier and shushes him. He makes some gurgling noises, and I see chubby hands holding her finger as she smiles.
Something in my chest feels confusingly warm at the sight of them. She’s good with him, which is mildly surprising to me for some reason. I guess Caroline always seemed like such a badass that I wasn’t sure she could soften enough to be that kind of mother. I sort of pictured Sarah Conner from The Terminator giving her kids assault rifles and grenade launchers, then teaching them how to prepare for the coming robot apocalypse. Seeing her baby talk and giggle with Walker is definitely not what I had imagined.