He sits on the couch with me in his lap, and then Jessica’s crawling all over both of us too, grunting in my face.
“She’ll be okay.” Holt rubs the dog’s head. “Settle down. Don’t step on the baby or you’ll have to get off.”
She snorts at him with a fraction of her normal heat.
“I shouldn’t—hic!—have gone—hic!—outside,” I say. “I shouldn’t—hic!—have taken—hic!—the job.”
“I should’ve sent Fletcher and Silas to find you.”
He’s so calm.
Socalm.
“Why—hic!—aren’t you—hic!—freaking out?”
He threads his fingers through my hair and presses a kiss to my forehead. “Because you’re here. This sucks, Zig. It fucking sucks. But we’ll get through it. You’re here. I’m here. Jessica’s here. We’ve got this.”
I wish I had even the smallest bit of his confidence.
I wish I didn’t think he was putting on a brave face for me.
“He was so mad,” I whisper.
I’ve honestly never seen my stepfather that angry.
Holt strokes my neck. “For the rest of the night, that’s a him problem. Not an us problem.”
But it’s a tomorrow problem.
My hiccups gradually slow. Jessica splays across my legs, panting while I pet her. And Holt holds me.
Is he calm because he’s accepted this is over?
Or is he calm because he knows we can make this work?
Is he quitting rugby?
Will he get traded?
Will I have to decide if I want to follow him?
And what about the house?
What will happen to Caden’s house?
My handbag buzzes.
Someone’s calling or texting me.
I squeeze my eyes shut and snuggle closer to Holt, but when the buzzing doesn’t stop, I ask him to hand me my phone, then hold it so we can both see the wall of texts from Miranda.
Miranda:I love you.
Miranda:I’m so sorry my dad is being an asshole. I tried to talk to him and now I’m on his shit list too.
Miranda:This is the most awkward awards banquet I’ve ever been at. Everyone’s eating cheesecake like it’s funeral cheesecake. Not a single player has smiled while taking an award. They’re all looking at Dad like he’s a monster.
Miranda:He’ll calm down. He has to. I’ve never seen him mad like this, but it can’t be the first time. Which means he’ll calm down. There’s not really another option.
