In terms of Mia and me, that future is more murky.
For the next few days, she and I are polite and civil. We don’t have sex, and she goes back to sleeping in her room. She says it’s because she wants me to focus all of my energy on the finals, but I know better.
My news combined with hers has essentially started dissolving our marriage. If not on paper, then emotionally. And physically. I miss holding her in my arms at night. I miss making love to her at all hours of the day. And I miss the easy way we always had of talking and laughing together.
She’s pulling away from me. And I don’t know what to do.
Despite the distance between us, she comes to the games. Home and away. And that means a lot to me.
However, we lose them both.
“Series is tied three all. You know what that means,” Arch says as we take off our pads in the locker room after game six in New Orleans.
“One game for all the marbles,” Jared says. “I like our odds.”
“Me, too.” I nod at him. “Let’s make sure we’re ready.”
I should take my own advice. But as we touch down in Montana, I’m still fucking wired.
Mia flew to the game with her dad and Jamie Beth, and she said she was going to spend the night at Jamie’s.
Once I’ve driven home to the cabin, I check my phone, relieved to see that Mia texted and is safely on the ground. I write her back that I’m home as well and wish her a good night.
I want to crawl into bed beside her and tell her everything.
Since that’s not an option tonight, I wander up to the main house to get a snack.
After I’ve rummaged through the fridge and come away with a slice of apple pie and some cheese, I go looking for Luke in the den.
He’s not there, and I assume he’s gone to sleep.
But as I leave the house and pass by the barn, I see a light on.
I step inside and find Luke in his makeshift office at the back of the barn. His eyes are bloodshot when he looks up at me from his desk.
“Hey.” I sit down on the couch across from his old, wooden desk. “What are you doing up working?”
He holds up a stack of papers. “I’ve got so much administrative crap,” he says. “Dad didn’t tell me how much of my time this would take up when I agreed to run the ranch. And Coop and Chase are more useless than I am at it.”
“You need an assistant,” I say.
“I know. Chase swears he’s going to just hire one and have them show up one day.” He pushes the papers aside. “So what’s up with you and Mia? You two are acting weird.”
“Weird?”
“Distant and shit.” He cocks his head. “Did something change with your plans?”
I tell him about how I got the stake in ownership and that Mia no longer needs to stay married.
He gives a slow nod. “I see. So you’re both getting what you wanted out of this marriage. I should be saying congratulations. Right?”
I nod back at him. “Should be.”
“But neither of you are happy,” he observes. “Doesn’t take a genius to see that.”
I look over his shoulder at the photograph of him riding a bronc.
“Where was that taken?” I ask him.
