Page 41 of Dump and Chase

“No, the spare bedroom is fine.”

I headed to the kitchen to finish my energy bites as he got settled. He joined me a few minutes later and rifled through the fridge. “Sorry, I’m starved. Do you mind if I make myself a sandwich?”

“Go ahead.”

“I’ll pick up groceries tomorrow.”

“I went this morning. We’re fully stocked.”

He made a sandwich and took a seat at the kitchen island. As he ate, he eyed my energy bites. I plopped one down on his plate and grabbed one for myself.

“So what happened?” I asked, leaning forward on the other side of the island.

He looked up at me, his brown eyes giving off a puppy-dog vibe. “I told Brandi.”

No shock there. “I gather that didn’t go well?”

“That’s an understatement. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her so pissed off. She kicked me out, told me she was keeping the ring and the house, and that was it.”

I munched on my protein ball, not feeling a bit of sympathy . “That’s too bad,” I managed. “What’s your next move?”

“I’ve got to find a place to live.”

I frowned. “Aren’t you going to try to work things out with her?”

He chewed slowly and swallowed. “I’m not sure what the point would be.”

When I’d walked out on him that New Year’s Eve, he’d spent months trying to get back together with me. He’d called, texted, sent flowers, but not once offered me what I truly wanted—a promise of commitment. And with Brandi, who he’d offered that commitment to freely, he was simply walking away?

“I’m a bit surprised you wouldn’t put up a fight,” I said at last.

“It’s for the best. I don’t think she’s ever going to accept that you and I are having a kid.” And then I saw it. Something in his eyes that looked like relief. He was happy to be rid of her!

Did he see the irony in all this? He didn’t want to marry me, but fought like hell to get me back. Then he proposed to Brandi and moved to the burbs with her, but he was going to let her go without even trying to patch things up. I was suddenly having feelings, none of them good. If he thought we were suddenly going to resume what we had from years ago, that wasn’t going to happen. I may have been having his baby, but I wasn’t taking him back. Not ever.

I pushed off from the island. “Well, you’re welcome to stay as long as you want since it’s your condo. Maybe some ground rules, though? I think we’re both free to do what we want to do, but maybe let’s not bring people back here. If either of us is dating someone, let’s not complicate things by having sleepovers.”

I could see the shock wash over his face. My suggestion had the intended consequence. Despite being pregnant with his baby, I was moving forward with my life, and I had no intention of including him.

* * *

I kept the primary bedroom, which was nice because it had its own ensuite bathroom and I now seemed to have to rush to the bathroom at least once a night. No matter how much or how little I drank before bed, I had my nightly dash to pee. Annoying.

I got up Sunday morning and made breakfast for myself, trying to be as quiet as possible. Sundays were usually half days at work filled with meetings and optional workout days for the Ravens prospects, so I was going to take it easy on my first half day.

When I got to my office in the practice arena, I was surprised to find a huge bag of peanut butter cups on my desk. Only one person knew about my stash. I passed the gym and peeked inside. A few players were there, but no sign of Brandon.

I headed to the meeting room and found most of the team assembled. I took a seat with my notebook in hand. I looked forward to my first meeting with the training team.

“How did it go with Warde?” Allan asked as me as waited for Victor, the massage therapist.

“It was fine. I think we came to an understanding. He’s eager to get back on the ice, but I made it clear that if he pushes himself, it could be the end for him. He seemed to get the message.”

Allan’s eyes narrowed. “Really?”

“I think so. Why do you seem so surprised?”

“He has a reputation for being difficult," Jim chimed in. “Great player and could probably play first line on any team, but Coach Anthony sent him down here to knock him down a peg or two. He’s not well liked in the dressing room, and seems to want more from some of the other players than they want to give. So nobody likes him.”

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