Page 1 of My Ex's Brothers

1

AMELIA

I never thoughtI would be here, in this car, heading back to Barrington, Kentucky. With a baby in my back seat.

Though, to be fair, I should have known my whirlwind romance with Dexter Rose, number 69 for the Saltsville Stingrays, would crash and burn eventually, because that’s what Dex is.

A five-alarm fire that burns through everything in his path.

One look at the rearview mirror tells me our daughter, four-month-old Lyla, is still out like a light, which makes me feel a little better about the long drive.

After finding out about Dex’swife, and his three other children—with other women—I didn’t know what else to do. I could have forgiven him for not being at the hospital. Maybe I could have even worked past the cheating with some counseling or something. But beingmarriedand having kids with herandtwo other women? Abso-fucking-lutely not.

The memory tries to slip back into my psyche, but I push it away, instead reaching for the radio. I flip through the stations, but almost everything is static. Everything except the sports station, which is talking about the Stingrays’ home game and Dex’s “scandal.”

The minute I hear them discussing my life like they know me, I turn it off. I’d rather drive in silence than be reminded of Dexter Rose and his betrayal.

Lyla coos in her car seat and I let out a sigh. I don’t know how I’m going to do this.

How I’m going to raise a four-month-old baby on my own.

My parents simply aren’t an option, what with them cruising through Europe right now for their retirement, and the only other person I’m close to in my life is my best friend Sam. I’m lucky that Sam was able to get me a month-to-month lease at an apartment in town, since her one-bedroom condo isn’t really equipped for a single mom and a baby, but I’m not sure how long I’ll actually be able to afford staying at Little Creek Apartments if I can’t find a job.

I’m not sure about anything anymore, honestly. All I know is I have to keep moving, because if I don’t, it won’t be good for either of us. Me or my daughter.

I know Dex’s family is still there, since his two brothers still play for the Badgers, but I don’t know them well. Dex is practically hockey royalty. His father played hockey, and before Dex got traded to the Stingrays, he played for the Badgers alongsidebothhis brothers—Dane, and their older brother Richard. Oh, and their stepbrother, Tripp, plays college hockey.

Three months after we met, Dex was traded to the Stingrays, and he asked me to go with him. A month after that, I found out I was pregnant with Lyla. But after everything that’s happened, I’m sure I am the last person his family wants to see, what with my face—along with the faces of Dex’s other three women—played all over the news since the scandal broke. They probably think I’m the problem. That I’m the damn home-wrecker.

I mean, he is married, apparently. And when I met his family, he didn’t even introduce me as his girlfriend, which should have been my first sign.

Red flag number one, Mia.

It’s nearing two a.m. when I finally make it to Little Creek Apartments. I don’t have time to unpack everything, but I make sure I at least get Lyla’s pack-n-play up so she can rest while I get a few hours of sleep before she wakes up.

Two hours. That’s all I’m able to steal, because I swear, somehow she knows we’re no longer home in good old sunny Florida.

By the time I’ve got her fed, changed, and down in her bouncy swing, it’s after eight a.m. I could use a coffee, but I didn’t pack much more than Lyla’s essentials, which reminds me I need to hit the store at some point…

I pull up a stool in front of the kitchen island to check my email while she bounces in her swing, my eyes going wide when I see that the local Barrington Bugle has gotten back to me about my application I submittedyesterdaywhen I stopped for lunch on the drive up. A smile graces my face as I read that they would like to interview me, but that smile disappears near instantly when I see they’re only doing their interviews…today!

Fuck. I bite my lip as I try to figure out a game plan, because honestly, this is my dream job. Writing articles and covering local stories is what I really want to do, and this position combines writing and social media management. I don’t have a ton of experience with the latter, but they want to interview me, so that must mean I’ve done something right. Especially if I’m hearing back this soon.

Yet as I scroll through my contacts, I’m reminded that I’ve been gone for a little over a year, and I’m not sure who there is left to call except Sam…

I dial her number, hoping she might be able to help in a pinch. I hate that my first reunion with my bestie is me needing something. I hate needing anything from anyone, but…

“Hey, girl!” her voice calls with excitement. “Where are you? Did you?—”

“I got in last night…er…this morning,” I say. “Two in the morning to be exact.”

Sam whistles on the other end. “Shit…it’s like, barely eight, have you even slept?”

I sigh, shaking my head even though she can’t see me.

“Not really. I got maybe a couple hours tops before Lyla was up.”

I twist my lips as Sam groans, “That sucks.”

---