Page 99 of Second Down Darling

Jake’s remarkably quiet. He pinches the bridge of his nose, likely wishing he could run out of this apartment like I wantto.

“Come on, Duke.” I tug him down the hall where I put him in Asher’s room and close thedoor.

When I make it back to the living room, Jake’s pacing like a caged animal. “Dakota, you can’t just show up like this. You’ve had every opportunity to reach out to me over the past two years and never have. Why now?” His voice is a low grumble. I’m honestly shocked he’s notyelling.

“Funny you should ask, but one of my fans sent me this hysterical video of you and my sister making out at a football game. And after seeing ‘your daring fire rescue,’ I figured I need to get down here and save you from my sister before she burned down your apartment building too.” She turns to me and cackles. “Charlotte, hot dogs look really good on you. Bet I could get you a sponsorship. Nice job hiding whatever nasty gash you got under that bandage on your head,though.”

I close my eyes, loathing that Kota has seen one of the videos circulating from last weekend’s game. I’m guessing there’s more thanone.

Bending over, she basically puts her whole rear and some teeny thong on display while she digs into her bag to get her phone. “Last I saw, this video has over three million views. You’ve gone viral! Mother hates it, of course. Like, ‘Why can’t Charlotte go viral for doing something clever?’ Do you want to seeit?”

Do I want to watch myself get harassed and ridiculed? I shake myhead.

“Aww, really? Come on, Charlotte. It’s not that bad. Oh, but the memes? You’re going to hate them, but they’re fucking hilarious. And I know how much you lovememes.”

“Stop it, Dakota,” Jake says between clenched teeth. “Leave her alone. She has nothing to do withthis.”

Her eyes cut to him. “This has everything to do with my skanky sister who couldn’t keep away from you. If you marry her, do you know how embarrassing this will be for Asher someday when kids ask him, ‘Is that your mom?’ He’ll have to say, ‘Well, it’s my mom, but also my aunt.’” She cringes. “How fucked up is that? If you two have kids, his family tree will look like a damn Christmaswreath.”

Oh God. She’s not wrong aboutthat.

I swallow, hating the kernel of truth in hervitriol.

My sister taps one of her pointy talons on her chin. “Speaking of kids, I suppose congratulations are inorder.”

Silence fills theroom.

She motions down the hall. “I saw the positive pregnancy tests in thetrash.”

It takes me a second to figure out what she’s talkingabout.

The pregnancytests!

“It’s not like that,” I sayimmediately.

She smirks. “Are there or are there not pregnancy tests in thebathroom?”

“Yes,but—”

“Aren’t theretwothat arepositive?”

“Yes, but that’s notexactly…”

I turn to Jake, about to explain what happened with Roxy this afternoon, but he’s ghostly white. I’ve never seen him so pale. He staggers to the couch, sits at the edge, and drops his head into hishands.

“Charlotte, Charlotte,” Kota coos. “Is this not the reaction you were looking for? You know, when I told Jake I was pregnant in high school, he wasso sweet. He wrapped his arms around me and told me he’d be there every step of the way. Cradled my face and kissed me. Said that if I wanted the baby, he’d be there for me. Guess he’s not so excited to have knocked youup.”

My head pounds as I think back to her telling me how supportive Jake was back then. She was thrilled he was sounderstanding.

The longer I look at Jake, the more my heart hurts. This whole time I told myself one day he’d be over the moon to have kids with me. But right now, he looks like someone sucker-punchedhim.

My sister just arrived, and she’s already destroying mylife.

Hot tears well in my eyes as I glare at her. “Fuck you,Kota.”

She juts out her bottom lip in a mock pout. “Back at ya, babysister.”

“Why do you hate me so much? What did I ever do but bend over backwards to help you with your career? To help you with Asher? To listen to you complain constantly about whatever didn’t go yourway?”

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