Page 15 of The Husband Game

He sighed. “So if this marriage thing became a scandal, the people who were already against the code of conduct will leverage it to make Dustin look like a total hypocrite.”

“To put it bluntly, yes.”

“Oh, honey, I’m always blunt.”

Wade smiled. “Blunt can be good.”

“Charlie, in the past few months, I’ve gotten messages from half a dozen players who are balking at the code of conduct. They’ve sent me DMs, made snarky comments to the media … getting the union on board is the only way the initiative will go forward.” Dustin shook his head. “And if my decisions screw that up for the league …”

Charlie winced again. “I get that.”

The idea of staying married to Dustin seemed crazy but it was clear he wasn’t doing this just to protect his reputation. There was a lot more at stake here and Charlie respected Dustin for that.

A part of Charlie still regretted that he hadn’t gone public with his eating disorder. He loathed the idea of people prying into his private life, but if it had actually led to change in the sport … well, that could have made it worthwhile.

He looked Wade in the eye. “Is the code of conduct important? Is it something you support?”

“Absolutely.” There was no hesitation in Wade’s voice. “It outlines behaviors for players, coaches, staff, and upper management like GMs and owners. After the mess that’s come out recently, it’s clear it’s badly needed. It’ll create accountability and some external monitoring for potentially abusive situations.”

Dustin’s agent or not, Wade seemed like a good guy and Charlie had heard nothing but praise from Jamie and Taylor. He’d have to trust him.

Charlie sighed heavily. “That would be good.”

“It would.”

“Damn it,” Charlie muttered under his breath. God, he hated this situation.

If this stupid fake marriage would help, that was a good thing, right?

But Charlie’s health and mental well-being were on the line. What if this led to another relapse for him?

He swallowed hard. “I assume I’d have to move to Toronto.”

“Yes.”

“And Dustin and I would have to live together and pretend to be in love.”

“That would be best. You’d be expected to attend team events and you’d need to regularly be seen in public together and, if we’re being blunt, put on a convincing show that you have a happy marriage.”

If Charlie agreed to this, he’d have to give up his life in Chicago. He’d have to move away from Taylor and Taylor’s family—the only real support system he had—although Jamie was part of that now too.

And his job. God, Charlie loved his job so much. He’d finished his internship a few months ago and he had a great full-time position. How could he give that up?

Of course, the design firm did have an office in Toronto they’d opened last year …

A flicker of excitement kindled in Charlie’s chest.

There was something tempting about getting a fresh start.

Something appealing about going off on his own and not having Taylor hovering and worrying if he was eating enough.

Charlie loved Taylor more than anyone in the world but he desperately needed to be sure he could take care of himself without someone monitoring every bite he took.

Dustin wouldn’t have to know about his eating disorder. He’d travel a lot so they wouldn’t necessarily have to see each other much. Dustin probably had a big house or condo.

They could … live separate lives except for those obligatory events Wade had mentioned.

But that was nuts, right?

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