Page 78 of The Husband Game

“Right? I dunno. Dustin makes me feel like I’m worth making an effort for, you know?”

“You are!”

“I’m trying to believe that.”

“Are you going to go along with what your therapist suggested?”

“I’m thinking about it,” Charlie admitted. “I dunno. I just keep getting tripped up on the idea of changing anything and risking my recovery. In the past, I thought guys were being sweet and caring too and look how wrong I was.”

“Well,” Taylor said and his words came out slowly, like he was thinking about each one. “It sounds like Dustin is pretty trustworthy. With the guys in the past there were lots of red flags along the way.”

“Yeah.”

“Any with Dustin?”

Charlie thought about it for a moment before he shook his head. “No. I don’t think so.”

“I was super worried about how this move and fake marriage thing was going to impact your eating but it sounds like you’re doing well right now.”

“I am doing better than I expected,” Charlie admitted. “I’ve definitely had some not so great days. But overall, yeah. It’s been pretty okay.”

“I’m glad.”

“I am too. That’s why it’s scary to even think about doing something that could knock it all out of balance.”

“I know.” Taylor hesitated. “But, I mean, maybe your therapist has a point. This could be a good way for you to test-drive a relationship. I know stuff with Dustin is temporary but if you actually trust him, why not? I definitely think you should tell him about the eating disorder before you sleep with him but …”

“I’ll think about it,” Charlie said with a sigh. But he shook his head. “But that’s more than enough about me. What’s going on with you. Spill the tea. I want to hear all about what’s happening in your world.”

Taylor raised an eyebrow, probably at the abrupt change in conversation. “Honestly, there’s not much going on with me. Mostly training for my next ice show. And spending time with Jamie and Ava and doing the family stuff you call boring.”

A year ago, Charlie would have scoffed at that idea. At the time, it had sounded boring and stifling and, frankly, rather terrifying. But then Charlie had seen how happy Taylor and Jamie were together.

Sometimes it made him a little envious.

He was married now and fake or not, he didn’t hate it. When he thought about those quiet evenings he and Dustin had, it wasn’t terrible and boring like he’d feared.

He liked their dinners on the patio together and the evenings he spent sketching while Dustin replied to emails or watched hockey footage on his tablet.

Charlie had thought all that cozy domesticity would be stifling but being around Dustin felt peaceful. The stress of the outside world melted away.

Charlie’s thoughts and fears didn’t carry as much weight here.

This was a safe place to be, where he felt stronger and better and less afraid of failure.

* * *

By the time Dustin got home from a very long afternoon of recording a commercial, he was exhausted.

The shoots always took way longer than they should with the constant tweaking of lighting and sound and retakes.

And look, Dustin wasn’t an actor. He was a hockey player. What did they expect? An Emmy-winning performance?

But he had his endorsement deals and they allowed him to live very comfortably, so tonight, he’d gritted his teeth and run through the lines again.

Now, he was looking forward to sweating in the sauna, a lazy dip in the pool, then a little time to catch up with Charlie.

But when he let himself into the house through the garage and kicked off his shoes, he could hear the sounds of shouting and a sudden burst of gunfire.

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