Page 1 of Puck, Marry, Thrill

1

KENNETH

Kenneth gritted his teeth,fingers tightening around the steering wheel as his SUV inched forward in the relentless downtown traffic. The honking horns, the glaring sun reflecting off windshields, the sheer chaos of the streets—it all mirrored the frustration surging through his veins. He was barely holding it together, his nerves already frayed from yet another broken promise.

Wouldn’t you know it? Candi bailed on him—again. It was the same story, different day. And this—this right here—was the reason they were divorced.

His ex-wife was a flake. Always had been. Always would be. A woman who thrived in a world of shallow excuses and petty inconveniences, never taking responsibility for anything beyond her latest manicure.

Get a job? Oh no, I have a headache…

Break a nail? Ken-Doll, could your sweet Candi-girl have a hundred bucks?

Be expected to parent your child? Silence. Deafening, maddening silence. Unlike the frustrated cries coming from the backseat.

Kenneth’s heart clenched at the sound of Zachary sniffling in his booster seat, his little face twisted in distress as he strained against the straps. His stuffed animal had fallen to the floor, just out of reach, and the poor kid was desperate to get it back. But they were trapped in traffic, going nowhere fast, and Kenneth couldn’t do a darn thing about it.

His phone, hooked up to the car’s Bluetooth, crackled to life.

“I can’t do this right now, Terry!” Kenneth hollered, his voice taut with frustration as he tried to focus on the bumper-to-bumper mess around him. His patience was hanging by a thread, and his agent’s call wasn’t helping matters.

“Well, we kinda need to discuss this because it’s not exactly good,” Terry pressed, clearly not taking the hint.

“Why am I not surprised…” Kenneth muttered, barely paying attention as he maneuvered his way forward another few feet.

“You know I love ya, man, but this whole mess with Candi sleeping with your teammate…”

Kenneth’s hands went white-knuckled on the wheel. His foot slammed on the brake harder than necessary, jolting the car slightly as he barely avoided hitting the vehicle in front of him.

“Say what?”

“Don’t tell me you didn’t know…”

Kenneth let out a sharp exhale, a mix of anger and exhaustion rolling through him. “I don’t exactly have time to read the papers or get online much nowadays with her refusing to take our child during her allotted time. In fact—I’m on my way to the courthouse right now, which is why I can’t talk.” He hesitated, his jaw tight. “Which guy?”

“That’s not important—and I’m sorry I mentioned it.”

Kenneth let out a humorless laugh, the sound bitter and raw. “It is important because I’m gonna make sure and slam his butt into the boards…”

A small sniffle from the backseat made him glance into the rearview mirror just in time to see Zachary’s teary, wide-eyed stare.

“Butt?” Zachary repeated, his little voice laced with curiosity. “Daddy, you said ‘butt’?”

Kenneth exhaled through his nose, forcing a strained smile. “Yup. Daddy is going to pulverize—” He cut himself off, taking a deep breath to calm himself before slamming on the brakes as traffic slowed to a crawl again. His patience was wearing thin, but the last thing he needed was to upset his son any further.

“Terry, what do you need?” he ground out, his head throbbing.

“Word has reached me that they’re talking about moving someone else into the captain position—not you. And that was not what we’d discussed when you moved to Detroit.”

Kenneth groaned, dragging a hand over his face. “Greaaaat.”

He reached back blindly, fumbling for Zachary’s discarded shoe, and wiggled it near his son’s leg. Sure enough, a giggle bubbled up from the backseat, and Kenneth felt a small measure of relief. He might not be able to fix everything, but at least he could still make his kid laugh.

“But I have another lead for you…” Terry continued.

“Done,” Kenneth bit out. “Take it.”

“Well, it’s not that simple.”

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