Page 40 of Pucking Fate

Groaning up at the ceiling, avoiding eye contact with me, Preston says, “I hope I don’t regret asking this, but why is it for the best?”

“Because he’s Christian fucking Riley!” I shout, before slapping my palm over my mouth. Here’s hoping Finley is still sound asleep. “You know his reputation as well as I do, Preston.”

“You’re afraid he’s going to cheat on you?”

“Yes.”

“That’s a valid concern. He’s got a reputation as a playboy.”

“Right,” I agree with a nod.

“Did he ever cheat on you before?”

“Not that I know of.”

“And has he gone behind your back with anyone this summer?”

“Again, not that I know of.”

“So, he’s never cheated on you, but you worry he might in the future?”

“Yes. Exactly. I’m not sure if I’ll ever fully trust him when he’s traveling with the team or living a state away…”

“How do you know other guys you date won’t cheat?”

“I don’t.”

“But you trust strangers more than Christian?”

I consider his question for a moment, then shrug. “Depends on the person and their reputation, but maybe.”

“Wow. That is a huge problem.”

“I know. That’s why I ended things.”

“No, Maya. I meant, there are a lot of cheaters in the world, men and women. The odds of you dating someone who messes around behind your back is extremely high.”

“Thank you for that happy little assessment.”

“What I’m trying to say is that there’s no way for you to know who is a cheater and who isn’t until they prove themselves either way.”

“Oh.”

“The only way to know for sure is to take a chance on someone, give them the benefit of the doubt, then pray they don’t hurt you. That plan doesn’t just apply to Christian, it applies to all men.”

“So, your advice is to let myself keep falling back in love with him until he screws me over and hurts me again, ruining our relationship to the point that we can’t tolerate each other for more than ten seconds in front of our son?”

“I didn’t say that was my advice. I said you have to decide if the risk is worth taking or not. Apparently, you don’t think Christian deserves a chance to prove that he can be faithful.”

Shaking my head, I tell him honestly, “I would go crazy wondering about where he’s at or who he’s with back in Greensboro while I’m here…”

“So why not move to be closer?”

“Ugh, not you too!” I huff. “That was another part of our argument last night. Christian asked me to move in with him.”

“Jesus,” Preston whispers. “He really must have it bad for you.”

“I’m not moving to North Carolina, and Finley and I are definitely not moving in with him,” I tell my brother. “He doesn’t seem to want to accept my decision.”

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