Page 2 of Big Obsession

For the first five years of Ace’s life, Karla tried. She didn’t put in a lot of effort, but she did try. I was fine with it. I was happy raising Ace, and even though I hated how upset Ace was when she missed things and didn’t come see him, I knew he needed his mom. I tried to get her involved and included her in everything, but after years of her letting Ace down, I was happy when her appearances became few and far between. Now Ace maybe sees his mom once a year, and it usually throws him off for a while.

“You still seeing Trevor?”

I’m standing behind her again, but I don’t have to see her face to know I’ve shocked her. “Who?”

I grip the back of her chair a little tighter. “Trevor. A few weeks ago when you dropped off Ace at poker night, he said you had a date with a guy named Trevor.”

“Hmmm.”

I lean over to look at her. One, because I want to see her face and second, I want to know how serious this thing is with her and Trevor. I lost three hundred dollars that night because I couldn’t concentrate, and the thought of some man having their hands on her has been driving me crazy ever since.

I grip the side of her chair, and my pinky is touching her arm. Just that small touch has my heart racing. “So… Trevor?”

She shakes her head. “I think you got it wrong. Trevor is the class fish. I had to go and feed him.”

I search her eyes, and she’s telling the truth. I then swing my gaze to my son, who just stole third. Why would he lie to me? That little shit had me thinking that Dolly was dating, but he knew exactly what he was doing. He’s been obvious on where he stands when it comes to Dolly. He always wants to include her when we do things. By God, my nine-year-old is trying to be a matchmaker.

CHAPTER 2

DOLLY

From the moment I pulled into the parking lot, I spotted Tucker. When I saw him sitting on the bleachers, surrounded by all the single and not so single moms, I was clenching my teeth together. I shouldn’t be like this. I don’t have any claim on Tucker. He can talk to whoever he wants. But seeing all those women fawn over him makes me feel things that I have been trying to bury since I first met him all those years ago.

The first time I saw him was at the baby shower I threw for Karla, and he was nothing like I expected. He is nothing like the men that she usually dated, and I’ve been surprised by him ever since. Probably the biggest surprise of all was what a good dad he is. His number one priority has always been Ace.

He asks me again as if he’s wanting to clarify. “So you’re not dating a guy named Trevor?”

“Nope.”

His voice gets lower. “Are you dating anyone?”

I turn in my seat to look at him. There’s something in his voice, and I’m wondering if it’s jealousy. It sure sounds like it, butI push that thought far away. There is no way Tucker Yates, the number one bull rider in the state, is jealous. I’m nothing like my namesake. I mean, yeah, I’m a good person, but that’s about where the similarities stop. I’m flat-chested, overweight, shy, and can’t carry a tune to save my life. Nope, there’s no way Tucker is jealous.

He is not mine, nor will he ever be. The quicker I come to that conclusion, the better off I’ll be.

“Why are you asking? Need me to watch Ace for you while you go out or something? I’m happy to do it.”

He grunts. “I was just wondering if you were dating someone, that’s all. You never tell me anything about your personal life, and I?—”

I can’t help it, I interrupt him. “My personal life? You want to know about my personal life?” I wrack my brain trying to figure out where he’s going with this. Tucker is a straightforward kind of guy, and it’s not like him to beat around the bush. I sit up a little taller. “Are you worried about me dating someone while Ace is around? I would never have him around some man you didn’t know.” I sit up a little taller. “Tucker, you have to know that I would never put Ace in a bad situation.”

He nods, and for the first time, he seems flustered. “So you are dating someone?”

I rear back. “What? No, I’m not dating anyone.”

He nods firmly. “Good.”

My forehead creases as I try to make sense of all this. “Good? What do you mean, good?”

He lifts his shoulders in a shrug. “I mean, good. That’s all. It’s good.”

I laugh because he’s being ridiculous. “It’s good that I’m not dating?”

He nods. “Yeah. I mean, of course, you can date. I mean, you should be dating, but not just some random guy or anything. You should date someone you know and like. Someone that respects you and knows your worth.”

I scrunch my nose up like I’m smelling something bad. “You’re starting to sound like my mom.”

He groans. “I’m messing this all up. Look, I was just wondering if you were dating, that’s all.”

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