Page 89 of Push

Dylan smiled. “Maybe not on the field like you, but here in this office working through some of the things on your mind, yeah, I could be that guy.”

I scrubbed a hand down my face. What was the worst that could happen if I stayed? Having another guy to bounce ideas off and talk stuff through would be good.

“Where would we start?” I asked.

“You call the shots, Toby. No rules. Go wherever the play takes you. Start by talking about anything on your mind.”

I looked down at my hands, eyes tracing the ridges on my thumbs. “I know I’m here about Gwen. I need to save my marriage.” I sighed. “But…”

“Something else is weighing on your mind, too?”

I jerked my chin down in a nod. “I don’t want to be like my father. He was miserable and patched over his problems with other women. I’m worried I’m like him. There’s a part of me that can’t be on my own…that needs people…and…and…validationall the time. I want to understand how I can feel comfortable on my own. Could we, um…maybe talk about that?”

“Toby, I think that’s a great idea.”

And that was how I ended up staying for the whole hour and booking a regular catch-up every Wednesday morning.

I didn’t solve any of my problems or figure out how to win back Gwen—and I still didn’t buy that shit about not being broken—but Dylan said we’d work on it.

The glass door to Dylan’s office swung shut behind me. The morning sun was too bright. Harsh light bounced off the concrete and into my squinted eyes. I could barely see two steps in front of me, but I didn’t miss the flutter of white paper stuffed under the windshield wiper of my car.

Shit.

Did I forget to pay the meter? Possible. I was pretty amped up before my appointment. I got a few steps closer. No, it wasn’t a ticket. My gut clenched. It wasworse.

Under the wiper was a single pink rose and a folded piece of paper.

Kayleigh strikes again…

A bitter taste soured my mouth. When was she going to take the bloody hint and leave me alone? I glanced over my shoulder. No one waited on the sidewalk. No shadows hid behind the other cars, ready to capture my reaction for one of those TV shows where they prank people. The café down the road wasn’t busy.

I blinked.

My first instinct was to rip all that crap off my car, crush the note in my fist, and dump it in the trash where it belonged. My second instinct was a niggle—a calmer voice like Gwen’s—that whispered for me to be careful.Keep it.

I lifted the wiper, gingerly plucked out the rose so the thorns didn’t rip into my fingers, and grabbed the note. I flipped it open. Black letters looped and curled over the page.

I hope I’ll dream about you when I fall asleep tonight.

Seeing the lipstick-stained kiss at the bottom was no surprise. Still, I shook my head, and a strange, hollow laugh escaped me.

My heart raced, but my head was empty. How did Kayleigh know I was there? I had no ideas and no plan about what to do next. How would I ever make this right?

I chucked Kayleigh’s junk on the passenger seat and got the hell out of there.

I ended the call to the lawyer and thumped my head on the wall outside the changing room.

The guy was a straight talker. I should’ve known anyone Gwen recommended wouldn’t pull any punches. He’d spelled out justhowfuckedI was in bite-sized chunks. The partnership with Ian couldn’t be dissolved quickly. The deed was locked up tight.

His legal advice? Shut up, keep my temper under control, and be patient. Quick fixes? Nope. I needed to be patient while he carefully unwound the complicated threads tying my family’s future to a man determined to destroy it.

When I pushed open the door to the changing room, my eyes narrowed on Ian.

He stood next to the lockers. His back was to me. Shirt off. An evil smile pulled at the corner of my lips. Did I need to follow my lawyer’s advice? Maybe, if I were quiet… A mouse… If I snuck up behind him…

Ian’s head turned. Purple and green blotches still darkened his jaw. “Hey, man.” That two-faced snake had the nerve to smile at me. “This is a late start for you.”

I acknowledged Ian with a dip of my chin. I stalked to my locker, but my eyes zeroed in on the traitor. Maybe I needed to be the bigger person, and yeah, I was putting my family’s needs first, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t imagine how good it would feel to bury my fists in his smug face.

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