Page 15 of Wanting the Winger

The landscaping is all professionally maintained, with fountains gurgling around the perimeter of the yard.There’s a guest cottage that puts the little two-room cottage in my yard to shame.It has a bedroom, a poolroom, another bar, a full kitchen, a library and a big living room.

I’d love to have a place like this someday, with kids in the yard to play catch with.It wasn’t something I thought about much until I saw Carter pretty much become a dad to three girls overnight.

The transition hasn’t been perfect.But now that I know each of his girls and I’ve heard him talk about their vulnerabilities and quirks, I can’t imagine him without them.Suki and the girls are his team now.He’d walk through fire for any of them, and even though there are hard days, I sometimes envy the adoring looks and stolen kisses I see between him and his wife.Hallie thinks Carter hung the moon.Olivia and Charlotte ask him for advice and beg him to take them out for one-on-one coffee dates.

I assumed marriage and kids were way down the road for me, but maybe not.

“Hey.”

I look over my shoulder and find Carter giving me a half glare.

“You should make sure the people you invited here don’t feel like outsiders,” he scolds.

I scoff, speaking under my breath.“Shane can kiss my entire asshole.Can’t you see what a douchebag he is?”

He follows my gaze over to Lainey, who’s looking at Shane as he talks animatedly to Suki, probably about pool maintenance, his favorite topic.

“Have you let her know how you feel about her?”he asks in a low tone.

I pinch my brows together.“It’s how I feel abouthimthat’s an issue.”

He rolls his eyes, exasperated.“I’m a grown-ass adult who has plenty of childish bullshit to deal with from my own kids.I’m done dancing around this.It’s your feelings for her that are creating your feelings for him.You get that, right?”

I grunt my disagreement.“I just don’t want her to make a huge mistake with him.She can do better.”

He holds up a palm.“Your jealousy is so fucking transparent, man.I saw the way you looked at her at my house the other day.”

Tension knots in my stomach.I don’t like this conversation.It’s one thing having an attraction to Lainey buried deep inside, where I don’t have to actually acknowledge it.Being called out on it is different.

I look over both shoulders, not finding anyone in earshot.But still, I nod to an empty part of the yard and Carter follows me there.

Making sure we’re standing somewhere no one can read my lips, I take a deep breath.This is harder than I thought it would be.I practically whisper even though we’re a hundred feet from anyone else.

“Lainey had a crush on me when we were growing up.But she was Eric’s little sister.She’s four years younger than us.And she made a play for me once.I broke her heart and she finally moved on.So yeah, there’s been an attraction to her for a while now, but I can’t...”I look away.“It wouldn’t be fair for me to tell her.I just don’t want her to marry Shane.He’s not good enough for her.”

“Okay, but what if...you had a mature conversation with her instead of making fun of his receding hairline in front of your teammates?Just throwing that out there as an option.”

I cross my arms and huff out a heavy sigh.“I’ve tried.She gets defensive and says I don’t know him.”

“You need to be honest with her about your feelings.”

I shake my head adamantly against that.“No way.She’d either smack me or start crying.Maybe both.”

My team captain squints at me with a look that says,Are you fucking serious right now?“I think you can handle it, Bash.”

“Right.Because you love it when Suki gets all emotional.”

He scrubs a hand down his face and looks up at the sky.“I don’t love it, but I deal with it.”

“Daddy!”

Carter looks over at Hallie, who’s smiling and holding a hockey stick.

“Come play hockey with us!”

“She just called you Daddy.”

“Yeah, she started that recently.I don’t know if she realizes it yet, but if she said, ‘Daddy, will you buy me a Porsche?’there’d be one in the driveway by the end of the day.”

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