Page 98 of Bad Wolf

We make our way into the airport waiting lounge with a little time before members of the team and staff start to show up.

We head straight for the couch overlooking the tarmac and our team jet, emblazoned with our logo and colors, it’s really something.

“So am I the last to know then? Is that my punishment for being a shitty brother?”

He shakes his head, “No, you’re the first to know.”

“I am?” My eyebrows shoot through my hairline. I thought for sure the rest would know before me.

“Sure are. Well after Coralie, she guessed. Speaking of, how are you planning on making it up to her? She owns you, man. Good luck with that.”

I cringe. “Just so I know what I’m in for, how mad is she? Like on a scale of one to ten?”

He chuckles, “I think you already know the answer to that question.”

“Fuckin’ hell.” I scrub my face. “She was kinda in the wro—”

“Don’t even go there with that. She was desperate to talk to you. Help you. And you acted like she didn’t exist for two months. Take your licks and then all will be forgotten.”

He’s right. And he also knows from experience how to handle her in this type of situation.

“Hey, remember that time you flushed the—”

“Don’t even say it! Jesus, what was I thinking? Hell, I wasn’t, I was eight. I was going to replace him for her so she’d never know he’d died…”

“You were trying to spare her, and she caught you flushing Mr. Fins down the toilet instead of giving him a proper send-off.”

“Her screams and the gush of the water still ring in my ears sometimes.” He winces, shaking his head.

We both sit there a moment and then I tap him on the knee. “So tell me more before the others get here.”

“We have a doctor’s appointment when we get back, and I want one of those sonogram pictures to show everyone.”

“Going straight in your wallet, huh?”

His smile nearly splits his face in half, “Yeah, I’ll try and get loads of copies for everyone. If not, I’ll just make ‘em.”

Oh man, he’s excited, and now so am I. Another little Madden to dote on? Sign me the fuck up.

At that, his phone rings and his eyes glaze over with what can only be described as pure love. He smiles at me as he stands to answer the call.

Fuck, with me and Wren reconnecting and Casey having a baby, it all just feels so right.

* * *

The next few days pass by in a blur of games and practice, short flights, and naps. What is nice though, is the Anaheim heat. Yeah, these road trips are long, but the weather makes up for it. I’ve got the window open wide and the bright morning sun doing a good job of waking me up.

And my only goal other than beating all these fuckers in the Western Conference and going home with a guaranteed spot in the playoffs, is texting and calling Wren every chance I get.

I lift up on my elbows, scrolling into her name to reply to the message I just woke up to. With the time difference, I couldn’t call her after the game, so I just sent her the selfie we sent to Mama of me, Casey, and Jase, sweaty and grinning because we beat Vegas four-nothin.

Dream Girl: You guys are cute clones

Dream Girl: My favorite bagel filling is sausage, egg, and cheese. Since living at Scotty’s, I’ve started taking these intense juice shots because he has like a billion of them. Turns out I hate ginger and I’m still a night owl.

I smile at the fact she hasn’t let up on the game we’ve been playing since we reconnected that night at the restaurant. Whoever wakes up first sends three things about themselves and the other has to reply in the same vein.

Me: Good luck for your meeting today, Killa. Case said it’s a big one. Proud of you.

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