Kind of a Hot Mess: A Bad Dog Romance by Lili Valente

Author:Lili Valente [Valente, Lili]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14

Aaron

I want to call Ben and tell him to quit being a controlling dick and ganging up on Melissa with his snobby fiancé, but it’s time to take my own advice.

I’m too angry to make good decisions right now.

Besides, I don’t want to do anything to scare Melissa away. She clearly appreciates my support here in the privacy of her home, but if I were to stick my nose in her family drama, she’d be pissed. She may be beaten down and need a break, but Melissa is still the kind of woman who likes to fight her own battles. I respect that, and I’d feel the same way if our positions were reversed.

So, I focus on things that are within my sphere of control.

I order dinner, heat water for coffee, and move the Lego tower to clear a space for our food on the coffee table. When I’m done, Melissa is still upstairs and the delivery hasn’t arrived, so I decide to call Pete instead of waiting for tomorrow.

He answers with typical Pete enthusiasm, “Finally, asshole! I was hoping you’d call. How you holding up? How long are you in town? We need to get a beer and catch up. I’ve had another kid since the last time we talked, and you’re a fucking hockey star.”

“We’ll see about the star part,” I say with a laugh. “It all depends on when I can get back on the ice.”

“Fucking Kriecheque,” Pete says. “What a piece of shit he is. Getting the Wisconsin fans all riled up and pissed at you when he’s the one who started this shit. He’s not even from Wisconsin. He’s from Treble’s Woods, Minnesota, like twenty minutes from here.”

“I know, we used to play on the same travel team as kids. That’s actually why I was calling.” I explain the situation with Mel’s ex and his worry about the threats from the Wisconsin fans. “He doesn’t want their son staying here until he knows Chase is going to be safe, and Mel is pretty messed up about it. That’s her baby, you know?”

Pete grunts. “Oh, I know. If someone tried to take either of my little shits away, I’d be on the warpath. Even though they’re crazy, never sleep, and have probably taken at least a decade off my life. Did you know that kids can get a thing called ‘hand, foot, and mouth’ disease? And that they can get it more than once? And that daycare makes you pay the full price even when your kids are out for half the month with kid cooties? At this rate, I’m never going to be able to retire. I’ll be seventy and still paying off daycare debt.”

I smile. “But you love ‘em.”

“So much,” he says, a smile in his voice. “Kids, man. They really are the best. Believe the hype and have a few if you get the chance.”

My eyes lift. I watch Mel come down the stairs, as I murmur, “It’s on my list. So,

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