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Pepper picks up the cheese tray and storms off toward the living room.
What the hell was that?
A tall figure catches my eye. Chase is leaning against the wall that separates the kitchen and corridor. I blink away from his piercing gaze.
“You alright?” he asks.
I shake my head. “I want everything to be perfect for her.”
“Me too.” He walks over to where I’m standing by the island. “No offense, but if I couldn’t shift her focus to our wedding, then you probably won’t have much luck either.”
“What’s going on?” I ask softly.
“Pepper is not going to run off. At least I hope not. The wedding is weeks away and she was hoping that by now…”
“She’d find her parents,” I finish, my voice a whisper.
He nods, his gaze drifting toward the living room. “It’s heartbreaking watching her hopes in finding them get smaller.”
“Isn’t it heartbreaking for you that she’s not looking forward to your big day?”
He shrugs. “A little. But it’s supposed to be her perfect day. So if she blows off things like silk or cotton or pink or blue…it’s not you or a question on whether she wants to get married. She’s just putting it off as much as possible.”
“She tell you this?”
“No.” He chuckles. “Can you believe it? I could be a therapist.”
I smile and feel awkward. “I should go apologize.”
He glances at his watch. “Don’t bother. She’ll be crawling back in thirty minutes flat, acting like nothing happened and telling you how much she appreciates everything you do for her.”
I perk a brow at him. “That’s awfully specific.”
“It’s my life.”
If she crosses and uncrosses her legs one more time, I’m going to lose it. Charlie has been talking to Landon and a few other players for the past hour. Chase walked her out to the backyard and introduced her to the team before returning to the grill.
Is he in on this set up too?
I feel like a creep standing beside the sliding door of the kitchen, watching her like a hawk. Pepper and Lonnie are behind me gossiping about the new young and hot secretary Coach hired for the upcoming season. And I wish one of them would quit the chatter and save Charlie from being smothered by half the Denver Kings.
When I can’t take it anymore, I slide open the door and step out, treading with caution.
My jealousy has always been out of control with this girl. But I need to pull my shit together. Especially since the last time I got jealous—when I caught photos of a half-naked hockey player on her phone—I toyed with her using a vibrator.
It was out of character. An uncontrolled need for control.
To subtly remind her she doesn’t need a six-foot-five athlete to turn her on.
My brother hands me a beer. “Charlie seems to be having a good time.”
“She’s not.”
Chase frowns, watching her. “Hmm, yeah. Clearly, she’s in distress. The body language, the subtle blush, all that laughing. Should we pull her out now or let her suffer?” he chuckles, and I know I'm the joke here.
“I vote pull her out,” I grit.
“Trouble playing house?”
