Page 102 of Pucking Daddy

"The media thing? Or the thing where you're clearly losing your mind over your fiancée?"

"She's not—" I stop. Clench my teeth. "It's complicated."

"Yeah." Jake leans against the wall, arms crossed. "Relationships usually are." He pauses, something shifting in his expression. "For what it's worth—she's good for you. Anyone with eyes can see that."

"We've got you," he adds, quieter now. "Whatever's going on. The team. We've got you."

I do not know what to say to that, so I just nod and head for the showers.

Zara left earlier to pick up Lily from school, so the drive home is quiet.

City lights blur past the windows as I navigate traffic, my thoughts circling the same questions that have been gnawing at me for days.

What’s real. What’s part of the arrangement. Where the line blurred beyond recognition.

Zara is in the kitchen when I walk through the door.

The apartment smells like rosemary and something savory—roast chicken, maybe, or that herb bread Lily loves.

She stands at the stove with her back to me, hair piled on top of her head in a messy knot, an oversized shirt hanging loose over her leggings.

She looks like she belongs there.

"Lily's already eaten," she says without turning around. "She wanted to wait for you, but seven o'clock came and went, so I made the executive decision that growing children trump coaching schedules."

"Good call." I shrug off my jacket, hang it by the door. "Where is she now?"

"Bath time. Mrs. Henriksen's supervising. Something about a rubber duck emergency that required immediate intervention."

Zara finally turns, a wooden spoon in one hand and an unreadable expression on her face. "You hungry?"

"Starving."

She fixes me a plate without comment, setting it on the kitchen island along with a glass of water and a napkin folded into a neat triangle.

Such a small, thoughtful gesture. I can’t remember the last time someone took care of me like that. Rachel wasn’t really the type…

Silence settles, but something hums beneath it.

I set my fork down, my appetite suddenly gone.

Because this—this is the moment. The point where I can’t push it off any longer.

“Zara.”

Her eyes lift to mine immediately.

“We need to talk about the wedding.”

19

ZARA

Courthouse Wedding

My fingers tighten slightly around the edge of the counter, grounding myself.

This is my fucking wedding we’re talking about. I don’t take that lightly. So yeah—it’s natural to feel nervous.