Page 17 of Over Time Advantage

I can’t help the small amount of pain that takes hold of my heart. He loves her in a way he never loved me. He’s capable of loving—he just didn’t love me that way. I had convinced myself he wasn’t able, but I was wrong. He’s able to love for the right woman.

Before I can get in a word, Kamryn begins screaming at him and hurling insults. I’ve reached my boiling point with this bitch.

“Enough, Kamryn,” I bark out in frustration and exhaustion. “It was an accident. He’s injured too. Give him a minute. Why are you so fucking accusatory? Do you honestly think he did this on purpose?”

She tries to talk, but I shut her down, sick of her loud, obnoxious mouth.

“I’ve sat here for two hours listening to you bash him. E-fucking-nough. Just shut your mouth. I can’t listen to you bitch and whine anymore. It doesn’t help anyone, especially Bailey.”

Cheetah and their other friends realize they need to remove Kamryn from this room before things escalate further. Despite Tanner’s injuries and concern over Bailey, he instructs them to get me a Snickers bar, my favorite candy, on their way out.

My sour mood tempers a bit. He’s in the hospital, and he doesn’t know how bad Bailey’s injuries are yet, but he’s still looking out for me in his own small, special way. People often question how we can be so amicable. How we still sit together at all of Harper’s games and school activities. How we spend holidays together and often have family dinners together. This is why. Maybe we’re not husband and wife anymore, but we still care deeply about each other. I will always be there for him, and I know for a fact he will always be there for me.

We spend the next thirty minutes with me bringing him up to date on everything that has gone on. I tell him about his concussion, but he’s only concerned for Bailey. I have to break it to him that she fractured her spine but immediately reassure him that with a lot of physical therapy, she should be able to walk again. It will just take a little time and a lot of hard work. She’s a professional athlete in tiptop physical shape. If anyone can do it, she can.

I also have to break it to him that she lost an ovary but will likely still be able to have kids. He gets extremely emotional over it. He knows how much having kids means to Bailey. Hell, it’s why he plans to reverse his vasectomy. He wants to be the one to give them to her.

After the nurse examines him and tells him to stay off his phone and computer for the foreseeable future, we talk in more detail about what the next few months will look like for Bailey. This is my area of expertise. I’m extremely familiar with what it will entail.

After absorbing my words, he goes straight into domineering mode. It’s probably one of the things I was most attracted to about him. He’s a real man. He acts like a man and takes charge like one.

He doesn’t want her in a cold rehab facility surrounded by strangers while she’s navigating what will be an emotionally and physically taxing time. He has a two-thousand-square-foot gym in his house. He asks me to buy all the equipment she’ll need for her rehab. I have the credit card he gave me to use for all of Harper’s expenses, which he insists on paying despite also giving me child support. He suggests I use that to buy what’s needed. He doesn’t care that it will probably cost nearly a million dollars. He wants her rehab to happen in the warmth and familiarity of his house. He wants her in a real bed, not a hospital bed.

He then asks the most ridiculous thing that has ever been asked of me. He wants me to take a leave of absence from my job, move in with him, and help aid in Bailey’s rehabilitation. He said he only trusts me with her care. What’s worse is that he knows Kamryn will want to move in to help too and doesn’t bother to put up a fight over it. Whatever’s best for Bailey.

I’m flabbergasted. I stare at him in disbelief. “To be clear, you’re asking me to move in with you, my ex-husband, so I can help our daughter’s nanny, who’s your lover, and I need to take a leave of absence from a job that I love? Add in the fact that your lover’s batshit crazy sister will also be there. Oh, and I have to handle all the logistics because you’re not allowed on the phone or a computer right now?”

As if the absurdity of it all is just hitting him, he smiles for the first time since he woke up before nodding in an exaggerated fashion. “Correct.”

I must be delusional, likely because it’s four in the morning and I haven’t slept, but I can’t seem to say no to him while he’s in this condition. And that’s how I end up living with my ex-husband, his girlfriend, and her lunatic sister.

FOUR

JETT

Tanner’s car accident has been all over the local news. I was dying to reach out to Fallon, but I’m not supposed to know who she is on the app. In the end, I left her a voicemail as Jett letting her know I’m thinking of them and wishing everyone involved a speedy recovery. It sounds like Bailey Hart will have a long road ahead of her. I’ve never met her, but I know some of the guys on my team are friendly with her and her teammates. They’re all a bit shaken up by the accident.

I had sent Diane a message on the app as Lloyd while she was on the plane to wish her a safe trip. It’s still red, which I’ve learned means she hasn’t read it yet. I certainly understand why.

We messaged for hours the other night. It was really nice. She’s fun and witty. She challenged me and put a smile on my face. I loved hearing about her daughter. She speaks about her with so much pride. It sounds like they’re extremely close.

I hope we continue to talk when the dust settles on her current situation. My plan is simple. I want her to fall for me before I reveal my true identity. I’m hoping she’ll be in too deep to back out once she finds out. I won’t fully lie to her—it’s not who I am—but avoiding my real name and a photo should be easy given that she doesn’t want to reveal herself either. I’m not sure why she removed her photos—she’s gorgeous—but she did, and it works well for me.

Is this like me at all? Nope. Is it a bit childish? Most definitely. But I’m attracted to every single thing about her. I just want a chance with her, and this feels like the only way I’ll get one.

I didn’t get to experience my twenties the way every other man I knew did. I was saddled with a wife I barely knew and only tolerated by twenty-two. We had Kennedy shortly thereafter. I never had that excitement and anticipation of something new and special. Until now.

My phone rings, and I quickly look at it. My shoulders fall when I realize it’s Leo. I know Fallon won’t call me back—I told her she didn’t need to in the voicemail—but I’m still disappointed it’s not her.

I answer, “Morning, buddy.”

“Morning. Holy crap, did you see the news today?” he asks.

“Yes. It’s terrible.”

“I pray the kid is okay. It sounds like she’s pretty banged up. Tanner might be a competitor of mine, but I don’t wish this shit on him. I hope he wasn’t drinking. He’ll have an even bigger nightmare on his hands if he was.”

That hadn’t occurred to me. “Right. Let’s hope not. The official statement from her team is that she drank too much and he was giving her a ride home.”