It's Our Time (Carolina Rebels 3)

“What are you mulling about over there?” Zane asks.

“My fucked up life.”

“Everyone’s life is fucked up in some way.”

“How is your life fucked up?” I ask curiously.

He laughs, but I’m not sure that it’s genuine. “Currently? Well, you know that Deanna is a bit of a free spirit and she likes the idea of no strings attached, right?”

“Yeah. That’s why you like her.” There isn’t a relationship between them as far as I know. They go out sometimes, and they fuck, but there’s not an actual relationship. Ha. Sounds a bit like my history with Sydney.

“I’m pretty sure she’s seeing at least one other person.”

I lean forward. “At least?”

“Yep. When she’s with me, she’s totally with me, but when we’re not, I’m pretty sure she’s with other people. Which is fine because she said she doesn’t want to be tied down, but I guess I wasn’t really expecting for her to be sleeping with someone else at the same time.”

“You should probably cut your ties, Z.” Only because I think he’s starting to really like her. I’ve never met her because that would mean a string is being formed, according to Deanna.

“The sex is amazing. I think I’ll stick around.”

I laugh and we finally head up to our rooms. Once there, I unlock my phone once again to reply to Sydney. I go with my gut instead of my head or my upset heart.

Me: I can do something Monday afternoon.

I’m surprised when she texts me back immediately.

Sydney: Thank you.

Me: Why are you up?

It’s about two in the morning back home.

Sydney: I’m at work. It’s a little slow at the moment. Where are you? Why are you up?

Me: Calgary. Just got into bed. There was a game tonight.

It bums me out that she hasn’t looked at the schedule to figure it out, but Sydney isn’t a sports fan. She isn’t going to suddenly get interested now. The most she asked when I was in college was if we won once I brought up the game. It’s not even that she needs to like it or be a fan. I want her to support me and my job. Ask how my day was, which doesn’t even have to mean asking how the game went. Know where the hell I am. Just care.

Honestly, it bothers me that she works the shift she does, even though I know it’s the only one she can do and make it work. If I knew she would let me pay for all her bills while she focused on school, I’d offer in a heartbeat. Sydney wouldn’t ever go for that. She probably wouldn’t see why I would want to do that in the first place.

Sydney: I hope you had a good day. We’ll talk later, I guess.

Me: Sydney?

Sydney: Ian.

Me: I miss you, too.

“Okay, we have to know what the hell happened with you and your woman and you’re going to tell us, yeah?” Noah says, glancing around the table where EJ, Marc, and Zane also sit. We’re in Winnipeg because there’s a game tomorrow, but right now, we’re at a restaurant for a late lunch.

“You actually want to know?”

“I’m only mildly curious, but Mere won’t shut the hell up about it. I think she’s been hanging around Sylvia too much.”

“I actually want to know,” Marc says.

“It is a bit interesting that you suddenly have a kid you never mentioned with the girl who wasn’t your girlfriend and the kid isn’t a baby either, so it’s not like it just happened,” EJ adds.