Only One Night (Only One 3)

I send Tim a text.

Me: The package is safe and sound.

I put my phone in my purse, never expecting what is to come.

Chapter 11

Manning

“I can’t wait to get home.” I hear Ralph beside me say, and I look over at him. “Road trips are the worst.”

“I don’t mind them,” I tell him, getting off the bus and walking toward the plane waiting for us. The soft drizzle of rain coming out. Ralph, Miller, and I walk together. “I mean, I miss Jaxon, but I get away from Murielle, so it’s a vacation.” I walk up the stairs first, and the two of them follow me. After I store my bag, I sit down in the seat, and Ralph sits next to me. I grab my phone out of my jeans pocket and send Murielle a text.

Manning: I am going to take Jaxon out for dinner after his practice.

Murielle: Sounds good. I’m in the middle of planning stuff with the Oilers foundation. Wish I could join you.

I ignore her whenever she says shit like this and look out the window. “Longest week of my life,” Miller says from behind me. “I can’t wait to see my woman,” he says, and for the first time, I’m actually jealous of what he has. I’m fucking jealous of going home to the woman you want to go home to instead of the one who makes my stomach turn to stone. The one who just won’t let me be. The one who stays married to me for the fucking perks of being the captain’s wife. The one always invited out. The one who is always the center of attention. The one everyone wants to be. Not for me, but just to be the captain’s wife. Instead, she sticks around, ruining both of our lives, and there is nothing I can say to her, no amount of pleading will get her to leave.

The last time I brought it up, she took off with Jaxon for two weeks, returning only after I promised not to bring up divorce again. He was six, and it’s been two years. I thought I could tough it out. I thought it would be okay, but now, now something inside me has woken up. The need to be happy. The need to be wanted for me. The need to just fucking live my life.

This week, my mind has been all over the fucking place. My dreams are of Evelyn each night. The memory of those hours plays over and over again. The sound of her laughter, the sound of her voice, the sound of her breath hitching right before she lets go.

“We play tomorrow night,” Ralph says, and I nod.

Miller pipes in from behind me. “Any big plans this weekend, big guy?” he says, and I just glare at him.

When I walked onto the plane on Sunday morning, Miller was the only one here. One look at me and he pointed at me. “You had sex,” he said right away, and I looked at him, shocked.

“How the fuck do you know that?” I avoided his eyes as I stored my bag. My heart hammered in my chest, and my mouth was suddenly dry. I wondered if Murielle would have been able to tell. I wondered if she knew. The fear of her ruining the one thing I have in my life that she can’t touch.

“You didn’t walk in with a chip on your shoulder.” He smirked at me, and I tried to ignore him. But he was Miller, and there was only so much ignoring you could do. “Plus, you have a bounce to your step, which makes sense since your balls have been drained.” I looked at him, not even sure how to answer him. “Was it the chick from the restaurant?” I glared at him, and he threw his head back, letting out the biggest laugh I’d ever heard from him.

“Where the fuck is everyone?” Ralph said when he walked in and looked around, only spotting the two of us. “What are you two talking about?” He looked at us, storing his bag.

“Captain here got his rocks off.” I swore through my teeth and sat down, thankful people had started arriving so he couldn’t say anything else.

“No plans so far. I know that Jaxon has a game tomorrow morning, and I’m hoping I can go to that,” I say, looking out my window as the plane takes off. I usually make his weekend games when they are early enough. “I’m picking him up at practice tonight when we get in.” I look at my watch. “Then I’m going to take him out to eat.”

“You going to go out after the game?” Ralph asks, and I just look at him. “You never know, she can be going back to see if you show up.” I shake my head.