Page 141 of Sloane

Maddie turned her body all the way around, so she was gripping the back of her seat while glaring at me.

“You’re stalking that poor girl while she’s out with another guy?”

“It’s not like I’m following them to a restaurant and hiding in a plant or something. It’s a fundraiser for the Wounded Warrior Project, and I, as you can see, am a wounded warrior. I have every right to be there and bring friends who are going to spend money.”

“We’ll spend money, for sure.”

“And if we just happen to run into Ashley and her doctor date, I can introduce you to Millie.”

“Oh boy. A doctor, huh?”

“Yeah. My orthopedic doctor who makes house calls. My roommates said once Ashley moved in, he started coming twice a week instead of every ten days or so.”

Craig shook his head as he turned a corner. “I still can’t believe Ashley turned out to be your PTA.”

“Proof that God has a sense of humor.”

“Or that serendipity exists,” Maddie countered.

“Well,” I argued, “she’s out with another guy, so don’t get ahead of yourself.”

“But you’re Millie’s dad, and you’re living with her. I’d say that gives you the advantage.”

“But the other guy has two legs and a seven-figure salary. Not to mention half his body isn’t scarred. I’m going to have to give him the advantage.”

“Perhaps you forget that I saw how Ashley looked at you when you were together.”

“And maybe you’re forgetting I fucked everything up after I got hurt.”

“So unfuck it.”

Craig laughed from the driver’s seat and glanced over at his fiancée. “Unfuck it? Is that a thing?”

“It is now. What choice does he have?”

“I mean, we could co-parent Millie, and I find someone new. Someone I haven’t hurt. And be happy for Ash that she’s with someone who will treat her right.”

Maddie studied me for a second.

“Do you want to do that?”

“Well, no. You just asked what choice I had. That’s another option.”

She tilted her head with narrowed eyes. “Mmm, but is it?”

Was it?

I thought about it for a second before answering.

“I don’t know. Sometimes I think I’m the best thing for them, and other times, I’m not so sure. I have a lot of baggage now.”

“You’ve always had baggage,” she scoffed.

“Okay, well, my baggage is more visible than it used to be.”

“Sloane, my darling friend, we all have our crosses to bear. I guarantee this doctor she’s dating has his own set of issues. It’s called being human.”

“She’s right,” Craig replied. “I mean, I don’t have issues, but most people do.”