Las Vegas Sidewinders: Karl (Book 3) by Kat Mizera Page A

can’t look at Twitter while we’re on the phone.”
    “Then maybe I should
let you go!” She abruptly hung up.
    Karl stared at the
phone in confusion. What the fuck had just happened? Kate had never hung up on
him before. Hell, they’d never even had a fight before, and the worst part was
he had no idea what she was mad about. Reluctantly, he opened the Twitter app
on his phone. He went to his home page and blanched. A picture of him and
Therese had been posted about eight hours ago and he cringed at the loving
smile on her face as she curled against his side, her head on his shoulder. His
eyes had been half-closed; he’d been wasted off his ass. He had absolutely no
memory of the picture and he almost fell off the bed as he read the
accompanying text.
    Karl Martensson @KarlMartensson35 8h
    Home is where the heart
is—Sweden. # nomorefatties
    “Sonofabitch!” He
nearly threw the phone across the room as he realized what had happened;
Therese had used his phone to post a selfie she’d taken while he was too drunk
to know better and then insulted Kate. In front of the whole world. “Dammit!”
He immediately called Kate back, nearly crying with relief when she answered
haughtily.
    “What?!” she snapped.
    “I’m sorry,” he
whispered roughly. “I had a terrible day with my mom yesterday. I got home and
started drinking. Therese showed up and we were talking. I swear to God, Kate,
nothing happened. She must have grabbed my phone when I passed out. I would
never say something like that about you—never!”
    “How could you do this
to me?!” she whispered, trying not to cry again.
    “I’m so sorry, baby!
I’m coming home and I’ll fix this. I will make a public apology on my account
as soon as I book my flight. I’ll be on a flight tomorrow if I can get one, and
I’m going to make this up to you, okay?” He paused, waiting for her to say
something. “Kate? Baby, I love you. Do you hear me? I love you—I would never do
something like this. You have to know that.”
    “You mean it?” she
asked after another long hesitation. “You’re really in love with me?”
    “Yes.” He hadn’t
planned to say it, but the moment the words came out of his mouth he knew it
was true. He was mortified that Therese had tried to humiliate her like this
again and he was going to set her straight as soon as he calmed Kate down.
    “Say it again.”
    “I love you.” A small
smile played on his lips. “I have for a while now; I was just trying to figure
out the right time to say it.” He could hear her sniffling on the other end.
“Come on, the first time you say I love you is supposed to be a big deal.
Aren’t you going to say it back?”
    “Do you have any idea
how many awful comments I’ve heard about my weight today?”
    “I’m sorry,” he said
gently. “I am going to hang up and book a flight home. I promise. Then I’m
going to shower and go find Therese—she will never do something like this again.
I swear it, Kate.”
    “You’re really coming
home?”
    “Absolutely. And if I
have to come back because of my mom, you’re coming with me. Okay?”
    “Okay.”
    “I love you, Kate.”
    “I love you, too.”
    “I’ll email you my
flight info as soon as I book it. Meet me at the airport?”
    “Of course.”
    “See you tomorrow.” He
hung up and immediately pulled up the airlines to find a flight home. He needed
to see his mother and then he was going to find Therese. He’d had about enough
of her machinations; this was going to end now.
     
     

Chapter
7
     
    Karl strode into the
hospital feeling better. He’d booked a flight to New York for the following
morning and he’d sent the information to Kate. He’d left Therese a phone
message telling her he wanted to talk to her right away, and he’d packed his
suitcase. Once he explained what was going on to his mother, he would be ready
to leave; he could always come back—with Kate—and everything would be okay.
    Turning the corner to
his