Page 95
Story: Faking It with the Forward
They head off and I turn to Logan. “Sorry about that. It’s like working with a bunch of untrained puppies.” I watch them gather around Coach Bryant. “All in all, they’re pretty harmless.”
Logan takes my hand. “For the record, I agree, you do look hot in that dress.” He pushes a curl of hair behind my ear. “Stunning, actually.”
The compliment makes my cheeks flush, but it also brings a warring conflict in my chest. Isn’t Logan what I’ve wanted? Why I agreed to Reese’s help in the first place? I hate the confused, weird way this whole thing makes me feel.
I conceal all of this from Logan by suggesting we grab some food before the guys wipe out the buffet. We load up our plates, and I purposefully avoid the tables at the back of the room. They’re occupied with a myriad of athletes, accompanied by dates.
Brent is a central figure, with Shanna draped over his arm in a shiny, sparkling dress. They exude the air of a perfect couple. And when I spot Nadia and Reese seated with the rest of the hockey team, I get the same vibe. There’s a certain kind of woman that is required to support a leader like Reese. I know she’s not genuinely dating him, but her time chasing jerseys has finally paid off. Like Shanna, she knows exactly how to behave and act in this environment. She can be here for Reese and not have to split her attention between his goals and her own. That’s what he deserves.
And exactly what I can’t give him.
I lead Logan over to sit at a table with Coach Green and his wife, Janie. Jonathan’s there with his boyfriend, Rich, and there are a few other trainers that work with the other teams. This is where I belong. Logan helps me scoot in my chair and I put on my best effort while we eat.
“Hey,” I say to Logan after the plates are cleared, “I’m going to the restroom.”
He stands with me. “I’ll grab us another drink.”
I smile. “Thanks.”
I’ve just stepped out of the bathroom stall when Nadia walks in. We approach the sinks at the same time. I turn on the faucet, and she drops her purse on the granite countertop.
“You and Logan seem like you’re having fun,” she says, fishing out her lip gloss. “For a skinny guy he sure fills out a suit.”
“He’s a nice guy.” Her eyes meet mine in the mirror and I blurt, “You and Reese look good together.”
“Well, a sack of potatoes would look good next to him,” she mutters, opening her mouth into a circle. “But you should’ve seen Brent’s face when we walked in–” She stops abruptly, eyes widening. “Are you crying?”
“No,” I lie, grabbing a tissue off the counter and dabbing my eyes. “Absolutely not.”
“You are. You’re crying.” Panic fills her eyes. “Fuck no, that is not what’s supposed to happen.”
“I know he’s not mine to claim. I just… God, Nadia. Reese? Really? Do you like him?”
“Twy.” She drops her lip gloss and spins, grabbing me by the arms. “First of all, there is no reality where I’d go out with Reese Cain for real. He’s your ex–and that is a hard no for me. He’s also too fucking functional, and you know my type is hot and messy.”
I chuckle, because it’s true. One of the reasons it hit me so hard is that it took me by surprise.
“You do know the real reason he invited me, right?” she asks.
“Because you know how to make small talk, have killer tits, and will look perfect in the press photos next to the captain of the hockey team,” I guess. At the end of the day, Nadia is everything that I’m not. Confident, sexy, beautiful…
“Um, no.” She rolls her eyes. “He invited me because his coach said it was mandatory for the players to have a date and it would look bad if the captain didn’t follow through. You weren’t going to go with him and he sure as fuck didn’t want to open the door for another girl to get the wrong idea.” She squeezes my hand. “Babe, he’s locked down. Foryou. And he wanted to make that absolutely clear by bringing the one person who understood that.”
Her statement swirls in my head. He didn’t bring another date because he’s waiting for me? Even if it’s true, I’m not sure it matters.
“It hurt seeing you with him,” I admit.
“It hurt because you’re still in love with him,” she says gently.
“I may be, but nothing has changed. Nothing will change and we both need to get over it.”
Me. SoIcan get over him.
She snorts.
“What?” I ask.
“Men like Reese don’t get over stuff. They see an obstacle and figure out a way to bulldoze over it, or smash through it.”
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112