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CHAPTER

TWELVE

FORD

Two days. It takes two days for Amber to call me—frantically. Her name appears on my phone just as we’re exiting the Eagles’ private plane at the Thunder Bay airport. Dressed and ready for game one in a stint of three away games.

“Ford, I have to use my tiny bit of savings on my car. It won’t start. According to the passive-aggressive mechanic, who thinks I’m a moron, the transmission is on its last leg.”

It sounds like she’s holding back tears, or perhaps even a full-on emotional breakdown. I wish I was there with her—not that I’d be brave enough to pull her into my arms, but just to be nearby. To help somehow.

“Let me Venmo you some money, Ambs. Please. It’s not a big deal,” I offer.

Bruce is walking with me, both of us towing our carryon suitcases behind us, and dressed in our game day finery. Me in a navy suit with a houndstooth print, and Bruce in a dark purple suit that only he could pull off. Bruce arches an eyebrow, obviously wondering what Amber and I are talking about. I look away and slow my pace for more privacy .

Amber clears her throat. “If we got married, would it actually help you somehow?” she asks, sounding breathless, as if she’s forcing herself to say the words out loud.

I sigh. “Of course it would. My mom would stop fretting over me, and I’d get to see my best friend every day.” Lowering my voice to a whisper so Bruce can’t hear, I say, “Amber, getting married was just an idea so you wouldn’t worry about paying me back. I’d add you to my insurance now, but I checked my policy, and we’d have to be married. I’m not trying to blackmail you into anything.”

She huffs a laugh. “You’re not capable of blackmail. You’re too pure of heart.”

I smile at that, and there’s a pause, and I don’t know what to say to fill the silence.

“I’ll do it. I’ll marry you…for two years, or however long it takes to benefits both of us, or until you fall in love with someone.”

I stop in my tracks. Bruce looks behind him and sends me a worried glance. I nod my head, a silent signal that I’m fine and the guys don’t need to wait for me.

“Amber,” I say slowly. “I don’t want you making a decision about this because of car trouble. I’ll send you however much money you need. You don’t have to marry me for me to help you.”

“I know,” she says, her voice defensive. “I’ve been thinking about it, getting married, nonstop for days. We’d basically just be roommates, roommates that are married in name and help each other out. People do weirder things than this all the time, right?” She breathes a humorless laugh. Nella begins fussing in the background and Amber groans. “I have to go, but let’s do this, okay? Call me later when you have time to talk.”

“Okay,” is all I can say before she ends the call, leaving me standing in the middle of the airport tarmac with all the blood drained from my face.

Married. To Amber. It’s what I’ve always wanted, what I’ve always dreamt of. Obviously, the circumstances are all off. But maybe the proximity, maybe living together, might somehow help her see how good we could be together?

Realizing that’s a pipe dream, I shake my head and rush to catch up with the guys.

Bruce notices me first, his usually bright features somber with curiosity. “Hey, Cap’n. You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m good. Amber’s just having some car trouble and I was trying to help.”

West’s head snaps up from the mint he’s unwrapping. He pops it into his mouth and sticks the wrapper in his pocket. “Girls are so stubborn. She won’t let you pay for it, huh?”

I smirk and shake my head. “Nope.”

Mitch makes a grunting sound, his grumpy face as stormy as always. “Why won’t they just let us use our money to help them? We have plenty, and we’re happy to use it for something good.”

Colby snorts a laugh. “Yeah, Noel still feels guilty about how much I spent on books for her library. But with the thanks I got, I’d do it again in a heartbeat.” He winks.

Mitch shoves him. “Gross. Keep that to yourself.”

“Never stepping foot in that library again,” West teases.

We shuffle into the large bus that will shuttle our team to the hotel. Once inside, I sit in an empty row, and the silence feels stifling. I usually love silence, but now there’s this looming secret in the air. And for once, I want to talk to the guys about my personal life, to tell them about what Amber and I are thinking of doing. But I don’t know if she’d want me to say anything, and I don’t know who we’ll tell about our arrangement and who we won’t. If it even happens. I’m 99.9% sure she’s going to change her mind in the next twenty-four hours. But her procedure is in two weeks, so I suppose we need to make a decision soon either way.

I like to be prepared, so I checked my insurance policy after talking to her about this whole crazy idea on Thanksgiving. My policy doesn’t have a waiting period, so if we get married, she’ll be fully covered on day one. Her and Nella.

Something about that makes my chest puff out a little, the thought of taking care of them. Of those girls being mine.