Page 18

“I’m very excited at the prospect of playing for the Covey Crushers for another season. We’ve developed and learned so much that I think we’ve got a great shot at getting a place in the Frozen Four again next year.” Scotty Hendricks smiled brightly at Sienna. I didn’t know how to explain it, but Scotty had an aura about him, and over the past few weeks, I’d learned he was good at getting people on his side. He had a way of making you think he was hanging on your every word, and I couldn’t tell if it was because he’d been trained so well in how to handle the media from his father or if he was genuinely interested.

Sienna was smiling, bobbing her head so earnestly that I made a note on my phone to tell her she needed to work on it. She was looking like one of my brother’s bobbleheads.

“It sounds like you’re leaning more toward staying, then?”

Scotty glanced down at the microphone and hesitated before glancing over at his table.

“I, uh, haven’t decided yet. Moving out of the country is a big deal. One that I’m prepared for, but I’m just not sure I’m willing to leave the things that Covey U has to offer just yet.”

That answer wasn’t what I was expecting. Most athletes here were looking to get into their professional contracts as soon as possible, but Scotty was bucking that trend and holding out on the Toronto Thrashers. Maybe it was something to do with the fact that he didn’t need the money, or maybe there was something or someone else he didn’t want to leave behind. I didn’t know him well enough to be privy to that answer.

“And what are those things if you don’t mind me asking?” Typical Sienna, always pushing for more information.

Scotty pushed his tongue out before swiping it across his lips. “You know, teammates. The people. It’s a great college, and who would want to leave?” Evasive as always, but also showing his media prowess.

“Alright, well, I don’t think I’m going to get any more out of you on that, so I’ll let you go. Thank you for talking to me, and I’m sure all Crusher fans will be thrilled to hear that you’re potentially staying for another season. Enjoy the rest of your night.”

“Thank you, Sienna. Appreciate it.” Scotty winked, then walked over to a huddle of players. She’d been interviewing the team for the last forty minutes, but I had little sympathy, with knowing I was next and who I had to interview.

The football team.

Gah. It was so frustrating that I was dreading speaking to the team I loved so much. I was at a players’ event, yet I hadn’t brought myself to even look at the tables filled with football players, in fear I’d lock eyes with Matty. I needed to get over this. It was my job, and if I wanted to be taken seriously by any sports broadcasting team, I’d need to deal with the awkwardness between Matty and me like a professional.

Like I did after Matty’s terrible performance on Friday. He was upset and needed someone to talk to. I thought I could be that person, and I was for the night, but how long could that last? Our lives were about to become drastically different. He was getting married to a woman I couldn’t stand and having a kid with her. I already knew she wouldn’t let me anywhere near her husband, but that probably wouldn’t be an issue, anyway. I would move to whatever state I could get a broadcasting gig in. It’d most likely be with a lower-level team until I’d proven myself, and I wouldn’t have time to call and see how he was doing. Things were over between Matty and me romantically. Our friendship was dwindling too, but it felt like there wasn’t much I could do about that.

“Would you mind getting me a water?” Sienna asked as another player, Brooks, stood in front of her. He adjusted the lapels on his purple tux, and I shook my head. Even the dreamiest guy on that team couldn’t make that look good. I didn’t know whose idea it was to wear purple tuxes designed to look like their jerseys, but they deserved to be shunned.

“Sure.”

I gave Brooks a small wave before heading over to the bar. Unfortunately, the wait was already ten people deep, which meant Sienna wouldn’t get a drink for a while. Standing on my tiptoes, I tried to see what was taking so long, and in doing so, I saw a familiar face attached to one of those awful jersey tuxes.

When Erik saw me, he tipped his chin and mouthed, What do you want ?

I raised my hand and mouthed, Two waters while trying to avoid all the arms and heads in the way.

He nodded, flicking his finger away in a gesture that I figured meant he’d come to find me. Well, that was easier than expected. I knew I’d see him tonight, but I didn’t expect him to wait on me. We hadn’t talked since I fell into his arms last week, and I didn’t know what to say or how to act around him. At least I knew he wasn’t offended that I hadn’t responded to his text.

By the time I got back to Sienna, she was finishing her interview with Brooks, and her brows furrowed at my empty hands.

“Where are our drinks?”

“Erik’s getting them for us.”

“Erik?” she said with a goofy smile on her face. “I thought we weren’t interested in Erik?” Her voice had a playful edge as she knocked me on the hip.

“We aren’t. It’s nothing.” I pointed to the mass of people. “There’s a huge line, and he was at the front of it, so he offered. Be thankful, I’d probably be waiting there another ten minutes if it wasn’t for him.”

She shook her head and laughed. “You know, sometimes, I feel like fate would have to slap you across the face with a bowl of hummus before you’d take notice of anyone else.”

“Why hummus? How would that even work?”

“Because it’s the only thing that’s just random enough to make you actually question things. I swear you’re so up in your head about Matty you’re completely blind to the way other people look at you.”

“It’s just a couple of waters, Sienna. I think you’re exaggerating a little.”

“Nope. I’m not. And it’s not just water. You sat next to him in class when you were trying to hide from Matty. Didn’t you say he stopped you from falling over and breaking your nose the other day?”

I nodded, remembering that was also the time he mentioned I needed to tie my shoelaces, and the significance of that point.

“So, I don’t think it’s just fate that this stuff keeps happening. I think you just need to look beyond a certain floppy-haired prince that you’ve been itching to talk to all night.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Don’t deny that you’ve been avoiding looking at him?” When I didn’t answer, she continued. “What I think I’m trying to say is that some princes turn out to be frogs.”

“Are you calling Matty a frog?”

“I just know you’re looking for an awesome guy, and I don’t want you to be one of those girls that doesn’t get what she wants because she’s waiting around for someone that’s always taken.”

Taken.

The word stung because it was true. He was taken. Not just taken. Engaged and preparing to be a father, and I was still grappling with that, whether I wanted to admit it.

When someone cleared their throat behind me, I turned and couldn’t help but smile at the man holding two waters for us. Okay, I might have said that their tuxes were awful earlier, but the purple really brought out the green of Erik’s eyes, so at least someone was making them look good.

“Sienna,” he said coolly, handing the drink to her but keeping his focus on me.

“Erik,” she cooed, sliding her hand over his shoulder and squeezing. “I’ve just got to interview Henry, then you’re next.” She winked, making Erik laugh.

“Henry? I’m surprised he’s still talking to you after you followed him to his dorm room the other week.”

“I didn’t follow him. I was invited.”

“Like when you were ‘invited’ into Dash’s room and caused all kinds of chaos.”

She raised her hands. “Hey, that was not what it looked like. I’m still certain he and Cade are hiding something; I just don’t know what.”

I shook my head, stifling a laugh. I remembered her calling me after that incident, adamant she had a story, and never hearing the outcome. Maybe that was why she switched from investigative reporting to broadcasting. She wasn’t very good at it.

“Anyway, I want to get these interviews over with, so I’ll see you in a minute, Steele. Don’t flirt with my assistant too outrageously. She might not notice it, but everyone else will.”

“Sienna,” I whisper-shouted, and she threw me a smile before flitting her fingers and waving goodbye.

Erik leaned in and said, “You know? We’ve got to stop meeting like this.” Still holding my water, he opened his arms, and I couldn’t help myself. I sank into his wide chest and hugged him back. Dare I say we’d become friends, and I liked hanging out with him. Granted, hugging him didn’t feel the same as when I did it with Matty, but it was nice.

“Meeting like what? You knew I was going to be here?”

“Yes, I did, but I didn’t know you were going to look like that .” He stepped back, taking me in with a smile. “I mean, I should be used to it by now, but damn, it’s hard when you are full of so many surprises.”

I groaned, rolling my eyes, and pushed him away. He tried to catch my hands in the move, but I didn’t let him. “Stop with the lines. They’re terrible.”

“It’s fine.” He stopped, his mouth drawing down. “You’re right. My cheesy lines would never work on someone like you. So, how about I try this instead?” He bowed forward, showing off the number 44 on the back of his tux. I take back all the compliments I threw his way before. They really were the tackiest things I’d ever seen. Not that I wanted to compare the two, but the football team had a much classier look with black tuxes and their numbers printed onto the purple lining.

“Don’t worry. I’m not going to ask you to marry me.” Erik cleared his throat. “Brittany, would you care to dance?” He said in a mock British accent, and I barked out a laugh.

Sienna was behind him about to interview Henry, and I should have been over there with her, but when we caught eyes, she flicked her hand to suggest I go with Erik. What did I have to lose at this point? Erik might not be my happily ever after, but at least he’d show me a good time.

“Britt? Would you mind answering? My knees are about to give out.” He was still bowing, so I put my hands on his shoulders, trying to pull him up.

Laughing, I said, “Sorry. Yes. Let’s do it.”

He huffed out a breath, and there was an element of surprise on his face. I got it. I’d been acting hot and cold for so long, but it was one dance, and I needed a little fun.

I slipped my hand in his, and when we got to the dance floor, his arms dropped to my waist, pulling me closer. We weren’t inappropriately close, but I couldn’t help but wonder if Matty was watching.

Again, it was stupid. Erik had pretended to be my date once, but flaunting anything in front of Matty after the game the other day felt a little different. He looked broken, and I could only assume it had something to do with Olana being at the game.

Erik leaned in, bringing his mouth to my ear.

“So, I did a thing,” he whispered before leaning back to gauge my reaction. “And I think you might get angry over it.”

“What did you do?”

Sucking in a breath, he bit his bottom lip as countless scenarios ran through my mind. None were good. “If I tell you, do you promise not to hate me?”

“Hard to promise that when I have no idea what happened.”

He closed his eyes and squeezed my hip. “Okay, so you remember how we were talking about your situationship with Marty the other day?”

“It’s not a situationship.”

“So you keep saying,” he muttered. “But to everyone else, that’s what it looks like.” I pressed my lips together, waiting for him to continue. “Well, I’m honestly tired of seeing all this back and forth when you two are clearly crazy about each other.” I froze, not sure I wanted to hear the rest of what he had to say. “Well, I couldn’t leave it. I’m a trickster. I like to joke around, and pretending to be your boyfriend for a hot second was cute, but when I’ve meddled too much, I try to fix things.”

He was waffling, which was so unlike him, and only led me to heinous conclusions.

“Erik, what did you do?”

“I talked to Marty.”

My blood ran cold, and I stopped swaying. My ears were ringing and the room was spinning.

Where was Matty?

It was the first time tonight I looked for him as I thought about Erik and Matty together talking about me. I felt sick, but Matty wasn’t on the dance floor or at the football table.

“About?” I asked, still searching for him. He wasn’t at the bar either.

“You.”

That drew my attention back to Erik, and I patiently waited for him to explain himself.

“Look, at first, I thought it was fun to mess with the kicker. But as time went on, I realized I was just fucking up something that shouldn’t be so complicated.”

I swear I stopped breathing when I felt eyes on me. Matty. He was standing off to the side with his eyes narrowed, watching me.

“I basically told him to get his head out of his ass and claim you or let you go so someone else could have a shot.”

“You did what?!” I said a little louder than I wanted to.

He smiled. “You deserve more than an idiot half-heartedly pining over you.”

I closed my eyes, desperately trying to keep my cool, but I wasn’t sure how possible that was. “There’s more to it than you know.”

“Either way, I think it worked.”

“How?”

“Well, for one, he hasn’t stopped staring at us since I asked you to dance, and he’s clearly annoyed.”

“No he’s not.”

“Then why’s he heading over?”

“He’s what?”

“Honestly, though, I’m not sure I should leave you alone with him tonight.”

“Why not?”

“Britt?” Matty strained behind me. When I looked over my shoulder, I was shocked. His eyes were bloodshot, his face was pale, and his hair was all over the place. It looked like he’d been out drinking heavily since last night, but the ball only started a couple of hours ago.

Still holding on to me, Erik stepped back and muttered, “Hey Marty.”

I glared at Erik, hating that he’d act like that about Matty. He didn’t get it. No one did, and I was usually okay with that, but I didn’t need anyone adding any snark about a guy who was clearly in a bad situation.

I stepped away from Erik, and Matty dropped his gaze to the floor.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“Britt, I need to talk to you.” He was acting strange, and it wasn’t just because I thought he might be drunk. There was something else going on. He wasn’t acting like the Matty I was used to seeing, and I didn’t know how to react to it. In my heart, I wanted to hug him and tell him that whatever he’s going through will be fine, but my brain told me that was a stupid idea. The guy had a pregnant fiancée back home, and somehow, I was still thinking there was potential for us.

I was fooling myself, and it was making me tired. I didn’t want to be like this. I deserved more. But I wanted him.

Matty reached his hand out to me, but Erik pushed it to the side, blocking me from view.

“You know, I really think you should have at least three glasses of water before you speak to her,” he said, standing up for me, and I didn’t know how I felt about it. I didn’t need Erik’s protection, but I was thankful there was someone else here trying to talk some sense into Matty.

His actions were odd. Matty drank, but he didn’t get drunk, especially at important events like this. Something happened. I just didn’t know what.

Matty didn’t even register Erik’s voice. He stepped to the side so he could see me and patiently waited for my answer.

I glanced around the ball, noticing we were attracting attention, and even though I knew a showdown with Matty was coming, I didn’t want to have it here in front of every elite athlete in the school.

“I think we’re good,” I said to Matty. I didn’t know what else to do.

Clenching his jaw, Matty shook his head, in frustration. I wasn’t going to give into him tonight. One of us needed to stop this endless cycle between us, and it seemed like it would have to be me.

“Really? Because I think we’ve got a hell of a lot to talk about.” Matty wasn’t going to give up, and things only got worse when Sienna came over and placed a hand on my arm.

“Everything okay?” she asked, looking genuinely concerned. Great. Our audience was growing.

Everyone stared at me, expecting me to say something, but I didn’t know what to do. My cheeks flushed, and my breathing became labored. I didn’t want all these people watching and judging us while we tried to talk things through.

Matty stepped forward, but Erik blocked his way again.

“Hey, man. Did you not just hear what I said?” Erik asked. As much as I hated to admit it, I got the tiniest of flutters in my stomach over this big, hulking hockey player doing his best to defend my honor. The problem was, I wasn’t sure I needed to be defended from Matty.

“I need to speak to Britt,” Matty gritted out, but Erik refused to move, and every time Matty took a step, Erik would follow.

“Like I said before, go get a glass of water before talking to her. Get yourself together. You’re not going to accomplish what you think acting like this.”

Matty pushed past Erik and stumbled his way toward me. His hand reached for me, but I backed away. “No, neither of you get it. Britt, I really need to talk to you.”

I shook my head, turning away, and Sienna was by my side in an instant.

“Get off me. I need to speak to her.” I didn’t look back even though I could hear jostling behind me.

“And she doesn’t want to talk to you until you’ve sobered up. So, I suggest you leave her alone before I call security.”

“She’s my wife . I need to speak to my wife.”

“Wife?” Sienna asked, confused, staring at me with so many questions. “What’s he talking about, B?”

“Are you married to this asshole?” Erik asked.

My entire body went stiff, and I stared at the back of the bar, refusing to look at Sienna. Or at Erik, for that matter. I was sure they’d have more questions. Questions I wouldn’t be able to answer because I kind of thought that night in Vegas was a fever dream and hadn’t actually happened, but unfortunately, reality was slapping me in the face right now.

“Yes,” I mumbled before closing my eyes and waited for the chaos to ensue.