Page 24

2 weeks later

Dear Spillit.

There’s a girl. I bet every email you get starts with that, but she’s not just any girl. She’s everything I’ve ever wanted, but wants to take things slow.

How do I make her realize that she’s the ONLY one for me

From

FlamesFlickeringAtTheFireside

Dear FlamesFlickeringAtTheFireside,

You’re right. There’s always a girl, but are you sure you know enough about her to make such a declaration of love?

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket if you aren’t sure.

Spillit

I could barely concentrate as I typed out my response for Spillit, the papers sitting next to my keyboard proving too distracting.

Application for Dissolution of Marriage (Divorce)

How did we even get here? My eyes traced the form until it got to the little yellow note on the top.

Britt,

I want you in this lifetime and the next.

I love you so much that I’m listening to you. You want to take it slow, and I’m offering you the slowest possible option.

To start again with me, or with someone else.

Obviously, I don’t want you to take that option, but it’s here for you in case I don’t prove my worth.

Matty

“So,” Sienna drawled out, sitting on my desk, and I pushed the papers to the side, covering them with my hand. “I know you don’t want to talk to me, but I can’t take the silence between us anymore.” My friend looked immaculate in her glasses with her hair styled in a cute, professional bun. Too bad her flailing arms were ruining the image she was going for. “You’re the only person that makes this office tolerable, and you haven’t spoken to me in three weeks since I dropped you off at your dorm. Well, okay, if we’re being honest, it’s been more like two weeks and a day, but that’s still a long time to me. Especially when it relates to one of my best friends.”

“O-okay.”

“Look, I get you’re going through something. Hell, the entire school now knows you’re going through something. You’re married, for crying out loud. And even though I’m a little salty about the fact I wasn’t invited to the wedding, I care about you. And I’ve got to be honest, I’m worried.”

I nodded, a rush of emotions pouring through me. In the last two weeks, I’d been acting like a robot, avoiding my roommate like the plague, and keeping my head down to focus on work, all because Matty had left me with a clusterfuck of emotions I was still trying to figure out.

“I just want my friend back. I can’t stand only speaking to hockey players every day. I mean, honestly, I don’t know how you do it. Don’t you have like three professional athlete brothers? Please tell me they have more depth than the shallow end of the pool, because the athletes I talk to have nothing important to add to any conversation.”

“Uh, okay.”

“Honestly, I’m not joking. They think fart jokes are humor, and they spit so much. Not in that hot ‘spit on it’ way either. Like real giant balls of spit flying around the locker room. I have to dodge them at every turn. I just can’t stand it.”

“Mm-hm.”

“I also want to apologize for pushing Erik on you. I knew you were having trouble with Matty, but I had no idea you were married to the guy.” She blew out a breath and shook her head. “I mean, seriously, what the hell? When did that even happen? You’re not wearing a ring. You never mentioned an engagement, and you’re really starting to make me feel like I’m not that important in your life. I know we’re technically work friends , but I don’t get close with many people, and if something as monumental as that happened to me, I would’ve told you in a heartbeat.”

“We are besties.”

She pouted, thinking about it for a second. “Then why didn’t you tell me about marrying Matty?”

“Because, honestly, I thought I’d dreamed the entire thing, and I was told his ex was pregnant, so I figured our marriage wouldn’t matter.” I pushed out an amused breath. “If I’m really honest, since it was in Vegas, I didn’t think it was a legitimate wedding, anyway.”

“Whoa. That was a whole lot of a confession in a short sentence. His ex is pregnant? The girl with the ferret, right? She’s having a kid with him?”

“No. I don’t think so. She just said it was so I’d leave Matty alone, and it worked.”

Sienna’s mouth dropped, and she slapped me lightly on the shoulder before bringing her hand to her mouth. “Stop! She didn’t.”

I nodded. “That’s not the worst part. She told Matty she had cancer because she knew he wouldn’t believe the pregnancy lie.”

“No?!”

“Yeah, it was fucked up and ridiculous. She had no idea he was married to me while she was trying to convince him they should get married to help pay for her health insurance.”

“But why was she pushing for that if she wasn’t sick?”

I shrugged. “Because she wanted his money. She mentioned something about Matty’s mom’s inheritance.”

“Matty’s that rich that she’d fake a pregnancy and illness over it?”

“Apparently.”

She shook her head and widened her eyes before blowing out a surprised breath. “Wow. When you said you didn’t want to talk about things before, I assumed it was because Matty was a shitty lay. I didn’t realize there was all this scandalous backstory behind it.”

“Yeah, well, welcome to my life,” I said, resigned to it.

“That does beg the question, though.” I looked at her with interest. “If you didn’t tell me, did you talk to anyone about this?”

I shook my head.

“Not even your mom?”

“She doesn’t know.” I pursed my lips, almost embarrassed about the statement. “I didn’t want to tell her.” Then I moved my hand, lifting the papers in her direction. “And I might not have to.”

“What’s that?” Sienna tilted her head, trying to read the papers, and gasped. “Are these divorce papers?”

I nodded. “Matty sent them over.”

Sienna took in a sharp breath. “What? Why? I thought he was obsessed with you?”

“He apparently is, and this is his way of proving it.”

Sienna’s brow furrowed. “You’ve lost me.”

“He’s just giving me the option in case I’m having second thoughts about being married to him.”

Sienna’s eyebrows lifted in surprise. “Are you having second thoughts?”

“I don’t think so. I love him, but it does feel strange to be courted by a man who has sent through divorce papers.”

“Can I?” I gave Sienna the papers, and her eyes flicked over the document with interest. “Whoa. This is insane. Also, why do I find it so funny that Matty’s name is actually Benedict? He sounds like some old-time prince.”

She knocked me on the side, trying to get me to smile, but I couldn’t. I wasn’t sure how I was feeling about it all. Numb, maybe? Nothing felt good, but nothing felt bad either. I just felt present. Like I was there and that was about it.

“Why do I feel like you’re going to sign these?”

“Matty and I haven’t talked about it. I haven’t really seen him since the night after the Players’ Ball, and when he texts, it’s only vague promises.”

She raised her brows, quirking an amused smile. “Vague sexy promises?”

“No. Just things like he’s absolutely committed to this working between us, and he had a plan. One he hasn’t shown me yet.”

Sienna shivered. “Oh, wow. I wonder what he’s going to do.” Her voice was wistful. “Maybe he’s got some huge romantic gesture planned.”

“I’m not sure what could be more romantic than divorce papers.”

“Hey.” She pushed my side. “Come on. You’ve got to see the funny side, otherwise you’ll never get out of this funk. You married your best friend, and you’ve now got the chance to figure it out together.”

“I guess. It’s just not really how I envisaged being married. I thought I’d at least be dating the guy, and it would have been nice to have one of those sentimental proposals. With Matty and me, it’s not like that. It never can be. Not after everything,”

I stopped talking as my breath hitched. Saying those things out loud made it feel like I was finally facing my reality. Matty and I didn’t have the long-term love. Yes, we were best friends, but I wanted to feel the butterflies. To wonder if he was feeling the same way I was. To be surprised when he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. To have my family there to see me walk down the aisle to the one man I couldn’t live without.

I tried to force myself into the harsh reality that Matty wasn’t that, but as I stared at the divorce papers, something stopped me from signing them. Hope. I guessed it was hope that we might be able to turn into that.

Hearing the words “But you’re my wife” fall out of his mouth when he was talking to people made me hot and sad at the same time. How did he have such a hold on my emotions without trying?

“Big game tonight,” Sienna said, then I realized I’d been lost in my own thoughts for so long that she decided to change the subject. “Your first full-time broadcasting gig. I still can’t believe they are letting you host the entire game. It’s being played on Chally Sports, and my little Brittany is going to be fronting it.” She looked up to the sky wistfully, and for those few seconds, I couldn’t help but feel like my problems weren’t so bad.

“Yeah, my brothers are really excited for me.”

“What about you? Are you excited?” she asked.

“Of course I am. It’s essentially an audition to be part of the broadcasting team, and if I can get in there to even intern, I’d be so happy.”

“You will.”

She was always so confident in me. After everything that happened over the last month, I felt broken, but I was going to try my hardest. “I hope so. There are plenty of people looking for a place on one of their teams. It’s just a matter of standing out.”

“Aaand there are plenty of teams needing dedicated sports fanatics to root them on. This is huge for you. I can just feel it.”

“Thanks,” I muttered before biting my bottom lip. That was another thing I didn’t want to think too much about.

“Am I going to finally meet your infamous family?” she asked, wiggling her eyebrows with a smirk.

I rolled my eyes. This was exactly why I didn’t like to share much information about my brothers with people. Yes, announcers liked to talk about the Brennon brothers as though they were just as popular and hot as the Hemsworths, but they were still my brothers, and seeing anyone objectify them creeped me out. “My mom and my brother Sam are coming tonight. The other two, Max and Bryce, have games, so they can’t make it.”

“But this is their baby sister’s first TV broadcasting gig, how could they miss out on that?”

“They’re contracted to be in a certain place at certain times. They couldn’t be here even if they wanted to. The only reason Sam’s allowed to be around is because he hurt his wrist. Besides, it’s not that big of a deal.”

Her jaw dropped. “Not that big of a deal? You’re the first female student to be given the gig, but it’s not a big deal. Come on. It’s like you’re not even excited.” She shook my shoulders, and I smiled.

“I’m excited. I’m just nervous, I guess.”

“Why? You know more than most of the players out there, you look perfect, and you haven’t even dressed for it yet. You’ve got this.”

“Thanks. I guess I’m just concerned that the first time I’m going to see Matty in almost two weeks could be interviewing him after the game.”

“You haven’t seen him in two weeks?”

“No. In the haze of everything, I told him we needed to take things slow, and he’s taking that commitment seriously.”

She took in a sharp breath. “It’ll be fine. I’m sure. What’s the worst he could do? You’re already married to him, it’s not like he’s going to repropose to you at the end after scoring a game-winning kick.” I hadn’t thought about that. Not only would that ruin my credibility, but I’d have to explain so much to my mom and Sam. So much I hadn’t figured out myself yet.

“Don’t freak out,” she said, clasping my shoulder and giving it a squeeze. “I’m sure everything will be fine.”

“Easy for you to say,” I muttered before turning back to my computer and doing everything possible not to think about this evening.

It would be fine even if I had to interview my husband. He’d know we were in a professional setting and not embarrass me. Why then did I feel like something I couldn’t control was going to happen tonight?