Page 92 of The Defender

I forced myself to relax my shoulders and take a deep breath before I returned to the food court, but when Carina, Noah, and I boarded our flight an hour later, I was still fuming.

I didn’t see my dad until four days later, at Blackcastle’s holiday gala. We exchanged brief hellos at the start of the event, and I had to will myself not to bring up what he did. This wasn’t the right time or venue for it.

The gala was the club’s most anticipated celebration of the year. Two hundred attendees mingled at a fancy hotel ballroom in central London. There was a red carpet, a press line, and enough champagne to drown a small town in France. It was a big enough deal for the players to swap out their tracksuits for actual suits, though they remained firmly committed to their trainers. Trying to convince a footballer to wear dress shoes was like trying to stuff a lion into a bikini.

“You can only avoid one conversation tonight,” Carina said as we entered the ballroom. “Your dad or Scarlett. Pick one. I vote for avoiding your dad.”

I groaned. I’d told her and Scarlett what Seth said without mentioning he was the source, but Carina had been on me about confessing to Scarlett about the kiss too.

“I will. Tomorrow,” I hedged. “I don’t want to ruin her night.”

“You’re not going to ruin her night.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I’m her best friend too, and Iknowher. This is for your own good.” Carina looped her arm through mine, pulling me toward our table when I attempted to flee. “You have to tell her, or the secret will eat you alive. I love you both, and I don’t want any self-cannibalism on my watch.”

“Gross. Can you not talk about self-cannibalism before dinner?”

“Don’t deflect, or I’ll spam your inbox with the goriest videos I can find on the internet until you tell her.”

I scowled, already regretting bringing her as my plus-one. She looked so innocent with her black embroidered gown and sweet smile, but she was really the devil in disguise.

“I can’t tell her before I’ve talked to Vincent.” I grasped for another excuse. “She’s his sister, and he has a stake in this too. We need to wait for the right time.”

Vincent and I agreed we needed to tell her, but we hadn’t settled on the who, when, or how. We’d messaged a ton since Budapest, but we’d been so busy prepping for the gala that we hadn’t had a chance to really sit down andtalkabout what came next.

“I get it, but knowing you two, the ‘right time’ means never.” Carina came back swinging with the brutal truth. “Think of it this way. The longer you keep it a secret, the longer you’ll have to sneak around behind Scarlett’s back. It’ll be exhausting, and she’ll be hurt you waited so long to tell her. It’s better to get it over with. I’m sure it’ll work out, and Vincent will understand.”

I hated to admit it, but Carina was right.

It’d been five days since the kiss, and I was already drowning in guilt from keeping it a secret from Scarlett.

“Fine,” I said. “I’ll tell her, but if you send me a single gory video, our friendship is over.”

Carina beamed. “Deal.”

I broke out into a sweat as we reached our table, where Scarlett was talking to Lizzie from HR. She’d been my first real friend in London, and the thought of hurting her made me feel a little sick.

Lizzie waved to us and bowed out gracefully to talk to Henry.

“Hey! You look beautiful.” Carina bent down to hug Scarlett hello and caught my eye over her head.You got this,she mouthed. “I’m going to run to the loo before dinner. Be right back.”

I took a seat next to Scarlett, who indeed looked stunning in a one-shoulder violet gown that contrasted perfectly with her dark hair and pale skin.

“Where’s Asher?” I asked, stalling for time while I tried to think of ways to broach my confession.

Remember how Vincent and I came back to the villa together in Budapest? Well, we did more than get food beforehand.

You’ll be happy to hear that Vincent and I don’t bicker every day anymore. Why? It’s a funny story…

Your brother and I kissed. I liked it. The end.

“He’s taking a group photo with the team,” Scarlett said. “I’m a little tired, so I decided to wait for him here.”

I straightened, my concern temporarily overriding my anxiety. “Is it a flare-up?”

Scarlett had been diagnosed with chronic pain after her car accident years ago. It could flare up any time, though it was often exacerbated by stress or overexertion.