Page 36 of Yours, For Now

I squeezed Gabe to me with an arm around his waist. "Let's go, Gabe. On a double date for an hour."

"We'll tell you about the competition if you go." Luce gave him a teasing smile.

"Okay, okay. Let's go," he said.

We walked next to each other like accomplices, and I enjoyed every second of it.

Chapter 12

LucíahaddrivenLinato the game, but I gave her a ride to the restaurant. I liked to drive myself to training; it seemed too pretentious on my part to have Josué take me there, when everyone else drove their very normal cars everywhere else themselves. Most of the guys had no idea I owned the playing fields and rented them out to the league for nothing; most of them thought I worked in corporate and was simply well-off. I was happy to keep it that way. Having a driver might make some of them search for me online and no, thanks. I didn't want the dynamics to change if they learned how much money sat in my bank accounts and investment portfolios.

We were halfway to the pub when I remembered to ask Lina about Essie.

"So what happened? You said something about my ex earlier?" I stopped the car at a light.

The restaurant wasn't that far away and it wouldn't take us too long to get there, which was a good thing. My to-do list haunted me, my work computer silently blaring an alarm at me from its case in the back seat. An image of the Board materialized in my mind, the dread of it fueling my fear that I might fail my parents and have the CEO role denied to me. The pressure of it all settled heavy in my stomach, but I did my best to ignore it for the next hour or two.

"Oh, yeah." Lina searched in her purse and came out with lip gloss of some sort. She pulled the visor down and painted her lips red. "I met her at the game. She dropped a few hints about her feelings about you."

I wished I could admire the effect of it on her lips, but I couldn't see it clearly in the dark car. The mild frustration of it surprised me; I had always thought Lina was attractive, but hadn't quite had a hook around the navel before, pulling at me to appreciate her beauty.

I frowned, both at hearing about Essie and the tug in my gut. "Wait. She what?"

"Yeah. Remember when I yelled at you to break a leg?"

That distracted me from the way my belly reacted to her and I laughed. The light turned and I drove the car forward."Yes. That was wrong— but funny."

And kinda sweet, too.

"Let's say I'd rather you focus on the spirit of my actions, rather than the details."

A grin stayed in place. "Let's do that. So what did she do?"

"Between my cheer and Lucía introducing me to a few people as your girlfriend, she seemed to take it upon herself to warn me against you."

I glanced at her for as long as I could afford to without risking an accident. "Are you serious?"

"Why would I lie to you?"

A car in front of us moved a bit aggressively, so I couldn't keep my attention on Lina like I wanted. I pressed my lips together; I really wished I could watch her. "It's not that I think you're lying— it's that I didn't realize she was still angry."

Lina didn't respond right away, and I didn't see more than a slight frown when I stole another glance at her.

"She indirectly made digs at you for working too much," she finally said. "Implied you wouldn't want to settle."

A scoff escaped me. "That's the core of her issues with me… though I doubt that was the whole story, from her side."

"I may have stopped her from saying more. Maybe that's on me." Her voice seemed pensive.

I grinned. "It's not like I would prefer you to hear her side, but… she has her own, and it won't be the same as mine."

Two beats later, she sighed. "I think I'd rather hear yours."

The pitch in her voice hadn't changed, but the words reached me like a whispered spell. I didn't know why, but the fact that she was content to hear my side and that was enough— for now— infused my chest with warmth. Which wasn't the ideal. Too tempting.

I took a fortifying breath. Not so much for the story I was about to share, but because I suspected it'd make us closer. That was vulnerable and scary in its own way. But Lina had showed up for me, and an explanation was the least I could offer in return.

"We dated for a while," I said. "For almost two years. She wanted us to get engaged; I didn't. But I wasn't clear enough with her. I wasn't opposed to staying together, but also… I wasn't planning to marry her."