Page 29 of Risking the Pucking Defense

“Well, obviously. You’re back with all of us.”

“Jesus,” Bea mutters, rolling her eyes at her boyfrie⁠—

“You got engaged,” I suddenly blurt out, remembering that not everything is about me and my stupid actions last night. “Congratulations.”

The smile Bea wears as she holds her hand out for me to see her ring is infectious, and I find myself grinning too.

“Thank you. It was so romantic.”

“So it wasn’t Rett who asked you to marry him?” I deadpan.

“Hey, I can do romance,” the man in question scoffs. “In fact, I think Bea will agree with me when I say I’m actually very good at it.”

I glance at Bea. “He is, actually.”

“And they say that pigs can’t fly,” I tease.

“You know, now that I’m being a good boy and making your life easier, you can be nicer to me.”

“I’m withholding judgment on that until the season starts. You might not be partying, but I still have no idea what’s going to come out of your mouth, and we have plenty of interviews and press releases lined up for the coming weeks.”

“Wonderful,” he mutters.

“Good morning, kids,” Cole booms as he and Freya join us, and soon after Kodie, Casey, and Sutton arrive. They all get swept up into conversations and drag Hayden in with them, leaving me questioning why they’ve all gathered around me.

I’m not a part of their group. I’m just the woman who forces them to do things they don’t want to do.

“Hey, are you okay?” Bea asks quietly, so no one else can hear. “You seem, I don’t know, off.”

My heart sinks. By keeping my distance from everyone, I’d hoped it would mean that no one would notice when I wasn’t myself. I guess that could be true with the guys; they have more important things to worry about than the mood of the woman who is telling them what they can and can’t say in an interview. I never banked on Bea. She sees more than the others; she knows more than the others, and I hate how vulnerable it makes me feel.

“I’m fine, thank you.”

I don’t mean for the words to come out so short, and I regret them instantly.

“I’m sorry, that was⁠—”

“It’s okay. I guess weddings and things are hard after…”

My eyes widen in panic, but she doesn’t say the words I was fearing.

“If you ever want to talk about it, I’m here,” Bea offers. It’s not the first time she’s done so. It’s also not the first time I’ve brushed her off. I’ve got a handful of messages on my cell from her trying to organize for us to hang out. I feel guilty every time I make an excuse. But if I’m being honest, I’m scared. I’ve worked so hard to carve myself a new life here in LA. No one here knows about my past, and more importantly, no one is connected to it.

Or at least, that was the case before Bea found her way into our lives.

9

HAYDEN

“Oh, you motherfucker.”

A smile curls at my lips at her voice as I walk out the front of the hotel.

“Everything okay?” I ask, stepping up behind Hailee and lowering my sunglasses over my eyes.

She groans in frustration, and I try to convince myself that it’s not because of my presence, but after the way she was at breakfast this morning, it’s harder than it should be.

“My Uber just cancelled. That’s the third one in a row.”