Page 150 of Bluffed By the Offense

“I’ve got lots more where that came from,” I say.

Her expression flutters for a moment. Sadness? I’m not sure.

It’s got to be hard on her, as happy as she is for Winona. Today they separate. Twins from birth and this will be their first time living apart.

I draw her near, trying to sponge up any loneliness. I want to tell her I’m here for her, but I haven’t earned the right, so I let my body tell the story. I sway her, my hand on her back, securing her in place. My other hand, clasping hers, holding it to my heart.

When the song ends, the toasts begin. First Patrick, then Cass, and then the mic starts being passed among us. We roast Declan and praise Winona. The room fills with laughter. After the meal, people take to the dance floor. Winona and Declan cut their cake. And then the dancing continues, in groups for the most part. I don’t have another opportunity to hold Cass in my arms the rest of the night—not one she wouldn’t question.

I grab a drink at the makeshift bar in the corner of the room and turn to look for Cass. I don’t see her anywhere, so I set my drink down on the nearest table and go searching.

The night is almost to the point where Declan and Winona will run out past their guests to get into the limo that’s taking them to Nashville for the night. From there, they fly to the Caribbean for their honeymoon at Declan’s house on St. Thomas. Now it’s their house, together.

Trey approaches me.

“Hey,” I ask him, “Have you seen Cass?”

“No. Not for a minute. Why?”

I look at my best friend, the person who knows me better than my own family.

“I need to tell you something.”

“Okay?” His face grows serious.

I glance around. We’re alone, off to the side of the room.

“We were faking,” I confess.

His brow draws in.

“Cass and I. It started with the photo shoot. Then Kate said not to fight the rumors. Then she suggested I take Cass to the gala … It was helping my image. People forgot about the playoffs. This whole thing snowballed. I should have told you, but Kate said to keep it on the DL. Anyway …” I blow out a long breath. “It ends tonight.”

Trey shakes his head.

“I’m sorry, man,” I tell him. “I’ve never lied to you before.”

“And now you’re lying to yourself,” he says with a smile.

“What?”

“You weren’t faking, and she wasn’t either.”

“You don’t know that,” I tell him.

I’m surprised at his response, but my mind has snagged on one thing: She wasn’t either.

Trey reads me like a book, not only because we’ve known one another forever, but it’s our job to read one another. We have to learn the nuances of what we’re thinking. If he shifts left or right even an inch, I have to know what it means. If I hesitate or if I pull back, he knows what to do.

It doesn’t surprise me that he picked up on how I feel for Cass.

The thing that’s tripping me up is his take on her feelings.

“Am I wrong?” he asks.

“Not about me. It started as fake. She annoyed me with her criticisms and assumptions, but I got to know her. I saw past all that. And somewhere along the line, it turned real. For me, it did. And now we’ve hit our expiration. As soon as Winona and Declan leave, we’re supposed to end it.”

“But you’re not going to,” he says.