I grab her hips and pull her body flush to mine. “It can’t be a mistake when it feels so right. I wasn’t alone in there. I know you felt it too. We’re good together.”
Her eyes fill with tears, and she briefly relaxes into my body, placing her hands on my shoulders. I’ve missed her touch so damn much. For a few seconds, I can sense that she missed me too.
Eventually, she gently places her hands on my chest, pushing to give us a little more distance. “Itwasamazing, but we both know it can’t last. We should stop now before one of us gets hurt.” She briefly looks down before she looks back up at me. “This arrangement has an expiration date. Our friends are close. It’s taken me a long time to find a circle of women who I can depend on. I won’t do anything to mess that up. I think we should do what we’re asked to do by Judge Jurassic and then try to part at the end of the year as the frenemies we’ve always been.”
I open and close my mouth a few times. I’m in shock. “That’s what you really want?” I ask.
She looks away and nods, croaking out, “I think it’s for the best.”
I’m not begging. Daylen Humblecut doesn’t beg for women. It’s the other way around.
I step away from her, puff out my chest, and steel my expression. “Fine, Cruella. If that’s what you want. Back to frenemies it is. Meet me at the park tomorrow afternoon, and we’ll pick up where we left off, per court orders. Judge Geriatric said to add an extra day each week until we catch up from your time away. I guess you’ll have to suffer through seeing me three times a week for the next month. After that, it’s back to status quo.”
She wordlessly nods, but I can’t drop it quite yet. “Why are you like this? Why do you enjoy misery?”
Her lower lip wobbles a bit, but she otherwise doesn’t emote. “It’s all I know. Why are you always so overly happy?”
I stare at her in disbelief. “Why wouldn’t you want to be happy? It’s like you go out of your way to be unhappy. Who chooses to live their life like that?”
An errant tear drops from her eye, but she says nothing.
I unlock the door and open it. Before walking through it, I announce, “By the way, you’re now represented by Montgomery Sports Management, the top agency in the country. Kamryn Hart will be your agent.”
Her face jerks in surprise.
“Yes,thatKamryn Hart. She can be the one to explain it all to you since we’re nothing but frenemies. She’s expecting your call. You’re welcome.”
I walk out the bathroom door and straight out the door of the club, no longer interested in being around anyone but my dog.
TWENTY-ONE
KENNEDY
It’s been the worst few weeks. Daylen’s words have cemented themselves into my head. I can’t escape them. Am I choosing misery over happiness? I’m certainly miserable now.
He’s been cold as ice to me. We meet as scheduled at the park to work on my vertical skills, but it’s all very robotic and formal. There’s no playful banter. No intimate touches. At a minimum, he used to find creative ways to touch my boobs which he thought were slick, but I always knew and let it happen. He’s not even attempting that anymore.
I think I may have made a mistake in pushing him away. I miss him, and I miss the way we were with each other. The look of devastation on his face when we were in the club bathroom hasn’t left me. Why has the big doofus gotten under my skin so much? Why am I so damn emotional lately? I cry every night in bed while downing a pint of ice cream, too tired to go out.
Per his idea, I wore a tight, leather Black Widow costume as my gameday walk-in outfit for my first game back. It. Was. Genius. The internet flipped.
After that, every designer on the planet reached out aboutdressing me for my gameday outfits. I basically have my choice of anything I want to wear, and it’s sent to me immediately for free. Some even pay me to wear their clothes.
I texted him about it to thank him, and he responded with a thumbs-up emoji, which is basically more of an FU emoji than the middle finger one. I suppose I can’t blame him, given the way I treated him, but it still hurt. I wanted to share it with him. To celebrate with him.
I’ve done my best to put my head down and focus on basketball. I’m having a career season. I’ve never played better. Our team chemistry is off the charts, and we’re on a collision course to make a run for the championship this year.
Kam is a fucking animal. She’s gotten me endorsement deal after endorsement deal. I’ve never had this much money in my life. I’m thinking about buying a house. Initially I thought I’d buy something near Sulley, but she barely lives in her house anymore. She’s had some issues with crazy fans, so she sleeps at Vance’s almost every night. Even though she insists it will never happen, I know it’s only a matter of time before she moves in with him.
I’ll wait until my off-season, but I’m ready to buy, and I couldn’t possibly be more proud or excited that I’m finally in a position to do so.
I’m stopping by Kam’s office on my way to practice this morning. She said she may have a huge makeup endorsement opportunity for me and wants me to meet the head of marketing for the company. I have no idea which one it is. She said she had to sign an NDA, and I would meet them in person after I signed one too. But to say I’m excited about working with a makeup company would be the understatement of the century. This is my lifelong dream. I’ve been fantasizing about the possibilities since she mentioned it.
I make my way up to reception, where a woman named Shannon greets me warmly. “Good morning, Ms. Jeffries. Ms. Hart is in her office in a meeting.” She slides over what appearsto be a two-page contract. “She asked that you review this, sign it, and then join the meeting.”
I don’t know what the fuck I’m looking for. Shannon must sense my trepidation because she offers me a small smile. “Ms. Hart has reviewed it on your behalf. She said you should feel comfortable signing but should always review anything you sign as a matter of practice.”
I nod. “Thanks.”
