We’re co-conspirators.
I give her a small nod, a crooked half-smile.
She blushes—just a hint of pink warming her cheeks—before snapping back into CEO mode, but I catch the way she bites her lower lip.
I walk toward the stage right as Nino grabs the mic.
“Welcome, citizens of Elm Hollow!” his amplified voice booms, sending a flock of pigeons scattering (and Pedro, who squawks indignantly from somewhere overhead).
“Today we kick off the very first season ofLove Goals! But before we move to the secret set on Elm Hollow Mountain… let’s meet our gladiators of love!”
I climb the steps and take my place beside Sloane.
“Ready to crush the competition, partner?” I murmur in her ear.
She turns to me, chin lifted in that defiant way that drives me insane.
“I was born ready, Becker. Just try not to trip over your own feet.”
“Don’t worry. You know I’m great with footwork.”
She swallows—hard.
“Idiot,” she mutters, but shifts just slightly closer until our shoulders brush.
“And here they are,” Nino cries, presenting us like we’re the reincarnation of Romeo and Juliet (if they’d had a budget and a happily-ever-after), “the couple to beat! The Queen of Hearts herself, Sloane Heart, and reformed bad boy, Cohen Becker!”
Thunderous applause. Someone yells my jersey number.
“But don’t think they’ll have it easy!” Nino continues with a theatrical grin. “Because this year we’ve gathered the very best this county has to offer!”
I glance around.
Well… “best” is subjective.
And yeah, I’m competitive—no shit.
I step closer to Sloane and lace my fingers through hers.
Is it a staged gesture for the cameras?
It’s supposed to be.
But holding her centers me in a way nothing else does.
“And now,” Nino shouts, his voice somewhere between a wrestling announcer and a zealot preacher, “the official cast ofLove Goals! Let the Parade of Love begin! DJ, music!”
Sloane and I fall to the end of the line—we’ve already had our dramatic entrance, but now it’s time for the full procession.
“Ready for the circus, Angel?”
She squeezes my hand, eyes locked on the fuchsia velvet curtain stretched across the stage.
“Analyze the enemies, Becker. We need to spot their weaknesses.”
Couple #1: THE EVERLASTING (Bernie & Esther)
Entrance Music:“Sex Bomb”by Tom Jones
