This information doesn’t settle the unease in my stomach.It didn’t even occur to me that bringing Robert to the house might have severe, even legal consequences. Well, that’s a lie. But I needed him as my buffer, not giving any thought to him.
Don’t use me as a prop, I said. And yet, isn’t that exactly what I did to him? Fuck. Fuuuuuck. Well, now I feel like crap.
There’s no way Dad would have called the police on Robert, right? Clee is right, he couldn’t risk this blowing up and showing the depth of the fractures within the Morrigan family. God forbid the outside world know we aren’t the fucking Brady Bunch.
“Don’t let Eef annoy you, Rhi. She’s just stirring shit before we train to get you riled up.”
“Rhi, Clee, Eef, the three Morrigan girls,” I mutter, mostly to myself.
“Don’t say it like it’s a curse,” Clíodhna murmurs. “We’re all we’ve got.”
Standing on the edge of the crowd. We’re a formidable force, and two of the braver academy players are shuffling closer.
“Keep your voices down. There are ears everywhere.” I side-eye the youngsters.
“What are we going to do for your birthday next week?” Aoife changes the subject with skill.
“Nothing.”
“What’s Robert doing for your birthday next week?” Clíodhna wiggles her brows, her meaning obvious.
“Nothing.” I repeat as Coach calls the team to order.
Our tighthead, Grace, stops in front of me and gives me a smirk. “You back to win, or just doing press tours this season?”
“I’m here to make line breaksandheadlines. You handle the rucks.”
“Someone’s jelly she’s not getting her name in the papers,” Aoife adds, though she doesn’t need to.
“Now, now, we’re all on the same team, aren’t we?”Clíodhna says, voice sugar-sweet but steel-edged. “And we all know what the media can be like when they want to bash women and pit us against each other.”
Grace flinches—everyone knows that tone. It’s the one Clee uses before she tears you a new one with a smile.
Grace nods. “Don’t let it go to your head.” She levels me with a hard stare.
“Grace, pet, so far, you’re more obsessed with my media coverage than I am. How about you focus on your own game and don’t worry your pretty, little head about mine?” This is my life now, fielding distrust and cynicism from my teammates. Dating a journalist is the ultimate betrayal.
You’d think that dating a journalist, especially one who loves and writes sports, would mean more publicity for the team and game, but they’re seen as vultures. They dig into every corner. If people think I’m sleeping with the enemy, they’ll stop being real with me. They’ll think every conversation is potential headline bait. No one will confide in me, they’ll stop trusting me, and I swear to God, if it impacts the game too, I’ll lose my shit.
Our team captain makes her way past us, giving me a loaded smile. “Isn’t love adorable. Can’t be apart from you even for a couple of hours.”
I blink, not following what she’s saying, but Clíodhna stares at the stands and her breath catches. “Oh, for fuck’s sake,” she mutters. “Of course he’s here.”
I follow her line of sight, and land on my fake boyfriend, looking not in the least bit fake in what appears to be a black Ravens raincoat. I roll my lips between my teeth, but it doesn’t fight the heat creeping into my face.
Sophie, our full-back, heaves out a dramatic sigh. “You might have brought the drama to the offseason, girl. But he’s delicious drama.”
He gives me a lazy smile and a casual wave. She’s notwrong. And now, regardless of whether or not my teammates eyes are on me, one thing’s for certain. For the duration of this training session, Robert’s eyes will be on me. And that makes the hornets in my stomach buzz even harder.
So much for not being distracted tonight.
CHAPTER 28
Robert
In hindsight, I could have made a more subtle entrance to tonight’s practice. Ishouldhave waited until the stands were full. But I also thought more friends and family members would be here to watch their first practice, even if it’s unofficial.
Turns out, however, it’s just me. Sticking out like a sore fucking thumb.
