“I think I do. I’m not good at much else. But law, presenting in a courtroom, representing my clients, finding legal loopholes to keep them out of trouble, or preventing them from getting into it in the first place? That, I’m good at. And it feels nice to be good at something and appreciated for it. It feels nice to receive recognition, don’t you think?”
I nod. “I understand. I feel that way about hockey.”
“Exactly.”
“But I’m sure you’re good at other things too.”Like, pole dancing.The ballet lessons explain her dance routine and flexibilitytoo.
She smiles lightly before taking another sip of her wine. “Not really. I don’t have free time. The little I do have I spend working pro-bono cases.”
That has me sitting forward in my chair. “Really?”
She nods. “Cain and I have connected with a few legal aid organizations in the city, and I’ve recently partnered with the Manhattan women’s shelter. I find those cases to be the most meaningful.”
“That’s fucking cool.”
Her smile turns genuine, and I can tell this work is important to her even if she’s trying to downplay it.
“It can be challenging… it’s not entertainment law so there are aspects of the cases that keep my other legal knowledge sharp, too.”
“I bet you’re good at it.”I bet she’s amazing at it.
She squirms like that compliment makes her uncomfortable. “Your whole family’s full of athletes, huh?” she asks, ignoring my comment and bringing the conversation back to me again.
I don’t want to talk about me anymore. I want to talk about her and all the amazing things she does, but I can tell that’s not what she wants to focus on.
“I see you’ve read up on my brothers.”
“Have they called you yet? Or your mom? About... you know, us?”
“Maybe. I’m not sure. I haven’t checked my phone since the car ride over. Do you think the pictures are already online?”
“Definitely.”
Jeez, their firm works fast.
“What will you tell them about us?” she asks, eyeing me curiously.
I rake a hand through my still slightly damp, wet hair as I think about what I’ll tell my family. This all happened so quickly. Getting dropped by the team’s law firm and PR rep to hiring the Prescott’s in a matter of days didn’t give me a chance to think about prepping my family for my new arranged marriage.
“I think I’ll tell them I met a girl who rocked my world so much I didn’t have the time to introduce her before I just had to marry her.”
She smiles and snorts then covers her face as her eyes widen. The first real smile I’ve gotten out of her all night. “Sorry.”
I laugh. “Don’t be sorry. That was cute.”
That blush from the club reappears, creeping up her chest and neck until it’s in her cheeks.
She likes it when I call her cute. Noted.
“It’s just… that feels like a believable story for you,” she says with a small smile.
“What do you mean?”
She shrugs lightly. “I don’t know. I guess I just get the sense that you could be the kind of guy who meets a girl once, falls in love at first sight, and doesn’t even get the chance to introduce her to your teammates or family because you’re so in love you justhaveto marry her immediately. It sounds like something spontaneous that you’d do. I’m nothing like that.”
I sit back in my chair, her words sinking in. Innocent enough in their meaning, but damn—she might have just read right through me.
With Anastasia, it’d been months of dating, followed by a long, drawn-out engagement before I ended things. And for the record, despite what the media said, and whatever stories she fed them, it was me who cut the cord and ended things.
