“Because I’m not letting you go.”
“Would you have me followed again if I broke up with you?”
“Yes.”
“No hesitation, huh?”
“Nope.” I open my eyes and stretch my legs out on the empty seats beside me. “I’d probably retire and do it myself.”
“No, you wouldn’t.” She laughs louder, and I feel my mouth twitch.
“You underestimate how much I want you in my life.”
It’s not even a matter ofwantat this point. She’s as vital to me as water. As air.
“I’m not going to leave you,” she says. “I’m a little weirded out about the stalking, but I think I can get over it. I just have a lot on my mind.”
I nod, even though she can’t see me, and I clear my throat. “I didn’t know you dated Max Gomez.”
“You saw … oh, that’s right! I forgot he was playing for Carolina,” she says. “I’m assuming he’s still good.”
The obvious smile in her voice makes me scowl. “He’s fine.”
“Just fine?” she asks, teasing.
“How long were you together?”
“God…” She pauses to think. “Like a year? He was my first boyfriend.”
“Hm.” It’s all I can say as a wave of jealousy crashes through me.
I try to remind myself once again that I’ll be her last boyfriendand none of them matter, but when it comes to Josslyn, there’s not one rational bone in my body. Suddenly, I wish I could turn back time and go back into that locker room.
“Please tell me you’re not jealous,” she says, obviously amused.
“What do you think?”
“It was a long time ago,” she says quietly.
“Do any more of your exes play in the league?”
“No. Not hockey anyway.”
My jaw tightens. “How many boyfriends have you had?”
“Hmm … actual boyfriends? Three, including Tate. Gomez plays hockey, as you know, and Russ is a tight end at Fairview, but he’ll be drafted in April.”
I remain silent. There’s not much for me to say on the matter anyway. It’s in the past, and even if I could turn back time and meet her before she started dating any of those clowns, I wouldn’t. I would’ve been too old for her back then, and too focused on hockey. I’m self-aware enough to know nothing would have changed.
I still would have wanted to escape Fairview and free myself from the expectations that come with being a Barlow—working in the family business, schmoozing people in positions of power, and settling down with a woman my parents approved of. Still, I wonder how my life would have turned out if the circumstances had been different and I’d met Josslyn sooner.
“Do you think I like the idea of you being with other women?” she asks after a moment. “There are blogs and accounts on social media dedicated to your one-night stands, which people tag me in, by the way, so if you ever get any ideas while you’re on the?—”
“Don’t finish that sentence.” I straighten in my seat, a new kind of annoyance consuming me. “I told you I’d never do that to you. You’re the only one I want.”
“For now.”
“ForEVER.” I throw my head back and look at the roof of the bus, as if it’ll reveal a way I can get this through her head.
