"Are you kidding me?" Keira's voice rises, drawing looks from nearby tables. She lowers it to a harsh whisper. "He actually tried to bribe you? Like you're some gold digger he can just pay off?"
"Pretty much."
"That's insane! Who does that?" She shakes her head, her lip curling with disgust. "What an absolute asshole. How dare he? How dare he show up at your house and try to manipulate you like that?"
"I know."
"Please tell me you told him to go to hell."
I grimace.
Her mouth drops open. “Sutton…did you take the money?”
“No!”
“Sutton, what aren’t you telling me?”
I sigh, realizing how bad it sounds. It is bad. I’m ashamed that I even let myself consider it.
“I didn’t know what to say in the moment. I didn’t reject the offer right away. I wasn’t really going to take it. But?—”
“You thought about it.”
“I did. I know I never would take it, but yeah, I thought about what that kind of money could do for me.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Okay, so you’re thinking about it?”
“No. I did. I thought about it, and I can’t sell my heart.”
“Did you tell Declan?”
"Yes. Last night."
Keira's eyes widen further. "Oh God. How did he react?"
"About how you'd expect. He's furious." I take a sip of my latte, barely tasting it. "He's talking to his father right now. Confronting him about it."
"Oh shit." Keira sits back in her chair, processing. "Oh shit, Sutton. That's…wow. That's a lot."
"Yeah."
"Are you okay?"
The question catches me off guard. Am I okay? I don't even know anymore.
"I don't know," I admit. "I’ve never been offered money to stay away from someone. It’s obviously insulting, but what if I am holding Declan back?"
"Stop." Keira reaches across the table and grabs my hand. "Don't let that manipulative asshole get in your head. That's exactly what he wants."
"But—"
"No buts. You're not holding anyone back. Declan is a grown man making his own choices. If he wanted to focus solely on hockey, he would. But he chose you. That's not your fault or your responsibility to fix."
I want to believe her. I really do.
"What if this ruins his relationship with his father?"
"Then that's on his father for being a controlling dick, not on you for existing." Keira squeezes my hand. "You can't take responsibility for other people's shitty behavior."
