He paces in front of the door, raking both hands through his hair. “You don't think it mattered?"
"You knew I was married, Bash," I say, bewildered. "I didn't thinkwhoI was married to would be a problem."
"Well, it is, as you well know," he snaps. "Does the nameSebastian Duchesnejog your memory?”
Dizziness claws at me, my thoughts swirling. He makes no sense at all, talking about Jaxson's hockey rival. The man I've heard him curse more than a hundred times. How does Sebastian Duchesne even factor into this?
Bash's glare narrows. “Don't play innocent, Amelia. You and Kingston are setting me up. No need to spell it out. Your husband would love for the media to think I'm tangled up with his wife.”
“Set you up? What are you even saying?” My heart races, dread creeping in. I don't understand why he's so angry with me right now.
“It will destroy my reputation if fans think I'm involved with Jaxson Kingston's wife. Just being seen with you puts everything I've worked for at risk. All my contracts depend on the clean persona I've built. This is a PR nightmare.”
“For one thing, we're friends, not lovers,” I fire back, stepping into his space. “And for another, how exactly would it harm your career or your image to be seen with me?”
“Drop the act, Amelia,” he scoffs. “You know I'm Sebastian Duchesne. And I'm on to you. I won't let you and Jaxson sabotage me.”
Then it clicks.
“You'reSebastian Duchesne?” I whisper the name, feeling wrong on my lips. I search his face, looking for the man I thought I knew.
"Bash… " I say softly, reaching out to touch his arm. He jerks away from my touch.
I stare at him, stunned, his rejection cutting deep.
"No!" I choke out, shaking my head frantically. "You'remyBash."I go back to the window seat and collapse onto it.
His sneer deepens.
“I had no idea. I swear I didn't know,” I gasp, looking at him, pleading.
His laugh is harsh and bitter. “Don't insult my intelligence. You expect me to believe that you didn't recognize me for months? I'm one of the most famous players in the NHL. My picture is on billboards and buses." He laughs, running his fingers through his hair. "For crying out loud, Amelia, I know you had to have gone to Kingston's games, watched the press conferences. Our rivalry puts us front and center, and you didn’t know what I looked like?"
"When I saw a poster or an ad for the NHL, the players all blended unless it was Jaxson," I insist. "With the uniforms, you all look the same to me. Just a bunch of big, muscular lug heads!"
He scoffs.
"Yes, I went to Jaxson's games faithfully until he pulled his stunt and tossed me aside." I continue. "But I paid attention tohim.I wasn't going gaga over all the players like other fans. I was there to see my husband."
"So, all this is just a coincidence, then?” he snorts, gesturing sharply between us with derision, disbelief written across his beautiful face. "The wife of my nemesis, Jaxson Kingston, is spending Christmas with me? You can't make this stuff up. You're a liar, Amelia!”
“It's not like that,” I say, my throat tightening with impending tears. “Who you were never really mattered to me."
"Didn't matter?" he repeats flatly.
"That's not what I mean," I rush out, pushing away from the window seat, my hands lifting toward him helplessly. "You never told me who you were. And when we met, it wasn't important anyway. It was just… us. Talking. Laughing."
"You let me believe—"
"I didn't deceive you, Bash," I interrupt, my voice trembling. "I told you I was married. I never hid that, and I sure didn't think his name, his job, or any of that had anything to do withyou!"
A dark flicker crosses his face, and he narrows his eyes. "You knew who I was."
"No," I reply immediately. " I just knew you as a good guy. A wonderful man."
For a beat, something flashes in his eyes, almost like pain, but then they harden again.
“You really think I'm that stupid,” he states firmly. "You come to me with this sob story about a cheating husband who neglected you. Meanwhile, I do know that Jaxson Kingston had his wife on a pedestal. It was the most sickening thing on the news to see the two of youphotographed together after the games. I might not have remembered who you were, but Kingston is famous for calling you his soulmate. So, your lies fall short."
