I pull her into a hug. “Good things usually are.”
She nods, letting me go.
“If you need me to beat his ass—”
She laughs. “I’m good, but…”
Mandy opens her clutch and pulls out her key card, opening the door.
Then she leans up on her tiptoes and kisses my cheek.
“What was that for?”
She gives me a smile.
“Thank you, Trey,” she says warmly.
“For what? I didn’t do anything.”
Her smile is genuine. “Whoever she is, she’s a lucky girl,” she says.
“What?”
She reaches out and pats my shoulder.
“Your girlfriend. I know you’ve been seeing someone for a while now, too.”
The alcohol hits its peak, and I look at her, the words stuck in my throat. I want to tell her.
“Mandy—”
She gives me a warm smile.
“It’s okay, Trey. I get if you want to keep things to yourself.”
“You do?” I ask, my throat getting all tight. It’s the way she says it. Like secret relationships are totally fine and not problematic.
But looking at her, knowing how I feel about Hudson—her step-brother—and knowing now that she’s been tangled up in some affair with hockey’s hottest rising star, I guess I get it.
Sometimes it’s safer, easier to keep the things we love just forus.
“Yeah.” Her voice is faint. “So I’d appreciate it if you could, you know… keep Stone and I to yourself. You know, so we can… figure things out? Before throwing a grenade into other people’s lives.”
Other people.
His girlfriend—er, ex-girlfriend I guess—and his kid.
I nod, recognizing the vulnerability in her voice. I pull her close again and hug her.
She lets out a sigh of relief.
“Of course, your secret is safe with me.”
“Thank you,” she says carefully, letting me go.
It's on the tip of my tongue to tell her.
I’m in love with your step-brother, and I have been for months.
