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Somehow I forgot that for a minute.

I forgot that she’s connected to him.

She sighs, and she moves her hand from where it’s covering mine. I pull my hand back, too, and set it on the steering wheel. We’re almost there, anyway.

“My dad…um—he’s complicated. Our relationship is complicated. We were close when I was little. He was my dad, you know? But he got into some bad things, and he was just on trial. You haven’t heard? He’s been all over the headlines.”

“Yeah, I heard,” I mutter. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry you were hurt.”

I’m about to add more—to admit I was there when his place was raided, that I could’ve gone down with the rest of them.

Before I can, she says, “Thank you. That means a lot.”

So I leave it at that.

It doesn’t really matter who her dad is or who her brothers are…does it?

I’m starting to like her for her. Not for revenge. Not for some bet. Just…her.

Her wide, dark eyes. Her pretty blonde hair. Her virgin cunt. The cleavage she’s showing off in that blessed tank top. All that, sure. The physical stuff. The way she kisses.

But also, the rest of it. Being able to talk to her about my dad. I never talk to anyone about my dad, and it feels like I can open up to her because she lost her mom recently, too. Like we have something we can connect on, even if it’s something tragic and difficult. I don’t have siblings I can share that grief with. Just my mom. But maybe Ivy is someone who can understand.

And then there’s her innocence. Not the virginal side of it, but being new to Vegas. Being young. Maybe a little naïve. It’s like I want to take care of her, but not in the way her siblings seem to do. Not as an authority figure, but as a partner. Someone who can massage her feet after a long day or feed her strawberries or kiss her cherry lips. Someone who can set her up with a day at the spa and fly her to my out-of-town games so I can look up in the stands and see her wearing my jersey as that pretty blonde hair flies around her and know that I have her unconditional support.

Wait a minute.

Wait just one fucking minute.

I was just telling myself I want to make an agreement with her where we don’t let feelings get involved. And now I’m picturing her in my jersey up in the stands?

Fuck that.

No feelings.

Starting…now.

CHAPTER 16: Ivy Maddox

Prix Fixe Menu

He pulls up to the valet service at the restaurant, and I admit it.

I’m nervous.

I don’t know how to ask him if we can stay married.

He’s going to think I’ve lost my mind, but at the same time, he doesn’t know me well enough to know whether this is me losing my mind or whether this is just me.

Maybe I am losing my mind.

He gets out of the car first, and that’s when I see it.

The flashing lights. They’re coming closer. He opens the door on my side, and flashbulbs explode at us.

Okay, so he’s hockey’s hottest bachelor, and I’m from the Bradley family, and we’re freshly married. They want the photos, and when we made plans to go out tonight, the possibility of this happening never came up.

I’m in branding, though. I have famous siblings. My father’s in the news. I should’ve predicted this, but I didn’t. I was too busy being nervous about asking my husband if we can stay married.