“Why, Sawyer? Why shouldn’t I go? Because I signed your damned contract?”
I smell her. She smells of coconut shampoo and sex. A heady combination.
She turns around, putting our faces inches apart, mine hovering over hers. I want to lean down and kiss her. But at the same time, I don’t want to mislead her.
“You can’t do it, can you?” she asks. “You can’t admit you have feelings for me.”
“I …”
When I don’t say anything, she spins around in my arms and tries to force the door open but she’s no match for my strength and the door doesn’t budge.
“Let me go,” she says.
“I don’t want to.”
She sighs and leans her forehead against the door. “See, I have no idea what that really means. You don’t want to let me go because it will look bad and the press might print something unfavorable about your love life? Or you don’t want to let me go because you don’t want me to go?”
I push away from the door and run a hand through my hair. “Fine. You want me to say I feel something for you? I feel something for you. There, I said it. But that doesn’t change anything, Aspen. Nothing will change anything. When the season is over, so is this. I can’t give you anything after that. I’m not capable. I’d hurt you.”
“But you’ll hurt me anyway. Don’t you know that by now? You’ll hurt me anyway.”
I pour myself another drink and toss it back. “Not as badly as if you stayed.”
“Maybe that’s not for you to decide. Maybe you should let me choose if I’m willing to risk it.”
I shake my head. “I can’t. We can’t. It’s not possible. I have nothing to give you. And believe me, you don’t want what I’d offer.”
She studies me for a minute. Then she pulls up the handle on her suitcase and drags it back into the bedroom. She stops in the doorway and looks back at me with sad eyes. “We wouldn’t want to ruin your precious reputation. You can take the couch.”
The door shuts, leaving me alone in the living room. I bring the bottle over to the couch, and as I drain it dry, I remind myself of all the reasons I can’t have the woman on the other side of the door.
Chapter Twenty-eight
Aspen
It’s been almost a month. Four weeks without his touch unless it’s to keep up appearances for the press. And even then, it seems forced.
I sometimes go to games. We’re seen in public per the conditions of the contract. We occasionally pass each other in the night on the way to the kitchen for a drink of water. But what it comes down to is that we’re avoiding each other.
I know why I’m avoiding him. I’m mad at him. He went months without telling me the truth about us. But it’s more than that. I know deep down, I’m trying to distance myself so when this is over, it won’t hurt so much.
But those nights when we do pass each other in the hallway, I swear he wants to tell me something. I think he deliberately brushes against me just to be able to touch me. But then he pulls away, like touching me has hurt him. It’s like he’s afraid of me.
And the pile of cash on the kitchen table just keeps growing. Every week, he adds more grocery money to it. And every week, I leave it sitting there.
Sawyer and I not communicating isn’t the only thing that’s changed. Bass and I aren’t hanging out like we used to either. I know it’s harder since we’ve both moved into new places, but I miss him. He’s my best friend. I’m surrounded by lots of new people, yet I feel completely alone.
Some of those people, I’m going out with tonight. I’m meeting Murphy and Rylee for dinner while the guys are in Atlanta.
On my way to the restaurant, I avoid looking at any news stands. I’m tired of seeing the tabloid magazines that seem to always be showcasing our strained relationship. The irony is not lost on me. We aren’t even in a real relationship, yet it’s strained nonetheless. Oh, how the press would have a field day if they ever found out the reality of our situation.
Denver calls me at least once a week, asking if I’m okay. And I always lie to him, telling him everything is fine. But he knows better. He can sense it. And I know he’d be on the next plane to New York if he had anything to say about it.
Rylee draws me into a hug when I approach. Then she looks behind me. “I thought Bass was coming.”
I shake my head. “No. Something came up with Brooke. But he told me to give each of you his best.”
He’s avoiding me, too.
“Those two are adorable together, don’t you think?” Murphy asks.
I shrug. “I guess.”
As we’re escorted to our table, I can sense Murphy studying me. As soon as we’re seated and handed our menus, she asks, “You aren’t jealous, are you?”
“Jealous? No. I just don’t think their relationship is as genuine as it seems.”
“How so?” Rylee asks.
“I don’t know. I just think it’s moving too fast. One minute he didn’t even want to be her roommate because he wasn’t into her. And the next minute, he’s moving in. And now they’re joined at the hip. It just seems so bogus.”
Murphy laughs. “I guess it takes one to know one – bogus relationships, I mean.”
I stare down at the table and pick at an invisible spot.
“Oh my gosh, that sounded awful,” Murphy says, putting a hand on my arm. “I didn’t mean anything by it.”
“It’s okay. I know what this is. And you don’t need to apologize. You’re absolutely right.”
Rylee shakes her head. “What you have with Sawyer is not bogus,” she says. “You might have a contract with him, but everyone can see you have feelings for each other.”
I laugh. “Have you been paying attention? Have you seen us lately?”
“I have,” she says. “And that’s exactly why I know what you have is real. There is so much sexual tension between you two that it practically lights up a dark room. I don’t know what happened with you guys in Kansas City, but you’ve been different ever since. I can see you fighting your feelings now. I can see how scared he is. That man is seriously in love with you, Aspen. Surely you know that.”
My eyes go wide. “In love with me? You’re crazy.”
Murphy smiles across the table at me. “Take it from someone who knows. Caden and I fought our feelings for each other for a long time. You and Sawyer may have had more of an unconventional start, but I predict the ending will be the same.”
“The ending will be in October. Believe me, he never fails to remind me of that.”
“That’s a long time from now,” Murphy says. “A lot can happen between now and then.”
I shake my head, disagreeing with her. “He made it clear from the start that he won’t ever be in a real relationship.”
“Things change. People change,” Rylee says.
“Not him.”
“Don’t give up on him,” Murphy says. “I can see how you love him, Aspen. Love changes people.”
“You think I’m in love with him?”
“Well, aren’t you?”
The waitress comes by to take our drink order, saving me from answering her question. I’m relieved. I’d rather not lie to her. I’m lying to enough people already.
Rylee orders a margarita and I decide I want the same.
“Just a water for me,” Murphy says.
The waitress walks away and Rylee pouts. “This is supposed to be a night out. What’s girls’ night without drinking?”
Murphy’s lips curve up into a smile that almost touches her eyes.
Rylee squeals. “Oh, my God! Really?”
Murphy nods.
Rylee all but jumps over the table to embrace Murphy in a hug when I realize what’s happening.
“You’re pregnant?” I ask.
“I am, but you guys can’t tell anyone. The press will have a field day and we’d like to keep this to ourselves for a while. We just had our first ultrasound yesterday.”
“Can I see it?” Rylee asks. “Do
you have it with you?”
Murphy smiles deviously before she digs an envelope out of her purse and pulls out a black and white ultrasound photo. I stare at it and smile, like I guess I should even though I don’t see anything.
“Murphy! Oh, my gosh!” Rylee leans in close, so that only the two of us can hear. “You’re having twins?”
Murphy laughs and nods her head.
I take the picture from Rylee. “How do know that from this picture?”
“See those two dark spots?” she says. “I only had one of those when I got knocked up.”
I study the photo until I can see them. Then I look up at Murphy. “Congratulations! Twins, wow – you’ll be busy. I know Denver and I ran my mom ragged. But I can tell you having a twin is the best thing ever. They will be very close.”
“I hope so. I can’t wait. Caden is already doting over them and I’m not even showing yet.”
“He’s going to be a great father,” Rylee says.
“I think so, too.”
Murphy and Rylee spend most of dinner talking babies. Then Rylee apologizes. “I’m so sorry, Aspen. This must be boring for you.”
“It’s fine. It’s nice to see you guys so passionate about it. You’re both very lucky.”
“Do you want kids?” Murphy asks me.
“Someday, yes.”
“Can you imagine Sawyer as a father?” Rylee asks.
“Yes, I can,” Murphy says. “He’s so fun. He’s a big kid himself. I think he’ll make one hell of a dad.”
I look between the other two women at the table as if they’ve lost their minds. “Now I know you guys are crazy.”
We get interrupted by a woman walking by. “You’re Sawyer Mills’ girlfriend, right?”
I look up at her, not bothering to answer the question she already knows the answer to.
She shoves her phone at me. “I just thought you’d like to know what he’s doing while he’s down in Atlanta.”
I look at her phone to see a picture of Sawyer in a compromising position with a woman sitting on his lap. They are laughing and looking like they’re having a great time. I know it’s not an old picture, because he’s wearing a shirt I bought him last month. I don’t normally buy him clothes, but while I was out shopping, I saw a shirt that was the exact color of his eyes and thought it would look stunning on him. It does. Apparently the girl in his lap thinks so, too.
I try to swallow the lump in my throat. I try to pretend that the only reason I’m affected by this is because it’s against the terms of our contract. But I’m only lying to myself. I feel a piece of me dying inside.
Murphy pushes the phone away and asks the woman to leave us. “Don’t read too much into that,” she says. “You know how the press can blow things out of proportion.”
“Blow things out of proportion?” I ask, like a jealous girlfriend. “She was sitting on his lap. And her top was practically coming off her boobs.”
“Maybe it’s an old picture,” Rylee says.
“It’s not,” I say, wiping an unbidden tear from my eye. “I bought him that shirt.”
Rylee looks sympathetic. “You can sit here and be upset, or you can ask him about it.”
“Like a jealous girlfriend?”
“Like someone who cares about him,” she says.
I push my chair back. “I’m going to the bathroom. Please excuse me.”
“It’ll be okay, Aspen. You’ll see. We’ve both been there. Things like this happen all the time.”
“Not to me they d-don’t,” I stutter. “I n-never expected this. Why did I have to f-fall for a guy who is so clearly unavailable?”
Rylee grabs my arm before I walk away. “Was unavailable,” she says. “Was, Aspen. You are the one who is changing all that.”
I nod to the woman sitting across the room who showed me the picture. “Or maybe he hasn’t changed at all.”
I head to the bathroom and splash some water on my face. I look at my reflection in the mirror. The reflection of a love-sick girl who is getting her heart broken. No amount of money is worth this. I should leave. I should leave now. He obviously doesn’t care about me or the contract we signed.
Maybe he’d let me out of it. Maybe he’d let me keep the money he’s given me already. Then I could go back home and find a job and help Denver pay off the rest of his debt like I’d originally planned.
The door to the bathroom opens and Murphy walks in behind me. She hands me her phone. “Look,” she says.
I take the phone from her to see Caden sitting down with the same slutty-looking girl in his lap. My eyes snap to Murphy’s. “What?”
“It was a bachelor party for one of the batting coaches who’s getting married next weekend. I just got off the phone with Caden. She was a stripper. She sat on their laps. Some pictures were taken and unfortunately, a few got leaked. It was all quite innocent. Caden assured me that Sawyer didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Oh.”
I back up and sit down on the chair in the corner, my head falling into my hands as I try to swallow my tears.
Murphy comes over and rubs my back. “What’s wrong, Aspen? It’s okay. He didn’t do anything.”
“I know,” I tell her. “I just didn’t think I’d be so relieved to find that out.” I look up at her with tears pooling in my eyes as I think back over the last few months. The months that have been more confusing than any other in my life. I even think navigating my parents’ death was easier than this, maybe because I had my brother to support me – unlike now. Yet, at the same time, these months have been the most exciting I’ve ever known.
“You were right, Murphy. I do love him. I don’t think I knew how much until just now.” I shake my head. “What am I going to do?”
“You’re going to walk back to our table and sit with Rylee and me so we can come up with a plan. You’re going to make that man see what he’d be missing if he tosses you aside when your arrangement ends. You’re going to be yourself, because that is the woman he loves – we just need to help him realize it.”
I grab the tissue she’s offering me and wipe my eyes. “Do you really think we can?”
“I’m sure of it,” she says.
Before we walk out the door, I pull her aside. “Murphy, why did you tell me about the babies? You said yourself that you don’t want anyone to know about them. Why would you tell someone who isn’t even a real friend?”
She narrows her eyes at me and then puts her hands on my shoulders. “Aspen, we’ve spent countless hours with each other. We’ve had good times together. We support each other when our men are away. I’ve laughed with you and cried with you. If you think that isn’t a real friendship, then you’re not the woman I thought you were.”
“Thank you.”
“For what?” she asks.
“For being a real friend to me even when you didn’t have to.”
She pulls me into a hug. A long, tight, all-encompassing hug. A real hug from a real friend.
“Come on,” she says, grabbing my hand and leading me out the door. “Let’s go figure out how to get your man.”
Chapter Twenty-nine
Sawyer
“Ooof!”
I fall back onto the grass when Danny tackles me.
Lucy comes running out of the kitchen. “Are you okay?” she asks. Then she scolds Danny as she helps him get up. “Daniel, you’re too big to be tackling anyone.”
“But he had the football and that’s what football players do,” he says.
I brush the grass from my shorts. “It’s fine, Lucy. No harm done.”
“Your phone was vibrating,” she says, nodding back to where I left it in the kitchen. “I couldn’t help notice the text that popped up. It’s Aspen. She wants to know if you’ll be home for dinner.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
“How come you never talk about her?” she asks. “The only things I know about her are what I read in magazines.”
“It’s not like you and I have
heart-to-hearts about each other’s love lives, Lucy.”
“True. I guess I’m just surprised that you never bring her name up when you visit. She must mean a lot to you if you invited her to move into your townhouse.”
I shrug.
She laughs. “It’s me. You know I won’t say anything to the press. Is it serious? Are you thinking long-term here?”
“When have you ever known me to do long-term?”
“I’ve never known you to do any term, Sawyer. That’s why I’m asking.”
I look over at Danny, who seems content tossing up and catching the football. I wish he’d just tackle me again, that way I wouldn’t have to answer her questions. I’m not prepared to answer them. My teammates don’t ask for details and my best friends don’t bother because they know about the arrangement. It’s easy enough to avoid the press. ‘No comment’ is not unexpected when it comes to them. But Lucy asking questions is something I didn’t anticipate.
“She’s nice. Smart, too.”
Lucy stares me down. “That’s all you have to say? She’s nice and smart?”
“What do you want me to say, Lucy? I can’t predict the future.”
“But you obviously like her. You love her even, according to the articles I’ve read.”
“I’m not discussing this with you.”
“Does she know about Daniel?”
I shake my head. “Danny is nobody’s business but mine.”
“You’re ashamed of him.”
“The fuck I am,” I say, then I quickly look over to see if Danny heard me, but he’s running to the other side of the yard. “I’m not ashamed of him, Lucy. But my past is nothing I want to talk about with anyone.”
“I suppose our moving will make things easier for you then.”
“That’s bullshit and you know it. I’m going to fly down and see him whenever I can.”
“It’s okay if you don’t, Sawyer. You have no obligation here.”
“I’m doing it,” I say, harshly. “Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to throw the football with him for a few more minutes before I have to go home.”
Stealing Sawyer Page 23
