Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 50620 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 253(@200wpm)___ 202(@250wpm)___ 169(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 50620 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 253(@200wpm)___ 202(@250wpm)___ 169(@300wpm)
I had to find another way to connect with Clarke. A common thread that would bring us together. We had little in common, apart from our career driven mentalities. Her work came first, and for me, hockey was my primary focus.
“You should write an article about our wedding,” I said.
She didn’t move, but I knew she was awake. Whether the ice queen would admit it, she was having just as hard of a time sleeping in the same bed as me. We’d never slept when in bed, which complicated things.
“Clarke.” I shook her. “You should write a story about us.”
“Hell, no,” she shot back. “My boss would laugh me out of his office. And who would want to read an article about us?”
“I have four million Instagram followers who would probably be interested.”
She sat up, her back propped up against a stack of pillows. “You have that many followers?”
“Yep.”
“But you play hockey.”
“And?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know…. I guess I just figured only real celebrities have that many followers.”
I snorted at her comment. “I’ll pretend you didn’t say that.”
“You’re serious?”
“I wouldn’t have suggested it if I wasn’t. It could legitimize our love story.”
“From what I’ve read, most people think our wedding was bullshit.”
“Because it was.”
“I can’t even remember how we got to that chapel.”
“It was my idea. A joke. I never thought we’d take it that far.”
She slapped my shoulder. “Idiot. If you were sober enough to know it was a joke, you shouldn’t have gone through with it.”
“I never said I was sober. It sounded like a good idea.”
“Tell me the truth. Are you really in trouble with the team?”
“On thin ice. I’m sure you’ve seen some articles about me and Liam West.”
“Yeah.” She rubbed her eyes and yawned. “You guys got pulled over by the police with open bottles and a case of beer in the back seat.”
“In a car we didn’t own.”
“You didn’t steal it.”
“No. But the saleswoman from the dealership sang like a canary after the cop brought us into the station. She said just about anything to get out of it. I think she lost her job.”
“I know you, Will. Drinking and driving during your season? That’s not you. So, why did you do it?”
Truth or dare? I always chose dare when I was a kid. Telling the truth was too personal, made you too vulnerable. But with Clarke, I would chose truth every time.
“I’m Liam’s wingman. He needed a friend.”
“A real wingman would have talked him out of it. So what’s the real story?”
That was part of our deal. Clarke wanted to know the real me, not Romeo. Though, I preferred to be my alter ego. He was more fun and less depressing.
“You,” I said after a long pause.
“Excuse me?”
“You were the reason. It was right after I saw you. You were in town to see Mia. We got into a fight. Then you came to my apartment to tell me to fuck off.”
“Yeah. But you can’t put your shit on me, Will. Seeing me didn’t make you and Liam do all of that stupid shit during your season. When we first met, you were so focused on hockey. Nothing could deter you.”
“And then I met you, Clarke. You changed everything.”
She laughed. “No, I didn’t. This was never anything to you. Just a hookup.”
“Bullshit. I didn’t have as many games in New York as I led you to believe.”
She flicked on the lamp beside the bed, bathing her smooth skin in golden light. “Were you sober enough to stop the wedding?”
I considered her question for a moment. “You said yes.”
“That’s not what I asked. Did you know what we were doing?”
I nodded. “I wanted to marry you.”
She crossed her arms over her breasts and frowned. “I can’t believe you. So this was all a ploy to get me to help you?”
“At first, yes. I was drunk and not thinking clearly. But I knew the difference between wrong and right. I could have stopped it.”
“You’re unbelievable, Will. Why am I not surprised?”
“I like you, always have.” I cupped the side of her face, and she tensed, unable to look at me. “Maybe I wanted to see if we could do this. You wouldn’t have given me a chance any other way.”
“You’re a dick.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
She shoved my hand away from her face. “Go sleep on the couch, Will. I’m done talking for the night.”
“We’re not going to bed mad. My mom says that’s one of the cardinal rules of marriage.”
“Well, this isn’t a real marriage. So get lost.”
I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her warm body into my chest. “I’m sorry. This was the only way I could get you to give me another chance.”
“What if I had said no and dumped your ass?”
“I knew you wouldn’t.”
She snickered. “So confident. How come?”
“You had feelings for me in the past.”