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Lacey nods in agreement. “Shawn is one of my favorite people in the world, but our love lives aren’t the priority. With this plan, there won’t be any pressure on us to act a certain way or spend a certain number of hours together. It’s all for show.”
“My mom desperately wants me to bring someone home for the holidays,” I say. “It’s a whole family affair. My sisters come, and they bring their partners and kids. I’m sick of people looking at me like I’m a pathetic pile of sh—crap just because I’m alone at the dinner table on Christmas.”
“And I’m going to have Shawn accompany me to the holiday gala at the hospital like you suggested, Mags,” Lacey adds. “He’s also going to donate a couple of coaching sessions for the silent auction. Plus, it might help my chances of getting the chief physician position at the office.”
“We can both get what we want out of this,” I say, ping-ponging off of her. “Think of it as a business transaction. An exchange of goods and services. My agent is going to release a statement this afternoon before the game confirming I’m in a relationship with someone and we’re asking for privacy. Lacey’s going to be in the box this evening so the press can get some photos, and that will be that.”
“Privacy?” Aiden laughs. He drapes his arm around Maggie’s shoulder and pulls her close to his chest. “Shawn, you couldn’t walk outside your apartment building without getting run over by photographers and reporters the day after the kiss cam. The masses found Lacey’s social media accounts within hours. They ran a whole segment on ESPN about your dating life and how your personal relationship might affect the Titans’ chances of making the Super Bowl. A reach, if you ask me, but you’re naïve if you think you two are going to have any privacy.”
“I think it’s too late to not use it to our advantage,” Lacey says, and she pulls on the hem of her short skirt. I see frills at the top of her thigh-high stockings and I avert my eyes, my hand running over my jaw. “We kissed in front of thousands of people. The video circulated, and if we’re going to be the subject of conversation without even being present for the discussion, we’re going to find some good in this. Shawn coming to the gala will do tremendous things for our list of sponsors. Going home with him for Christmas means less family strain, and everyone is happy. Actions have consequences. What we did is out in the world now, whether we like it or not, and I’m not letting anyone but us control the narrative.”
Lacey is firm and final, her decision about how we move forward made. My feet drop to the floor and I stare at her. I wish there was a way to hide her away, to keep her out of the spotlight and not thrust her into this world of interviews and invasive questions.
The media—and the public—are in a phase where they want to know everything about athletes and who they are dating. I can blame the starting quarterback for the Cincinnati Renegades for that. He started seeing a music superstar in September, and the internet lost its damn mind over the images of him helping her out of a car.
Since then, a gossip reporter has been staked out at every professional sports stadium, trying to get the dirt on who the men in the leagues might be bringing to bed every night. It comes with the territory; the better your team is, the more attention is placed on you. And with attention comes interest in knowing every detail about your life.
I should have left Lacey out of it.
“How is this going to work?” Aiden asks. “Are you all going to be affectionate with each other? What are the rules? What do you need from us?”
“We need you to not start shit,” I say, and I narrow my eyes in their direction. “No meddling. I know what you’re both thinking, and the answer is no. We do what we have to in front of the cameras. In here, with you all, it’s exactly the same as it’s always been.”
Maven looks around the room. “What are they thinking?”
“Adult things,” I say. “I’ll tell you in five years.”
“I am an adult,” she answers, and she rolls her eyes as she flops back against the couch cushions. “Still think you two should just date.”
“Thanks for the comments from the peanut gallery.” I cut off a bite of pie and shove the forkful of food into my mouth. “This is going to work out just fine.”
“Yeah,” Lacey agrees. “No drama. No feelings. No one gets hurt. We’re adults, and we’re going to come out of this as friends. It’s no big deal, really.”
“Okay,” Maggie says. “If you think this is going to work, we support you. It’s a good idea, and if it makes everyone happy, that’s even better. Just—” she glances at Aiden, and he gives her a nod. “We love both of you. Can we talk about the other side of this for a minute? I know I might have suggested it, Lace, but I’m worried about what happens if something goes wrong. What if someone gets hurt?”
I look over at Lacey, and she chews on her bottom lip. I know we talked about our friendship coming first, but there’s always the possibility of something derailing our plan. She’s probably thinking the same things as me.
What if this tears our friendship apart?
What if I lose her in the process?
What if I fuck up the good things I have going for me? Friends who love me. Nieces and a goddaughter who look up to me. A team I’ve worked so hard to bring back from the brink of extinction. A family who gives me shit about being single, but deep down, really just wants me to be happy.
“That’s not going to happen,” Lacey says. She stands from the couch and walks toward me. She perches on the arm of the chair I’m sitting in, and I’m kind of tempted to pull her into my lap. “Shawn and I both know how fortunate we are to have you all in our lives. We’d never do anything to jeopardize that. This is going to be fun.” She looks down at me and smiles. “I don’t know about you, but I could use a little fun in my life. Maybe you can whisk me off to Saint-Tropez on your yacht. Oh, or you could take me skiing in the Alps.”
I match her smile with one of my own. “Sorry to disappoint you, but I don’t own a yacht.”
She rolls her eyes. “No yacht? Is it too late to end this relationship?”
I laugh and hold up my plate. “I guess I’ll buy a yacht if it’ll make you happy. I need to keep you around for your baking.”
“Asshole.” She laughs and shoves my shoulder. “Glad to know I’m appreciated.”
“See?” I grin at my friends. “We’re going to be just fine.”
TWELVE
LACEY
