“I’m sorry,” I say immediately when the door closes. Kayla drops onto an arm chair, throws her long legs over one side and fans herself with her hat. “I kept thinking how every guy out there would have been all over you if he were lucky enough to be your husband, and I didn’t want to not sell it, but I also didn’t want you to think I was planning to take advantage of you when we got into the room. I didn’t know how to keep it chaste and sexy.”
“No kidding. Keep working on that one, Cap,” she says, but she’s smiling.
“That sounds more like an invitation than a rebuke,” I say, treading lightly.
She just smiles, closes her eyes, and stretches like a cat.
I drop my duffle on the floor and take the chair across from her. The room is modern and sleek, with monochrome art and edges too clean to feel lived in. There’s a small lounge area, kitchenette, and the bedroom tucked behind a frosted glass wall. It’s elegant and polished, but too cold for Kayla.
“I’ll slip out when the guys shut up out there,” I tell her.
“That’s risky,” she says with a yawn, not meeting my eye. “If anyone’s out there, they’re going to think we got into a huge fight if they see you leave. Or if they see you walking around early in the morning.” She wrinkles her nose. “I think you may need to stay.”
I nod, a bouncing movement that lasts way longer than a nod should. “I can make up an excuse. Say I left to get us late night donuts.”
“With your duffle bag?”
“I’ll say I forgot it in the car.”
“They’ve already seen you with it, remember?”
Shoot. I narrow my eyes at her. “You’re sure full of objections, Boss.”
She narrows her eyes back at me, but it’s all bark. Or is it? “I could say the same about you. If I didn’t know you only married me because I backed you into a corner, I might think you didn’t want to be here at all.”
Whoa. Are we really going here? With that challenge in her eyes?
“Maybe that’s not the only reason I married you.”
Her body goes tense, a total contradiction of her relaxed pose on the chair. “Really?” She turns her head slowly toward me. “Why did you marry me?”
My pulse kicks against my ribs, like it’s trying to break out.Do I give her the safe answer or the honest one?
I pause, deliberating. Trying to work up the courage to be real.
But I don’t quite get there.
“I’ll admit I asked you in part because I thought you needed saving.”
Her lips part slightly, but she doesn’t stop me. Doesn’t question or say a word. And as my words spill out, I realize they’re not the whole truth, but they ain’t a lie, either.
“I’ve spent a long time being someone’s second choice. Serena only wanted me because Tucker wouldn’t commit. My family needed me too much for me to even try something of my own. The Arsenal didn’t want me—they needed me when their starter got injured, and they’re not sure they want me now. The Blue Collars treated me like their safety net, and even now I don’t know if they’re rooting for me to succeed in the NHL or if they secretly want me to fail so I can make them look better on the ice, give them a chance at the big leagues.”
I look down at my hands, twisting the ring around my finger. It’s been less than a week, and I already spin it without thinking. I’m not sure how weight can be a comfort, but this one is.
“So yeah, I asked you because I thought you needed me.”
The silence is thick between us.
“I didn’t say yes because I needed you, Sean. I could have fought the residency issue in court. I could have thrown money at the problem to make it go away. I didn’t need you.”
I nod once, slow and quiet. My thumb drags over the ring again.
“I know,” I say. “Like I said, I asked you because Ithoughtyou needed me.” Then I glance up, meeting her wide, unguarded eyes. “But I think I married you because you didn’t.”
“I’m not sure I follow.”
I shrug. Give her half a grin, because I don’t think either of us are ready for more. “You’re the first person in a long time to treat me like youwantme around.”
