Page 103 of Golden Goal

“Of course. That’s what besties are for. To talk sense into us when we’re not thinking straight.”

“Are we besties now?”

She bounces her eyebrows at me. “I’d say after this”—she gestures between us and then points at the envelope on the counter—“we probably are.”

I huff out a laugh, stepping out of her embrace. “Well then, I should probably tell you I think you should let Sebastian take you out. He tries so hard.”

She shakes her head, holding up a hand. “Nope. Not going there. Sebastian and I will never be. Besides, this intervention is about you, Rebecca, not me.”

“Becca. All the people closest to me call me Becca.”

She smiles at me. “Well then, Becca, I say you’ve got a man to go talk to.” She wrinkles her nose, her gaze going down to my worn out oversized gray shirt and tatty navy blue sweatpants. “Maybe after you shower and change.”

“Noted.”

We chat for a few more minutes before she says she needs to go, and I promise to call her after I talk to Holt.

“Don’t think I haven’t forgotten about you and Sebastian,” I tell her before shutting the door behind her.

She just shakes her head in response.

I head toward my bathroom to take a shower, really hoping I didn’t screw everything up beyond repair between me and Holt.

Chapter thirty-nine

Holt

I’m lying on the floor playing with Hazel when the doorbell rings. I don’t bother getting up. Hadley can answer it. I focus on my daughter, who is cooing and giggling as she rolls back and forth on her play mat. I swear every time she rolls, she gets faster and goes further. I pull out my phone to take a video of her.

I can’t wait to show Becca. She’ll get a kick out of this.

Emotions well in my chest when I remember I can’t text or call her whenever now. That I won’t be seeing her anymore. At least not outside of the arena. I close my eyes.

What the hell did I do wrong?

I think back over the past few weeks, and then about our conversation earlier today. I thought everything was going well.

Voices, male voices, have me opening my eyes and sitting up.

“Hey, Holt.” Hunter comes strolling into the living room, Wes trailing behind him.

Cavalry’s here. Why am I not surprised? I knew it was only a matter of time before they showed up.

“What are you doing here?”

Wes takes a seat on the couch. “Hadley said you and Rebecca split up. That you came home upset after going to her place but wouldn’t say what happened.”

“Yeah.”

I climb to my feet. No way I’m having this conversation while lying on the floor. No way I’m having this conversation at all, but one thing at a time.

Hunter tilts his head, studying me. “Want to clue us in to what happened?”

“Nothing. Didn’t work out between us.” I shrug my shoulders, trying to appear unaffected.

“Bullshit,” Wes says.

My gaze snaps to his. “What was that?”