Page 12 of Score Her Heart

Katherine waved her hand at her daughter. “Oh, honey, let him help. He’s your husband; let him provide for you.”

“Mom, I didn’t marry him for his money. It’s fine,” she seethed through gritted teeth. I felt her grip my hand harder, her fingernails digging into the back of my hand, so I dropped it. She was stubborn, so I would let her handle it her way.

Her mom changed the subject and asked me about the team’s season, and I dived into it, so Fi had a chance to cool down. I could tell she was still seriously hungover. I was a little bit too, and my workout this morning had been a nightmare, but I had to do it.

We walked off the elevator and into the ballroom. Fi wandered away from me to get a coffee and talk to Katie and Ellen. Finnegan and their dad showed up in front of me, and Finnegan pulled me away from his parents.

“What the fuck?” he asked.

“What?”

He glared at me, a look mimicking the one his sister had been giving me all morning. “So you married my sister?”

I shrugged. “People have gotten married for dumber reasons.”

“She’s still my sister.” He punched me in the arm. “Did she ask for a divorce yet?”

I grimaced. “I convinced her to give it a shot. Was that stupid?”

He had a shocked look on his face. “Oh my God. How long have you been in love with her?”

I ran a hand down my face. I really didn’t want to be having this conversation with him.

Fi eyed me from across the room, and I knew she was reading my discomfort. She walked over to us with two plates in her hands and shoved one at me.

“Oy! Stop harassing my husband, you dick,” she said to her brother.

Finnegan laughed and shook his head. “I don’t understand you two.”

She ignored him and looked at me. “Come on, let’s go sit and eat.”

Finnegan shook his head and walked away while I followed Fi to a table in confusion. Ellen stared me down with an amused look, but I nodded my head at her. I knew this was such a weird situation, but Fi was taking it like a champ, snapping at anyone who questioned why we got married and defending me to anyone that said something even slightly rude. I gripped her thigh underneath the table whenever she needed to be told to calm down.

“How’s the team looking?” Ellen asked me.

“Fucking awful,” Fi answered for me.

I shot her an amused look. She shrugged and held her hands up. I rubbed my jaw, feeling the raw stubble of my facial hair starting to grow out. “Well…she’s not wrong,” I admitted.

“But you have that new coach and that hot new goalie, right?” Ellen asked.

I nodded. “Yeah, Metzy’s hot right now. We'll have to take it game by game.”

Ellen made a face at me. “Are you just gonna give me media answers or real answers?”

I laughed and took a sip of my coffee. “You know the answer to that.”

She scoffed. “You two are the worst. I can’t believe you actually went through with this sham of a marriage.”

“Thank you oh so much, Ellen,” Fi snarled.

I hid my smile behind my hand, but I put my arm around her shoulder. “Play nice, Fi,” I whispered into her ear and gave her a gentle kiss on the neck.

Ellen and Fi had a weird relationship. They fought a lot, and it was almost like they were more sisters than friends. I guess I understood Ellen’s concerns, but I didn’t want this to be a sham of a marriage. I wanted something real.

Little by little, the guests started filtering out and saying goodbye to Fi, and soon we were free from all the hassles of wedding stuff. When we got back to the suite, she kicked off her shoes and dropped herself onto the couch in the living room.

“I am so hungover. I think I’m gonna take a nap,” she told me.