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“Look, I fucked up with Liam. It wasn’t personal.”
“When our star player makes it a point to publicly embarrass the team, it becomes personal.”
“Sorry, Mike. I’ll do better, I promise. I’m a married man now.” I held up my left hand to show him the gold band on my finger. “No more women or doing stupid shit with the boys. I’m leaving for DC to live with Clarke.”
“This is your final warning.” He pointed a long finger at me with a nasty look on his face. “Fuck up again, and you’re out of here.”
I held up my hands in surrender. “It won’t come to that. I’ll be a saint from here on out.”
“I don’t care where you live, but don’t use the distance as an excuse to show up late for practice. You’re still expected to fulfill your obligations to this team.”
“We’re going to live in DC half the year and Philly the other. I won’t let our living arrangements interfere with the team.”
He flung his hand out toward the door. “Go. I’m sick of looking at you.”
Without another word, I walked out of his office with Olivia in tow. We got halfway down the long hallway before she broke the silence.
“He will kill you if this marriage doesn’t work out. You know I don’t care if it’s real or fake, but for your sake, I hope you really love this girl. She must love you to agree to this.”
I considered her words for a moment and almost laughed. Clarke hated me on a good day. There wasn’t a bone in her body that loved me.
“Clarke isn’t a puck bunny,” I whispered. “We go way back. We’ll make it work. She has just as much to lose if this goes south.”
“Your career is on the line, Will. Do whatever it takes to keep her happy. Need some pointers?” Her top lip curled up into a smirk. “I can give you a few tips.”
I snickered. “I know how to please a woman.”
“Sex is only part of a relationship, Will. It’s the little things that make a big difference. Clean up after yourself, help around the house, do something that makes her life easier.”
“You think doing chores will make Clarke happy? Nah, you don’t know her.”
“I think you’re missing the point. Relationships are hard. Marriages are even harder. Actions speak louder than words.”
“We’re meeting with The Gossip Queen at her office next week. That should help validate our marriage to the public, don’t you think?”
She nodded. “It can’t hurt. I’m serious. Give this marriage a real shot, or you’re looking for another team.”
“I’ll do my best.”
Chapter Thirteen
CLARKE
Will followed me into the lobby of my apartment building, rambling on about the amenities. Men. They always cared about stupid things like the rooftop pool and the sauna in the gym.
“How can you afford this place on a journalist’s salary?” Will asked as his eyes roamed around the posh space. “No way you’re making that kind of dough selling stories about corrupt politicians.”
“I own the apartment.”
His eyebrows lifted. “How?”
I hated talking about my family, but what choice did I have? Will did not want to let go of the fact I owned a pricy apartment at the dead center of our nation’s capital. This was prime real estate, a building occupied by moguls and politicians, an exclusive lifestyle that catered to the clientele.
I tugged on his arm and steered us toward the elevators. “Do we need to discuss my father again?”
“You never talk about him. Just that he’s some kind of legend and then you cut me off before I can ask anything.”
“My childhood sucked,” I admitted. “I had pretty much everything a girl could want, but I never cared about material things.”
“Because your dad was never around,” he said in a somber tone.
“Yeah.”
Will adjusted the strap of the duffle bag on his shoulder. “So that’s how you afford this place? Your dad.”
“Yep. I’m a trust fund baby.”
“I never got that impression from you.”
I rolled my shoulders. “Thanks, I guess.”
“No, I mean you don’t dress like you come from money. And you don’t act like it either.”
“I didn’t want this apartment.” I hit the button on the wall, and the elevator doors opened. “When I moved to DC for work, my dad bought it for me to apologize for the past.”
Will held out his hand, gesturing for me to get in before him. I leaned against the glass wall and he took his place beside me. Our elbows touched as the door closed, and I felt a strange sensation shoot up my arm. With Will, I always felt something, even when I didn’t want to.
“Did it work?” Will asked as the elevator shot upward. “With your dad. Did the apartment help fix your issues?”
I shook my head. “How can a fancy apartment with a view of the city make up for years of him being absent? It just can’t. No matter how much money he throws at me, it will never change our relationship.”
