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I finish up with interviews, still high from the win of our opening game. The buzz in the locker room has been off the charts, and I know everyone is equally as hyped up as I am.
We know we have a good team. But after losing some of the best players to ever grace Brooks’s ice…we were all a little uneasy, going into this season. Now that we’ve proven to ourselves that we can and will work well together, it’s like a weight has been lifted.
Heading toward the exit, I pull out my phone. Before heading out to meet with the press, I sent Sutton a quick message, thanking her for coming to my game, and a bit ago, I briefly saw the text notification when she answered. But before I can read her reply, I’m distracted when arms wrap around me from behind.
I smile, immediately thinking it’s Sutton. But when I turn, I find red hair instead of black. And green eyes instead of blue.
“Good job, baby.” Paige beams up at me. “Let’s go celebrate.”
I stare down at her, not sure what to do.
This is what I wanted.This was the goal.
Yet here I stand, unable to form a thought. The only thought that flashes through my mind is…it’s no longer Paige who I want to see at the end of a game.
It’s Sutton.
“I love you, Hunter. I was scared, okay? I needed space. And, you know…everything with your parents and just knowing that they don’t like me. It all got to be too much.” She looks up at me, eyebrows pulled together. “Say something. Anything.”
“Paige…I don’t—fuck, what do you want me to say?”
“That you love me too. That I’m yours and you’re mine. That we will leave here and go celebrate. Together.” Her hands move to my abdomen, sliding lower. “That you’ve missed me the way I’ve missed you.”
Before I can respond, she throws her arms around my neck and crashes her lips to mine. Lips that I always loved the taste of suddenly don’t seem so sweet.
And when I pull back, I’m completely fucking speechless. And that’s when I see her, waiting outside the arena doors, watching the entire exchange between Paige and me.
Sutton.
And when her eyes connect with mine, she turns quickly. And then…she runs.
Sutton
I run. I run because it’s the only thing my brain could think of doing. It’s dramatic and embarrassing, and within minutes, my lungs are cursing me as I walk between two buildings.
I can’t face Hunter. I just can’t. A lump forms in my throat, and coming from someone who hasn’t cried since I was ten years old, I don’t know how to handle these feelings.
I need to convince Hunter I ran because I wanted to play it off that I’d caught him cheating and wanted to pretend I was upset. In reality, I felt like I had seen something I wasn’t supposed to see. And I couldn’t handle seeing it unfold. Also, watching him kiss her made it feel as though my heart was being ripped into a million pieces. Something that was so foreign for me to feel.
They kissed. And he didn’t push her away. Why would he though? He loves her. He wants her.
I continue walking in the darkness until I feel like I’m a far enough distance away that I can slow, giving my lungs a rest.
“Jesus fucking Christ, Sutton!” Hunter says, charging around the corner. “You run into dark alleys at night now?”
“Sorry.” I shrug, trying to sound normal. “I told the girls I’d meet them at Club 83. Figured I’d take a shortcut.”
“And running away? What the fuck was that about?” he growls, stepping closer. Close enough that his scent fills my brain when I inhale.
“Sorry. I was just trying to act like a real girlfriend in case anyone was watching me.” I swallow. “I figured that would entail either charging up to you and yelling or running away. I chose the latter.”
“Is that really it, Sutton?” Even in the darkness, I see his eyes narrow. “That’s really all that was?”
“Yes,” I whisper.
Energy burns between us as his chest heaves. Finally, he grabs my hand, pulling me toward him. “Did you run away because you were trying to be a good fake girlfriend, or did you run away because you hated seeing her kiss me, Little Bird?”
I stare up at him, feeling so confused that I can’t even organize all the thoughts in my brain. The truth is, it had nothing to do with acting and everything to do with the very reason that I don’t want him kissing anyone else. And in another life, maybe I could be the only girl he kissed. But that is insane, and besides, there’s too much history between him and Paige. I don’t need to complicate things further by inserting myself in the middle of all of that.
