Page 103 of Lace 'em Up

Early.

But not that early.

If I hadn’t exposed my heart last night, hadn’t been fucking vulnerable and open and then spent the subsequent hours thinking about Rory being vulnerable and open right back.

And that asshole of an ex-boss of hers.

And that I need to make a list of everyone who’s wronged her so I can make sure they pay (even if Jean-Michel has already done the same as her revenge-seeking fairy godfather).

If not for all of that, I would have likely been awake far before this hour.

Something my brother, Jakob—his name popping up as I glance at my cell’s screen—would assume, considering he knows this life and knows me and how I prepare and recover from games and that I’m a creature of habit that likes to get up and start the day, not allow it to waste away.

He just doesn’t know that my recovery of late has been spending my nights fucking the beautiful woman softly snoring next to me.

I hit the button on the side, stopping the vibrating, rejecting the call, and start to set the phone back on when it starts going again.

Buzz. Buzz.

I sigh, jab at the screen.

Then grind my teeth at the text message that’s appeared.

Jakob: What’s this about an engagement?

Christ. Maybe he does know how I’ve been spending my post-game recovery.

Though—frankly—it’s a shock it took this long for my mom to let the cat out of the bag…and then for Jakob to reach out and give me shit.

Buzz. Buzz.

Jakob: You trying to give Mom more confidence in playing fucking matchmaker?

He should know by now that nobody allows our mom to do anything.

She does what she wants, when she wants—hence her breezing in and out of town, visiting her kids like the tiny tornado she is.

Do I have a choice?

No.

Or more importantly, would I ever tell the woman who sacrificed so much to raise us no?

Also…no.

Still, my fingers race across the phone screen.

Me: It’s not like that.

I can almost hear Jakob snort despite the hundreds of miles between us.

So, I keep my fingers moving.

Me: She didn’t have any part in this.

Something that’s true, but also something that’s completely the wrong thing to say because it’ll only bring more questions.

Ever since Jakob’s divorce, he’s been as anti-relationship as me.

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