Page 59 of Infinite

“I was never with him. That’s the part you don’t understand.” She looks down, appearing sad. It takes me a second to realize it’s not so much sadness she feels, but rather shame. “I’ve had to do a lot for the Cougars. Most of it has been positive. But there are some things I’ve done I never would have entertained before.”

“Like Denver?”

Hurt reflects in her irises, making me want to kick my own ass, regardless of how hurt I am in return. “Sorry. I should have guessed he was something special if you planned on marrying him.”

“I never loved him, Hale,” she says. “I never slept with him. I’ve barely stomached his kisses.”

I frown, a mix of confusion and fury building in my gut. “Then why were you engaged to him?” She dips her chin, focusing more on the dog than I wish she would. “Becca, please look at me.” It takes her a moment, but she does. “Why were you engaged to him?”

“He was in trouble, Hale. Lots of it. I can’t go into too many details. I’m already violating my contract as is.”

“Your contract?” I repeat, hardly believe what I’m hearing.

“It’s an NDA, a non-disclosure agreement,” she explains. “The Cougars were messed up when I first took over. They continued to screw up until I convinced the owner, Mr. Singleton, to make some serious changes.”

She smiles down at the little pup when it starts to fall asleep on her lap. “The more I had to do to alter the team’s reputation, the more I appeared in the public eye. The way the fans, commentators, and athletes took to me was a blessing. They liked me, and I became as much of a prominent member as their best players. It pleased Mr. Singleton in all the wrong ways. Denver was his only son, but lots of trouble. He did a lot of really bad things, soiling the new team’s good name. Mr. Singleton thought Denver needed a good woman at his side. Someone the public adored and trusted.”

“Someone like you?” I offer.

She sighs. “I didn’t want to do it and flat out refused. I did some research and found an actress willing to pose with him and play fiancée for very large sum. Everyone was on board except Denver. He told his Daddy he wanted me and wouldn’t pretend for anyone else.”

“Nice.” Sam drops a large paw on my knee. He feels my pain. This arrangement is about as fucked up as it sounds.

“Don’t be mad, Hale. I’m not proud of what I did.”

“I’m not mad. At you.” I let out a breath. “Okay, maybe I am a little. I just don’t see how you’d agree to something as sleazy as this.”

“I saw it as part of my job and nothing else, but . . .” She adjusts her position, her hand never leaving her small companion. “You have to understand, Hale. My job became my life. I wasn’t dating. There was no one in my life except for Trin, who’s four hours away. So, instead of pouring myself into a glass and swallowing my misery, I poured myself into my work.”

I hold out a hand, interrupting her. “Wait. I saw how all those players were panting after you. How close they stood and how much closer they wanted to be. You trying to tell me you never dated them?”

She raises her brow, a flicker of amusement dancing across her features. “I’m not telling you they didn’t try. But I wasn’t interested in more drama. I was trying to fix it.”

“Then why Denver?”

“I told you. He was something to fix. Another part of my job that I needed to take care of.” She shrugs. “We posed for kisses in front of the camera. We held hands and were seen at important events. But the moment we left the ‘stage,’ as I called it, I kept my distance from him.”

“Did he keep his distance?” I ask. I’m not trying to be a dick. I’m just saying Becca is beautiful and damn near impossible to resist.

“No,” she says. “He expected a lot more than a simple arrangement and had a hard time taking no for an answer.” She makes a face. “That was him on the phone. For someone I never really belonged with, he certainly thinks I belonged to him.”

If he was here, I’d break him in half. “I’m happy to talk to him and let him know that’s not true.”

“I’m sure you would, Hale, but this is not what either of us needs. We were supposed to be engaged a lot longer than we were, but then—” She curses under her breath. “This is more than I should be telling you.”

“Tell me anyway.”

Becca seems ready to burst with the truth. But I know her. She’s wrestling between her loyalty to me and the team she’s committed to defending. “Mr. Singleton wanted me to marry Denver. Denver did, too. They offered me a ridiculous sum of money to pose as his wife. It was then I came to terms with how desperate they both were. So, instead of continuing this pretense of love and respect, I gave the ring back.”

“Where do you stand now?” I ask.

She rolls her eyes. “With a very pissy ex fake fiancé and a boss demanding I return to Charlotte and do right by him.”

“You’re leaving,” I say. I’m not really asking. She made it clear from the moment she sat.

“I fix things.” She smiles. “But I’m not leaving you, I swear it.”

There are several things that infuriate me about this scenario. The main thing is the position I find myself in now. If I had what I had in New York, I’d tell Becca to quit and that I would take care of her. It’s the same damn thing I promised all those years ago, but I learned the hard way all it would do is pry us apart.

---