Page 183 of Puck Prince

“That’s exactly why I came.” She puts her hand on Nicky’s back, unzipping the hoodie enough for him to stick his chubby face out.

“To piss your brother off? I think he’s strung up enough as it is, don’t you?”

“I’m not trying to piss him off. I’m trying to help him. Callie, he loves you.”

I laugh a little at the absurdity—Summer in her stealth outfit and the “intel” she came to deliver. “Yeah, I don’t think so.”

“Laugh all you want, but it’s true. Owen is a guarded man,”

“NowthatI believe.”

“And he doesn’t have the most relationship experience,” she continues.

“Also, not shocking.”

Summer isn’t fazed by my sarcasm though and presses on. “But I know him, so believe me when I say, I know when he’s holding a candle for someone. And he might as well be holding an Olympic torch for you. A bonfire. A forest fire!”

“Then I’m Smokey the Bear. Because the only thing Owen is holding for me now is a grudge. If it wasn’t for the baby, I think he’d wash his hands clean of me.”

“That’s the thing, Callie,” she starts. Her voice cuts off while a group of people walk by. She waits until they disappear to continue. “I don’t think he’s upset with you at all. I mean, yeah, he feels a little betrayed by the omission part of it all. But trust me, no one knows better than I do what you are feeling right now.”

I bite my lip, trying not to push my waterproof mascara to the limit. “It’s complicated.”

“Enough with the ‘it’s complicated’ from you two. It’s not! You’re scared, right? Worried? Overwhelmed?”

Check, check, check.

I blink, not looking at her, and nod.

“But you’re also so very, very in love with this little person. In love enough that it doesn’t matter how it came to be, you want them. You want them with your whole heart like you’ve never wanted anyone or anything before.”

I dab under my eyes with my fingertips. “Okay, so maybe you do get it.”

Summer grabs my arm, squeezing gently. “But here’s the thing, Callie: you don’t have to end up like me. My ex was a monster, but Owen isn’t. And yes, he’s acting unhinged right now. He’s so obsessed with protection that he thinks being absent is the best way to keep you and the baby safe. But if I had to guess, he’s not going to be able to stay away from you for long.”

“Why do you say that?” I sniffle hard.

Summer’s face softens.

“Because he loves me?” I guess. I sigh. “Summer, I don’t know about that. I’m not sure if Owen told you everything, but?—”

“Are you talking about your ruse? Yeah, he told me. Y’all are crazy as fuck. You’re also crazy about each other. That’s why I mean it when I say it doesn’t have to be this complicated. It would still be a shitshow for sure. I mean, celebrity relationships are never normal. But they can bereal. And whether it was agame or not, I think it was real between the two of you. Even if you didn’t intend for it to be.”

I want to believe Summer. I’ve been crying myself dry for days because I want to believe the fantasy world she’s spinning.

But I’m the one who watched Owen walk away from me. When he left, my heart shattered. My hope crumbled. And I won’t survive a second round.

Summer seems to read my thoughts and offers a sad smile. “Just think about it. Please? I know him, and I’ve never seen him like this?—”

Summer stops cold. Her eyes are fixated on something—someone—behind me. The look of absolute horror on her face is enough to make my own blood run cold.

I look over my shoulder, and, at the end of the hall, several of the guys from the team are heading from the locker rooms into the gym. It’s Dax and Heath and Miles. Dax and Heath make their way through, but Miles hangs back, bending to tie his shoe.

Summer stares at Miles’s profile, her face pale and her eyes wide. She looks like she is about to scream.

She’s hugging Nicky to her chest as though she needs to protect him. Like she will at all costs. And while she’s trembling, she inches back against the wall.

I don’t even need her to explain. I don’t need verbal confirmation. I whisper the truth into the air between us.

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