Page 60 of Puck Princess

Coach stomps back to his seat and everyone sinks back into their seats.

“Thanks,” I offer stubbornly. I would’ve rather killed Spencer, but Lance just saved my career.

Lance grabs a blanket off the back of one of the chairs and throws it at me. “Go take a nap with your girlfriend so we can all get home in one piece.”

I settle back into the seat next to Callie, tossing and turning in an attempt to get comfortable. All my jerking around wakes Callie.

“What’s the matter?” she asks, brow furrowed.

“The guys are just being a bunch of idiots.”

“Per usual.” She rests her hand on my arm. As if she can feel my tension through my skin, she leans forward. “And obviously that isn’t the whole story. Owen, what’s wrong?”

I want to ask her how she knows Spencer.

I also know, if I don’t like what she says, I might open the emergency window and throw the drunk asshole out mid-flight.

“Santos is determined to replace me,” I say instead.

Callie gasps. “He can’t. He’s— He’s too young. My uncle wouldn’t do that.”

“He would if I keep fucking up.”

“The stuff with Miles was… different. You haven’t done anything—” Even she can’t defend me the way she wants to. “Is that the only thing bothering you?”

“Yes.”

She shakes her head. “No, it’s not. Owen, talk to me.”

“He keeps talking shit about you,” I finally admit.

Something flashes in her eyes, but she works hard to smother it. “What kind of shit?”

“He seems to be suggesting the two of you have a history.”

“I told you we were in college together. He was a player while I was getting my hours in to get certified. But he isn’t— We didn’t— Spencer is all talk.”

Even if Callie did have a crazy dating history in college, I don’t care about that now. All I care about is that she is with me.

“Hey.” I lean back and pull her into me. “What he says doesn’t matter to me. And what he thinks matters even less. All that matters to me is us and our baby.”

Callie hushes me. “Someone might hear you.”

I can’t help but smile. “Callie, I think people know you’re pregnant.”

“Not officially! Up until now it’s just been a rumor.”

I reach under the blanket, putting my hand on the bump that I’ve grown to love. “Pretty soon, this little rumor is going to be big enough that we can’t deny it. And when that happens, people are going to know it’s mine, and they’re not going to say a damn thing about it. You know why?”

“Why?”

I pull her closer. “Because you are mine, too.”

20

CALLIE

The money Owen spent upgrading my seat is wasted when I barely sleep the entire flight home. I keep my eyes closed and pretend to doze, but my head is somewhere back in business class.

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