Page 18 of Halftime

“I told Seb to tell you, but he didn’t think you’d listen to him, or you’d think he was trying to hook up with you again.”

Cooper had a couple of inches on Seb, so I had to look a little higher up to meet his gaze.

“You told me anyway.”

“I thought you needed to hear it.”

“Why?”

I couldn’t imagine why Seb’s teammate had decided to tell me this story if Seb wasn’t behind it. I couldn’t accept it as truth without knowing there was a valid reason for Cooper to tell me.

“Because if someone cheats on you, it messes with your head. You wonder what you did, or what was wrong with you.”

He had a point. But— “If someone cheats, that’s on them. I blame the cheater, not the person who gets cheated on,” I said.

He tapped my temple. “That’s the thing. You can tell yourself that, but inside, you still wonder.” Cooper stepped back into the shadows where I couldn’t see his face.

He was right. I could tell myself all day long that it wasn’t my fault Seb had cheated, but those stupid questions kept coming back.What if I’d been there that weekend? What if I’d called him from the hospital, or after we got home?

I tried to cut them off, especially when they got toWhat if I was more feminine? What if I was shorter, thinner, prettier?”

I knew they were bad questions. But I’d been taller, bigger, less-girlie girl all my life. There’d been comments. I’d tried to shrug them off, but some had stuck. If Cooper’s story was true, it didn’t mean Seb and I would get back together. But if he didn’t cheat, it meant there was nothing wrong with me. Or with Seb. I hadn’t somehow trusted a cheater. It meant maybe my judgement wasn’t total shit. Cooper was right. Knowing that Seb hadn’t cheated would change things for me. I appreciated it, but I wasn’t going to let him know how much. Not until I knew the truth, and still not then, probably. A guy like this didn’t need any positive reinforcement.

“You have a point there, Blondie.”

“Of course, I do.”

“This doesn’t mean I want to get back with Seb. I know he’s got a girlfriend.”

“Yeah, he’s weird that way.”

My first response to seeing Seb with the tiny brunette hadn’t been to be besties with her, but I hadn’t thought it weird. “Weird?”

“When we finally got him to move on, we wanted him to have some fun. But he ended up dating his rebound girl for two months. The guy should be enjoying his single life, but he’s all about relationships.”

I wondered about that comment. I was sure Cooper had a story he wasn’t sharing. That wasn’t fair, not when he knew all about mine. “You’re not a relationship guy?”

I saw his teeth in the darkness. “Nah. You can’t cheat on someone if you’re single, right? You should approve.”

I’d heard too many similar lines from guys my dad represented. I didn’t have to be on board with this kind of twisted logic. “I’d like to think there’s an option between cheating and single. Like dating and not cheating.”

“We all have our dreams, Blondie. Relationships are not one of mine. Now, if you needed a rebound…”

He probably couldn’t see me rolling my eyes in the dark, but this was just so typical. “How self-sacrificing of you. But don’t worry. I’ve already rebounded. I haven’t been pining this last year.”

“You mind going away, Coop?” a new voice suddenly spoke behind me. “Faith and I need to talk.”

6

Sebastien

Part of me wanted to avoid the party. I didn’t want to be around Faith with Cooper watching my every move. I didn’t need him judging how well I’d moved on. And then there was Holly. Cooper would be watching me with her as well. But I’d promised Holly, and she wanted to go. Our parties were good, and people liked to be there. So I was there. With Holly. And totally on edge. I kept one eye out for Faith and one on Cooper. It was making me cross-eyed and giving me a headache.

I’d missed Faith arriving, but I did spot her after she came in. I saw her go to the kitchen with some of her teammates. I knew that tall figure, the way she moved, the blond hair. But wait… It wasn’t back in a braid?

I stared. I mean, I’d been with the girl for two years, and she’d never worn skirts or dresses. I’d tried to convince her she was beautiful, which she was, but I’d never gotten through to her. I hadn’t cared what she wore, but I’d wished she’d felt comfortable wearing whatever the hell she wanted. She looked good, more than good. She worked hard to be that fit, and I’d found it a total turn on.

Tonight, she’d finally embraced her looks. A skirt, makeup, and her hair down. I’d never seen her hair down, except when we’d been…

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