Page 145 of Butterfly Effect

“Do you wanna stop?”

“No,” I admit, cheeks flaming.

Wade beams. “Neither do I.”

My eyes screw shut. “We’re idiots.”

“Yeah, we are.” The crook of his finger cradles my chin. “Hey.”

“Mm?”

Excitement and relief peer back at me. “Let’s not stop.”

“Okay.”

He snickers at the eager reply. “Merry Christmas, Freckles.”

“Merry Christmas, Pretty Boy.”

Chapter 25

All the Other Messy Parts of Me

Wade

“Doyou mind if I ask about your relationship with Gabe Finch?”

The question comes from James Bollinger, a clean-cut, middle-aged reporter from the Ottawa Daily’s sports section, toward the end of the postgame press conference.

My eyes search for permission from management and PR. Jules and Elliot nod.

“Go for it.”

“I noticed she’s not here. Is there a reason for her absence?”

Jaeg closes his eyes with a deep sigh next to me. Landon’s knee bounces. Fletch lifts his cap, rubs his forehead, and pulls the bill down to hide his eyes. They know the truth and also that I’d murder them in their sleep if they spilled. Or worse, Gabe would murder me, and then my ghost would come back to terrorize them.

“Uh.” My finger scratches the itch on the tip of my nose. “I don’t believe she’s covering this game.” Soft chuckles and snorts echo in the press room. I call to another reporter from CSN, “Hey, Adrienne.”

She laughs and waves back.

Bollinger’s face flames, and he shakes his head while typing on his phone. “Does that mean you’re still together?”

I flip my baseball cap backward and relax into the chair, arms crossing with a shrug. “She’s incredibly busy.”

“So you’re no longer dating?”

“I thought ‘a question’ meantonequestion.”

Jules motions for me to explain further, but Gabe and I agreed to lay low. The contracts we signed expired, and we told PR teams that we parted ways but didn’t want some big press release about the breakup.

It’s a win-win situation. We don’t stop seeing each other, and the press is off our backs.

I lie, this time, to protect our privacy.

“Miss Finch and I have equally demanding schedules?—”

The nosey prick keeps pushing. “So, you confirm you’re still together?”

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