Page 76 of Heart of Thorns

I watch her ass on the way out and chuckle to myself.

But I’m not alone for long.

Rhys comes in a second later, and he rolls his eyes at me. “You two are so fucking screwed.”

“What?”

He snorts. “Fake dating, my ass.”

I ignore him and grab my keys and phone. I don’t have to bring anything with me since it’s a home game. All our gear is already at the stadium. My wireless headphones are in the car. They make us walk down a hallway, and the social media teamtakes photos of us. It’s a bit nerve-racking, not knowing what kind of shots they’re getting. And, of course, they go everywhere for promo. Having headphones to block out the noise helps.

Walking in with Rhys helps, too.

“Let’s go,” I order. “Anyone else riding with us?”

“Nah. They know you have some fancy dinner with your folks tonight.”

Great.

I check my phone and shoot Briar a quick text.

Me

Thank you for letting me get my anxiety out.

To my surprise, the little bubbles of her typing pop up right away.

Briar

Make it worth it, hotshot.

Rhys gags. “You guys are kind of cute, I’ll admit. But seriously?”

“Shut it.”

A new text comes in, and I’m smiling before I even read it. But just as fast, my smile drops.

Father

We have reservations tonight. Let’s make sure this is a celebratory dinner and not a pity one, yes?

“He’s an ass.”

“You’ve got to stop reading my texts over my shoulder.” I shake my head. “But, yeah. He is.”

Rhys claps me on the shoulder. “Let’s go fucking win a football game, then.”

CHAPTER 25

BRIAR

I toldThorne I’d be fine, but the truth is, I’m antsy.

Thankfully, I’m good at putting on a front, which is going to come in handy when it’s all said and done and we’re broken up. After spending time together, and touching all the time, I’m afraid that my off-limits heart is going to be full of little thorns by the end.

Pun intended.

“You look… nice,” Lydia muses.

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