Page 83 of Breaking the Habit

“Okay, how much?”

“A million.”

Levi pinched his eyes shut. He didn’t have that. Not even close. Not even a GoFundMe could help cover the costs. What would the campaign say?Help bail me out of a stupid contract I signed because I wanted to be famous?“Wow.”

“Yeah. There’s that, or if you still choose to not honor the terms of your contract, we’ll come after you. Plain and simple. And the legal battle will be very expensive. Very drawn out. Very consuming.”

Levi grimaced, shaking his head. Marcus was right. He didn’t like any of these options. “Got it.”

“So to me, Levi, it seems like the path of least resistance is to go along with the agreement we signed.” That bright tone had returned to his voice. “You’ll find love again. Don’t worry. You’re young and attractive. Whoever it is will fade from memory, and you’ll find someone better, someone hotter, in no time.”

Like that was supposed to make him feel better. Levi gritted his teeth, feeling one thousand percent helpless.

“So you’re still in right, buddy?”

Levi squeezed his eyes shut, only seeing Riley. He couldn’t lose her, and he wasn’t moving on. There had to be some way to have his cake and rake in the money, too.

“Yeah. I’m still in.”

He just needed more time to figure out what it was.

Chapter 27

A week and a half out from the final, Levi made a rule.

No more spending the nights together.

Riley understood why the rule had to be made. She knew that it was only temporary. That after the fight, their blissful pseudo-married life would continue.

But it still stung. Especially because it meant they’d only get to see each other at the scheduled work events. Practices at the gym. The pre-fight weigh in. And the league final itself.

Riley started missing Levi within three hours of the decision. She knew she had to throw herself into her work. She had plenty of it waiting for her at the studio, because business had finally—FINALLY—been picking up. Still not enough to sustain her once Levi’s contract ended, but she could see the light at the end of the tunnel.

She was making it, doing entirely what she loved doing.

“Oh, hi.” John Stamos’s sweet vowels made Riley look up from her enormous computer screen as she sat at the front desk editing head shots from a recent session with an LA-based writer. A man she didn’t know walked in, his sleeves rolled halfway up his arm and his khakis betrayed his business-casual spirit. Riley offered a smile.

“Hi there,” she chirped.

The man sent her a polite smile, taking off his sunglasses. “Are you Riley Montagne?”

“I am.” Butterflies swirled to life in her belly, but she couldn’t tell why. It was no hard feat to find out she owned this studio. The sign outside said her name.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He surged forward, offering his hand. “I’m Teddy Wilcox. Huge fan of your work.”

She blinked about a million times, the words refusing to make sense. “Y…You are?”

“Oh yeah.” He folded up his glasses, sliding them into the breast pocket of his shirt. “I’ve been following you for a while. Finally, my schedule lined up so I could come check out your work for myself.”

“Oh. Please do!” Her entire body went Jell-O-y, and she almost fell off the stool she’d been using to edit photos. She gestured around at the studio, inviting him to peruse. “Take your time. I’m editing pictures. Let me know if you have any questions.”

Her own voice sounded strained and desperate as she replayed her words in her head. God, she didn’t know how to act around fans. Well, her one fan. She bit her lip, trying to keep in a squeal.She had a fan!She wanted to text Levi immediately—tell him maybe she’d start signing autographs like him soon—but she should wait. Let the man look around. Stop herself from jumping on his back and demanding he share every last detail about how he came to find her.

Teddy walked the perimeter of the studio with his hands in his pockets, pausing in front of each grouping of photos. Sometimes he’d say “Hm” and move along. Other times he’d stay so long in front of a certain frame that she wondered if he actually hated it.

“There isn’t much sports photography here,” Teddy finally said once he’d made his way back to her desk.

“Oh,” she said, tucking some hair behind her ear. “Yeah. The sports photography is more recent. I haven’t really had a chance to put anything together yet.”

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