Page 5 of Trust Me With Forever

I wasn’t about to spill my heart out, but I had to give her something. Otherwise, my plan would be a no-starter and I could kiss the success of my training facility goodbye. “Being back in Starry Hills is hard for me.”

Would that be enough for her?

But when I saw the flash of curiosity in Abby’s gaze, I knew it wouldn’t be. She said, “And yet, you continue coming back when you could live anywhere in the world. Why?”

I blew out a breath. “I’m trying to find where home is, now that I can’t play soccer any longer. I loved Manchester, but I never quite fit in. Just talking about something from mychildhood would get blank stares from most of my teammates and friends. We all take for granted shared TV shows and foods and traditions and all that. Plus, I fucking hate tea and the coffee in England can’t compare to what they make at the Starry Eyes Bakery.”

Abby smiled. “True, Amber is a whiz with that espresso machine of hers. Anytime I try to make it at home, it’s just not the same.” She tilted her head. “But really? Coffee and talking about the old Disney Afternoon is what made you want to come back?”

There was more, of course. But I wasn’t about to spill everything.

“Part of it. But hell, even now, I’m still unsure if I want to stay in Starry Hills for the rest of my life. I like seeing new places and trying new foods. But it’d be nice to have a place to call home, somewhere permanent. I haven’t really had that since I was eighteen.”

“You did change teams a lot for a few years there, didn’t you?”

It wasn’t the first time that Abby had revealed how she’d followed my career over the years. “Yeah. Plus, I like living somewhere with land and a little bit of peace, which is harder to get when you’re a famous footballer in the UK. Er, I mean, a soccer player.”

“Emmy says you have a house in Starry Hills but have never invited her over. Why?”

“You’re nosey, aren’t you?”

“If you want nosey, then talk with my Aunt Lori. I’m just a concerned childhood friend.” She sniffed. “You’ve been a jerk to Emmy, too. You need to fix that.”

“I know.”

She blinked. “You do?”

“Yes. But it’s complicated. Probably like it’s complicated with your brothers sometimes.”

“I guess.” She paused and asked, “Why did you ask me if there was something I wanted? Was there a point to it?”

“There was.” I took a step toward her and lifted her hand with the ring on it. “What would it take for you to keep this ring on for a year, Abigail?”

Chapter Three

Abby

Of all the things I’d expected Rafe to say, “What would it take for you to keep this ring on for a year, Abigail?” hadn’t been one of them.

I blinked and blinked again, trying to process his words. Maybe the Abby I’d been as a little girl would’ve been ecstatic at his question. But grown-up Rafe was definitely not the fun, mischievous, and secretly sweet boy from my childhood.

Not that I was thinking of being married to any man.

Still, my curiosity got the best of me and I blurted, “Why? I’m guessing that means you want to stay married for a year?”

“Exactly.”

“You’re still not making any sense, Rafe. What’s going on? Why are you even asking me that?”

He shrugged one shoulder. “While I’m not as big of a deal here in the States, news of our marriage will soon hit the tabloids in the UK and other places in Europe. And if we get annulled right away? It’ll look even worse, given my past, and eventuallyit’ll make it over here, too. And before you say I deserve all the press and attention because I was a public figure for so long and it’ll just blow over, bad press might crash my new business venture before I even get to open it.”

I was still trying to process him wanting to stay married for a year when my brain caught onto the last part. “Business? What business?”

He released my hand, retrieved his phone, and turned it toward me. I took it and looked at the picture—it was the old horse breeding place on the outskirts of Starry Hills. I remembered it because my parents had taken me there to finally get my own pony as a little girl.

Once the owners had passed away and it shut down, it’d felt as if another piece of my childhood had vanished along with it.

Rafe’s voice garnered my attention. “I bought the Santos place last year, and I’m turning it into a sports training facility for kids and teens. There will be a more specialized program for those who need extra coaching to try and make it to pro. But there will also be several programs for both local teams and summer programs for anyone.”

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