Page 58 of Black Roses

“Tell me about her,” Piper says, settling into my couch. “Why is it that you and my sisters hate her so much? I mean, other than the fact that she seems like a complete bitch.”

I draw my brows together. “Nobody’s told you yet?”

She shakes her head. “All my sisters tell me is how great you are. When I ask about details, they say the same thing every time—ask you. I’ve never known them to be so opposed to gossip. I figured you told them not to tell me.”

A welcome pang grips my chest.She asks about me. “Why would I tell them that?”

“I don’t know. Everyone has secrets,” she says sadly.

I ignore her inward reference. “Cassidy is no secret. And she was different back then. Back when we, um . . . dated.” I shrug innocently.

“I get it,” she says. “You slept around. It’s a pretty normal thing for college guys to do, Mason.”

“Yeah, well that was then. Not anymore. She made sure of that.”

“How?” Her eyebrows furrow, causing an adorable crinkle to form on the bridge of her nose. “Why haven’t you been with anyone since?”

“Because she trapped me.”

“Trapped?”

“Got pregnant on purpose.”

Her jaw drops and she looks slightly green. “Oh, my God. Who would do that?”

“You got me,” I say. “But I was naïve and she had me snowed. She played the part of the demure sorority girl. She played it very well. We hooked up a few times.” I look over to gauge her reaction, putting my arm around her shoulder to pull her close. “Are you sure you want to hear this?”

She nods confidently.

“When I told her I didn’t want a relationship, that football was my sole focus, she asked me for one last goodbye, um, you know . . . ”

“Goodbye fuck,” she says bluntly. “Okay, what happened next?”

My two-hundred-twenty-pound body tries to shrink into the couch on her harsh, but true, words. “Well, I gave her what she wanted.” I shake my head at the memory. “She left right after. And when I went to remove the condom, I discovered it wasn’t there. I knew I put one on so I searched the bed and found it . . . completely dry and totally empty.”

I cringe. “Cassidy could be kind of rough with me so I guess I didn’t feel it come off. I didn’t think much of it until she showed up seven months pregnant demanding a marriage proposal.”

Still mortified every time I think about that night, I stare mindlessly at our entwined hands, entranced by her deep blue nail polish. It has not escaped my attention that the longer I’ve known her, the more she tends to favor the color. I’ll bet if we stood before a mirror and she put her fingertips on my face, they would get lost in my eyes. That’s how dead-on she is with the shade of blue she’s chosen. I can only hope it’s intentional. A sign of her deepening feelings for me.

“Do you—” she clears her throat, “Do you think you would have had kids if that didn’t happen?”

“Of course,” I say without hesitation. I think of Hailey. Her round cherub face, her disobedient platinum curls, and my fierce love of everything about her. “Maybe not right away. Mostly because during the season my schedule is so hectic. But sure, I guess I’ve always wanted kids. How about you? Do you see kids in your future?”

It’s a question I’ve wanted to ask her before, but didn’t have the balls to for fear of her answer. Her eyes go distant and she shrugs. I remind myself how young she still is—we are.Don’t push her.

“I’ve never seen Cassidy like that before,” I say, changing the subject. “I’m pretty sure she was stoned out of her mind.”

“That could be bad,” she says.

“That could be very bad.” I don’t even want to think about the possibilities. I promise myself I’ll contact my lawyer first thing Monday to find out what my options are. “But hey, can we stop talking about my ex and start talking about something a lot more fun?”

“Fun?” she asks. “Like what?”

“Like your lips . . .”

A smile tugs at the edges of her closed lips, right before her tongue comes out to wet them. Her eyes fall to my mouth.

“ . . . and how you’re thinking about kissing me right now.”

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