Page 31 of Dream Girl Drama

“No. We kissed each other.”

“Okay,” Tallulah drew out, staring at her levelly. “Is that where the intimacy ended? Like, has anything happened since then?”

Chloe blinked. “Of course not. We’ll be related by marriage in two months.”

“I know.” Her friend sobered even further. “I mean, technically, you wouldn’t be breaking the law. You met as adults, you’re not blood related. If Sig wasn’t a professional athlete with a lot of eyes on him—”

“And an indignity like this wouldn’t ruin my mother’s social position and hinder my own prospects—”

“Exactly.” Tallulah gave her a sympathetic wince. “It’s... delicate. In so many ways. You did the right thing by stopping as soon as you found out your parents were tying the knot.”

Well. That wasn’t entirely true was it? Chloe and Sig might not have slept together, but sometimes she felt as though their relationship wasmoreintimate than sex.

“Do you ever just wonder if maybe...” Tallulah started.

“What?”

Her friend seemed unsure about whether or not to continue. “The connection between you two is... blatant, for lack of a better term. It’s palpable, like, at all times. And I guess I’m wondering if you two could get it out of your systems now. Before it istechnicallywrong to sleep together. You know, just to avoid a lifetime of wondering.” She covered her face with both hands. “Am I a terrible person for saying any of this?”

“No.” Chloe stared blindly at the ice. “Oh God, maybe you’re right.”

“No, I’m not. Don’t listen to me. I amnotright.” Tallulah’s expression turned even more serious. “And I’m sorry, Chloe. Your feelings for him must be really complicated. Everythingaboutthis is complicated.”

Chloe nodded and nodded... and nodded some more, as if a spring in her neck was broken. “I don’t think any amount of time could get this out of our systems,” she whispered. “That’s why we agreed to be friends only.”

“Then you made the best decision,” Tallulah said quietly.

“It doesn’t feel like it.” She attempted a smile, but it dropped like it weighed as much as an elephant. “Do you think I can bribe theGlobeinto canceling Boston’s Most Eligible Bachelor list? And do you think they would accept unopened lipsticks as a bribe?”

Tallulah’s throat shifted with a swallow. “Oh, honey.”

Two bodies slammed into the glass. When Chloe saw that one of them was Sig and he was the victim of an obvious cross-check and the whistle didn’t blow, she surged to her feet and slapped a frustrated hand on the glass. “Are you serious, ref?” The arena went nuts with boos and catcalls. “Your mom called. Even she thinks you’re a hack!”

Chapter Seven

Walking into the friends and family waiting area after a game was always a mindfuck.

Burgess stopped talking to Sig midsentence and beelined for Tallulah and Lissa, drawing them both into a hug. Some of the younger players broke off, heading for a group of their friends. Or their parents. But mostly, his teammates reunited with their wives. Babies or toddlers in miniature jerseys. Everyone separating into family units, murmuring to one another and making plans. Saying things like,I can’t wait to get into my pajamas.

Sig had Chloe.

She was always waiting for him after home games, standing off to the side in her pink jersey, purse tucked beneath her arm like a proper society girl, watching his teammates reunite with their loved ones. Struggling to smile, the same way he did. Because their relationship wasn’t an easy one to define. Nothing about it was easy.

Was she a friend? Yes.

Was sheonlya friend. Nope.

Was she family? Sort of. Not yet, but... verging.

Sig stood in silence at the set of doors leading from the tunnel to the waiting area, composing himself. It was always necessary for him to do this. To take a moment and remember why he couldn’t simply walk up to Chloe and kiss the face off her, the way a lot of his teammates were doing with their wives. In aparallel universe, where their parents weren’t engaged, he was carrying Chloe out to his truck right now, cursing the fifteen-minute ride to their house, because he couldn’t wait to be inside of her. His girl. His everything.

They weren’t in a parallel universe, however. This was real life—and there was only one of those. And so, Sig climbed the same mental mountain he climbed after every game. He scaled the sides of it until he reached the plateau, also known as his personal purgatory. The place where he couldn’t have Chloe, but he couldn’t for the life of him stay away from her, either. Not for a single day.

Which had made the last four days miserable while she’d been in Paris with her mother. The very sight of her right now was like walking again after ninety-six hours of being paralyzed.

What was the correct way to greet a woman you loved with every fiber of your fucking soul, but couldn’t have?

It was getting harder and harder to figure that out.

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