Page 28 of Dream Girl Drama

To have it be Chloe?

To have her go to this much trouble?

And yet, he should have expected it from her. Because as much as he tried to do things for Chloe, she supported him, tended to him, in the ways she knew how. Never failing to be at his home games. Sending him audio of her playing the harp after a loss on the road. No words, just song. Just the presence of her—exactly what he needed.

Defending his truck.

Making him ice packs and propping his foot up on her little pillows. Sometimes he didn’t even need ice, he just rubbed a part of his body and winced, hoping she’d fuss over him. He’d never had anyone fuss over him. Chloe did.

I love you. I love you so much. To my dying day.

“It’s the most incredible cake I’ve ever seen in my life, Chloe,” he said, finally finding his voice. “I can’t believe you did this for me.”

“You should.” She flicked a look at the cake. “Do you really think it’s incredible?”

“Yes.”

She squinted a blue eye. “I definitely didn’t get out all the eggshells.”

“They’ll add texture.”

She laughed, pleasure bringing color to her cheeks. “Blow out the candles. Make a wish.”

Sig leaned down, looking her in the eye while he made the wish. A wish he couldn’t guarantee would ever happen. A wish that seemed to get further out of his reach the more time passed.

I wish for this same exact birthday next year, except you’ll be wearing a wedding ring.

Mine.

Chloe turned on a heel and headed for the kitchen, presumably to cut the cake. “Don’t tell me what it is, or it won’t come true,” she sang over her shoulder.

That’s what I’m afraid of.

Chapter Six

Now

“An actual zebra with a whistle would be better at your job, ref!” Chloe shouted at the top of her lungs, her sentiments echoed by the seventeen thousand Boston Bearcats fans in the arena behind her. “How do yousleepat night?”

“If he’s smart? With one eye open,” Tallulah drawled beside her in the front row. “You are easily the most terrifying fan to ever wear a pink, bedazzled, personalized jersey.”

“Thank you,” Chloe whispered, her voice catching a little when Sig used the sleeve of his uniform to wipe away the blood coming from his nose, as casually as one scratched an itch. She slapped the glass partition to get the ref’s attention. “Last time I checked, slashing was a penalty! Did the visitors pay you in cash or Venmo?”

“At least Sig got to punch the other guy in the face,” Tallulah pointed out, even as her gaze remained glued to her fiancé, Burgess Abraham, who defended the crease with his signature scowl.

“Not hard enough,” Chloe muttered, realizing she was nervously worrying the hem of her pink Gauthier jersey and tried to stop, but in the dozen or so Bearcats games she’d attended since moving to Boston, she’d never actually seen blood oozing from Sig’s face. Shouldn’t he be taken out of the game? Or at the very least be examined by the trainer?

As if sensing her spiking nerves, Sig looked over at her and winked.

I’m fine, he mouthed.

Chloe melted back into her seat with a relieved exhale. Of course Sig was fine. It was just a little blood and her... confidant/guardian/future stepbrother/etc. could handle anything—and she meantanything. Low water pressure in her shower? Sig fixed it. She didn’t know which combination of trains and buses to take to the conservatory? Sig arrived with coffees and showed her the perfect route. Her landlord banged on her door, demanding she pay the rent and she’d already spent half of it on cream blushes? Sig knew exactly what to do.

He was so wonderful, sometimes she cried about it in the shower.

The only thing Sigcouldn’tdo was kiss her.

Chloe was trying to smile through the pressure in her breast when a man knelt in front of her, smiling in an apologetic way. “Sorry, I just don’t want to block the game,” he said, gesturing at the furious matchup taking place over his shoulder. “I’m Irving Randell from theBoston Globe. I don’t officially report on the Bearcats yet, but I’m hoping to one day. Right now, I’m kind of a grunt. However, Idomoderate the message boards.” He dipped his chin at Chloe. “Have to say, you’ve been a real topic of conversation lately, Miss...”

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