Page 52 of Dream Girl Drama

She mashed her lips together to keep from smiling. “Really?”

“Yup.”

Relief spread over the wound and she gave him her most grateful smile. “Thank you.”

His sigh was long and reluctantly tender. “You realize you make no sense, dream girl.”

She picked up Pierre’s leash and backed toward the door. “I’ll try harder.”

“Don’t you dare change a thing about yourself.”

They smiled at each other across the apartment for long moments that made her heart feel heavy and light and burdensome and lucky all at once. Sagging with love and turmoil. Maybe her heart had more than four chambers because how else could everything fit?

“Good night, Sig,” she murmured, grasping the doorknob to prevent herself from running to him. Leaping without looking. Begging again for him to relent.

To give her at least one night.

“Good night, Chloe,” he said, reaching up and snagging his hair in a fist at the crown of his head, obviously gripping tight to keep from lunging for her, too. Giving in. Giving them what they both needed so badly it burned. “See you in the morning.”

When Chloe left that night, she was resolved to try and move on.

Sig still had other ideas.

Chapter Thirteen

Sig sat down across from Burgess in the smoothie shop.

“You summoned me?”

Observing Sig, Burgess grunted. Leaned back and tossed a crumpled napkin onto the table. “Why do you look like warmed-over shit?”

“Had an early morning,” Sig said without blinking.

“For what reason?”

“Dude named Pierre.”

“Really.” The Bearcats captain scrubbed at his bearded chin. “When are you going to introduce him to the team?”

“When they start allowing dogs at the games, I guess.”

“Ohh, I see. Pierre is a dog. Are you enjoying yourself?”

“I’m in a brightly lit smoothie shop full of joggers, I haven’t slept yet, and they don’t serve coffee,” Sig deadpanned. “What do you think?”

Burgess didn’t bother answering that. “Does the dog have something to do with Chloe?”

“Of course, it does.” An image of Chloe smiling beneath the streetlights and nuzzling her face into his shoulder made him shift in his chair, attempting to balance the heavy weight in his chest. He’d been waiting outside her building that morning at five a.m., just in case she threw him another wild card and decided to venture out early. But no, she’d emerged on time, yawning and wrapped in a blanket, smiling sleepily when she saw him. They’d walked in silence, side by side, laughing quietly at Pierre’s repertoire of unique sounds, neither one of them bringing up the roller-coaster conversation from the night before.

Maybe she was still digesting everything, like Sig.

His secret had been laid on the table and instead of getting mad, she’d encouraged him.

Stuck by him.

Just not enough to refrain from dating other men.

Sig ground his molars until pain shot upward behind his eye. “I didn’t want her walking the dog alone before sunrise. Could mean early mornings for a while. Not sure if she’s just dog sitting or keeping him permanently, but I try not to ask for too many specifics with Chlo.” He couldn’t quite catch his affectionate smile before it formed. “She errs on the side of impulsive.”

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