Page 93 of Boss with Benefits

"Oh, she is. You broke her heart." Her smile was saccharin.

"What is this?”

"Derrick, with all due respect, sit your ass down and for once listen."

I ground my jaw in annoyance, but I turned toward the rink. A whistle blew, and Rachel's teammates gathered in the center of the rink. My breath caught as I spotted Rachel among them, healthy and strong, strands of her neon-pink hair flying behind her.

In a synchronized motion, the women started shuffling around, Rachel tucking behind them. Then the first woman skated in front of me, holding a large, handwritten sign that read:

Derrick Jacques.

What the hell? The next woman skated across the rink with another sign.

You're a stubborn jackass. But...

I snorted out a shocked laugh, remembering when Rachel thought that was my last name. Then sign after sign was revealed as skaters zipped from side to side each with a new sign.

You're also kind...

Loyal...

A valiant protector of women...

Old AF...

I laughed hard at that one, the ice in my veins slowly melting.

And...

Rachel skated to the front holding another stack of signs and I tensed, my stomach flip-flopping. I glanced beside me at Eva and raised an eyebrow.

"It's fromLove, Actually," she explained, referencing the famous scene with Kiera Knightly in the popular rom-com.

"Yeah, I got that," I said. "I have six sisters." I turned back to Rachel as she flipped over the signs she was holding, one by one.

I love you more than the Kardashians love a camera...

She dropped it and revealed the next one.

More than Billie Eilish loves oversized clothing...

And the next…

More than Taylor Swift loves a surprise album drop...

And the next…

And even though you're scared...

And finally…

I'm yours, I'll always be yours, until I'm super old. Way older than you, boss man. I love you.

My heart was pounding, and I couldn't breathe. Couldn't think. Couldn't do anything but stare at the poster boards discarded on the rink around Rachel.

Then, as if my body was operating on autopilot, I stood, turned, and walked swiftly toward the locker room.

I needed space. Needed to think. Needed to?—

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