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“Garro’s getting married next month,” I answer. “I’m a groomsman for him. Low-key bachelor party at a cabin soon. Should be fun.”

“The best decisions are made when you get plastered at a wedding,” Ari laughs.

“That tattoo you got on your ass after our hitting coach’s wedding would beg to differ.”

“Fuck off,” he chides. “That tattoo is a work of art.”

“Whatever you say, man.”

“Is my ass tattoo giving you your needed distraction?”

“Well, it was,” I reply, exasperated. “Now I’m thinking again.”

“That’s dangerous.”

“Go fuck yourself, Morgan.”

Ari howls with laughter from the other end of the phone, clearly finding himself hilarious. “What’s going on, Cole? What’s got your head in a tizzy?”

“Tizzy?” I question.

“You want my help or not?”

I want to laugh, but I sigh instead. “Just… girl troubles, I guess.”

“You?” he asks. I can sense his exact look right now—utter disbelief. “Cole Pierce is having girl troubles? NYC is full of women—I can’t imagine you’re having trouble finding one.”

“That’s not my problem. It’s… one woman. A specific woman.”

“Wait,youwantonewoman? What happened to the man that slept with half of Wichita?”

I groan. “It was not half of fucking Wichita. But that hasn’t been me since I came back to New York. I’ve had some hookups, but I’m not fucking any woman with a pulse.”

“What caused that?” His voice is incredulous, almost like he can’t believe I’m not the fuckboy I used to be. Kansas had a very different Cole Pierce than New York does.

“That’s, uh… when I met her.”

“Holy shit!” he exclaims. “That’s been almost four fucking years. You’ve been in love with a girl for four goddamn years, and I’m just now hearing about it?”

“I’m not in love with her,” I chide.

“I’m sure you’re not.” I can hear the smirk in his voice.

I sink back into my sofa, folding my arm over my eyes. “God, I’m fucking pathetic, aren’t I?”

“How the hell would I know? I don’t date. I don’t know what shit is normal.”

“Very helpful, Ari.”

“You know me, and you still called to chat about your ‘pathetic’ love life. This is on you, Pierce.”

“Can you try to be more helpful? I’m going out of my fucking mind.”

“Fine. What makes this girl so special that she’s got you all twisted up?”

“She’s awesome, man,” I say, a soft smile on my face because I can’t help but smile when I’m talking about Rory. “She’s confident as hell. She’s fun to spend time with. We both tease the shit out of each other, and it’s always the highlight of my goddamn day. And she’s fucking stunning on top of all that.”

“Damn,” he laughs. “You’ve got itbadfor this girl.”

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