Page 23 of The Love Trick

I pull my hand away and use it to pick up the muffin I haven’t touched, clearing my throat as I unwrap the paper from the bottom. “Are we going to have coordinating outfits?”

Addy eyes me and makes a face. “Um, do youwantcoordinating outfits?”

I shrug. “Yeah, I mean, I kinda like the idea. I can get one of those custom shirts with your face on it. Maybe I could wear it to the wedding. I bet everyone would love that.”

Her eyes grow wide. “You’re going to get me kicked out of my own family.”

“At least then you wouldn’t have to have a fake boyfriend just to get through your sister’s wedding.” I shoot her a wink. “Then we could just be normal friends again.”

“Wearenormal friends. And this ruse isn’t going to change anything between us. We’re just going to go to Hawaii, put on a show, and then stage a breakup. I’m sure my family will be relieved when we break up.”

I can’t hide my surprise but do my best to swallow the hurt. “Do you really think they’d berelievedthat we broke up? I mean, I know I’m just a lowlife turned NHL player, but—”

“You’re not a lowlife,” Addy interjects. “You never were.”

“Okay. But do you really think they’d be happy about the breakup? I mean, at the end of the day, I think they want you to be happy—and surely they’d be happy if you were happy with me.”

“Yeah, but you know how they are.” Addy sighs, picking at her muffin wrapper. “They have this outdated idea of the type of person I should end up with, which always consists of old money, upper-crust circles, politics, and whatever else they have in their heads. They want me to end up with someone who … fits their mold. Someone who can put on a proper show in front of high society and carry on their legacy that has been meticulously crafted by generations before—”

“Okay.” I tense my jaw. “I get it.”

“Please don’t be offended,” Addy says quickly. “I’m not saying their perspective is right. It just is what it is. I mean, you’ve seen the guys they’ve tried to set me up with. They’ve mostly been trust fund babies. But luckily, you’re rich. That’s going to help a lot.”

“The shallowness of this conversation right now,” I say incredulously, shaking my head. “I swear, I couldneverbe with someone who only looked at me for my wealth.”

“I know.” Her voice softens. “And I think it’s incredible how hard you worked to get to where you are. I’ve watched you go from playing hockey on a college scholarship that you worked your butt off to get to winning the Stanley Cup in the NHL. You’ve managed to overcome so many obstacles in your life, and you’ve never let anything stop you. You’re impressive.”

“Just not to your family.”

She frowns. “It’ll be fine.”

I nod, but inwardly, I’m a freaking wreck.

What the heck have I gotten myself into?

Chapter Nine

Blaze

Issheasnervousas I am about this?

I can’t breathe as I step through the airport doors, where her entire freaking family is waiting for us. I glance down at Addy, who’s rolling her carry-on. I have the rest of her luggage weighing me down like a pack mule of sorts.

“Ah, there you are!” her mom calls out, rushing toward us. She’s dressed like a typical mom, wearing khaki slacks and a white sweater. Her hair is pulled up in a bun, and while I see Addy in her, it’s only in the nose. The rest of her looks like… her dad? I can’t tell. I stare at her father, who’s looking as unamused as always, his expression in a dull frown.

“Sorry I’m late, the traffic was awful,” Addy answers as they hug. “Blaze said we needed to leave sooner, but I was running behind.”

“As per usual,” someone grumbles from the mix of people—most of whom I don’t recognize. Although I can pinpoint both her grandmothers and her aunts, her sister, and well … yeah, that’s where it ends.

But each and every person is staring at us, even the ones I don’t recognize.

“It’s good to see you, Blaze,” Addy’s mom says.

My heart thumps nervously. “It’s good to see you, too.”

I’veneverbeen nervous around her parents. But suddenly, everything feels different…

“Wait a minute.” Her mom’s eyes bounce between the two of us, andnowit must hit her. “Where’s your boyfriend?”

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