Page 71 of American Beauty

“I’m playing one last season of rugby. After that, I’m done. Out for good.” He flicks a glance at me before turning his attention back to the road. “Rugby’s been my life, but I need something else. The hotel’s an investment for the future.”

“Why not buy a hotel in Sydney?”

“So I can continue competing against the Sebrings? Nah, I’m done with that. I’m done with Sydney.”

My pulse jumps at the mention of Alex’s family. He and I may be over, but I still care very much for the Sebring family.

“Did you know what you were doing when you injured Alex?”

He chuckles. “Wasn’t trying to end his career… but I wasn’t exactly trying not to, either. Just how it played out.”

I should be angry. I should tear into him like a tornado through a trailer park.

But I don’t.

My bond with Alex isn’t just broken—it is severed, clean and final, the moment he ended us with a heartless text. Just icy words on a screen where love used to be.

And yet, as I sit here, I still can’t help but wonder…

If our bond is truly severed, why do I still feel the pain?

Chapter 21

Alex Sebring

The restaurant looms ahead,a cozy spot tucked between towering high-rises, its warm lighting spilling onto the street. As I walk through the entrance, a strange mix of anticipation and apprehension coils in my chest because I haven’t seen Kye in months.

Kye Bennelong. My former agent, my friend—one of the few people who knows me beyond the headlines and statistics. We are more than client and rep; we are mates. He was the first to see the fire in me, the one who fought like hell to make sure my career became more than potential. And I owe him for that.

As I weave through the path around the tables in the restaurant, I realize how much I’ve missed him. The easy camaraderie, the way Kye grounds me with a simple look, a joke, a well-timed kick in the ass when I needed it. Rugby gave me more than a career; it gave me an extended family. And Kye? He was a big part of that.

Maybe it’s because we share a unique understanding—me with my Samoan roots, and him with his Aboriginal heritage. I often feel like an outsider in certain circles, caught between cultures, never quite fitting into the mold the world has laid out for me. Kye understands that without me ever having to explainit. He understands what it’s like to walk into a room and feel you have something to prove—like you have to be twice as good to be considered equal.

I spot him before he sees me, sitting at a corner table, his head bent as he talks into his phone, his deep voice carrying over the soft hum of conversation. He’s always been larger than life, a towering presence in any room, an easy smile and a laugh that could shake the walls.

He hasn’t changed––broad-shouldered, sporting the same signature short fade hairstyle, dressed in a killer tailored suit.

Kye looks up, spotting me. His face splits into a grin, wide and welcoming, like no time has passed at all.

His phone is pressed to his ear, and he signals, the way he always has, to give him a minute.

“No, babe. I swear, I’m leaving as soon as Alex and I are done. Just keep everything…readyfor me.”

Pause.

“Yes, I’ll bring your favorite sushi.”

Pause.

“I know salmon is full of omega-whatevers. Babe, I’m on it, all right?”

His jaw tics and he wears the strained look of a man clinging to his last thread of patience.

“Yeah, yeah, I know it’s the right time. The test said so.”

Kye’s gaze snaps to mine, amusement flickering in his eyes. “I’ll be there soon, all right? Just… light a candle or something.”

Pause.

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