Page 98 of Fair Play
“Men?” She cocks her head curiously. “Are you seeing someone other than Rome?”
“My brother!” I spit out in frustration. “Mybrotheris trying to ruin my life. Or at least my relationship with Rome.”
“What happened?”
I tell her as much as I know about what went down after the second game in Vegas.
“And Rome ghosted you?”
“Yup. Won’t even text me back. Didn’t come home last night. What the hell is Bodi thinking? Does he really believe I’m just going to stay single forever? No husband or kids or anything? Because I might get my heart broken? What kind of crazy bullshit is that? I mean, what the fuck?” I’m rambling but it’s better than crying.
“Oh, honey.” She puts a comforting hand on my forearm. “I don’t know what—” The intercom buzzes. “Hey, Nita? There’s someone here to see Billie.”
“If it’s Bodi, you’d better come with me because I might strangle him.”
She chuckles. “I might help you.”
We get up and pad out to the dining room, and I freeze when I see Rome.
“See? Not ghosted. Go ahead and use my office,.” she whispers as she nudges me.
“Hey.” I approach gingerly.
“Hi.” He stares down at me, and for the first time since we met that night at Blue Thunder, I can’t tell what he’s thinking. “Can we talk?”
“Yeah. Come on.” I lead him back to Nita’s office and close the door. “Have a seat.”
“I just need a few minutes.”
He looks uncomfortable, and I wait, because now I can guess what’s coming. Hell, I knew when I didn’t hear from him all night. So I remain standing as well.
“Say what you came to say. I’m assuming you want to end things.”
“That’s the last thing I want, but…”
“But what? Bodi told me you asked for a trade so it must be at least alittle bitwhat you want.”
“I couldn’t let Bodi take the fall.”
“What?” I stare in confusion.
“Ms. Barrowman insinuated it might come down to him or me, and I couldn’t let it be him. Not after all you’ve been through.”
My mouth falls open.
The scared little girl in me wants to throw my arms around him for being so sweet when Bodi’s been nothing but a dick to him. But the grown woman in me isfurious.
“So you went ahead and made that unilateral decision without discussing it with me? You know, the woman in your life? You didn’t think I should have a say in what happens between us?”
“It’s not that simple. We already knew that I probably wouldn’t be here beyond this season so?—”
“We don’t know that!” I snap. “We—you—were working on making them keep you. You’ve been playing your ass off, making friends, finding your place here. And then because Bodi has a burr up his butt about my virtue or some insane notion that I’mgoing to die if he doesn’t control every aspect of my life, you just throw yourself under the fucking bus?”
“She was going to send him back to the Rebels!” he yells, throwing up his hands. “He’s twenty-five—he has his whole career ahead of him. What do I have?”
I stare, a trail of pain burning its way through my heart and straight up to my eyeballs, where it trickles out as a single tear. “Me,” I whisper. “You hadme.”
“Baby.” He reaches for me but I step out of the way.
