Page 24 of Heartbreaker
“But you almost lost the title.”
“Well, technically, I did,” Moxie says. Her words make my heart stop. I didn’t even realize until now…I wastechnicallythe EWE Women’s Champion for the five to seven minutes we spent trying to figure out what happened next. “Good practice for Sunday, I suppose.”
“You’re dropping?” Bennett asks, seeming a little more shocked than I expected, considering his words minutes ago.
“Yeah, I’ve decided to go on a small hiatus.”
“You didn’t re-sign.” His voice dips low—sad—almost, and it brings an equally sad smile to her lips. “Mox, why—”
“I’ve been doing this for seven years, Wolf. I want a family, I want kids. And this life…It isn’t very conducive to that. Besides, I’m leaving you in very capable hands.” She smiles at me and Raelynn. “These two are about to take EWE by storm.”
“Come out with us to celebrate,” Raelynn says, reaching her hand out to the champion.
“As fun as that sounds, my bed is calling my name. I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow.” Moxie pulls us into a quick hug and leaves before Raelynn can convince her otherwise.
“You’re coming, right, Wolfie?” Rae asks.
“I’d love to crash, but I’m supposed to meet Harper.” Bennett rolls his eyes when he sees the sameickface Rae and I share. He’s been dating Harper (if you can even call it that) for the last three months, and if you think it improved the relationship between her and me, you’d be wrong. We’re…cordial when we have to be, but we do our best to ignore each other most of the time. “You guys promised you would be nice.”
“And what about her?” I ask.
“She’s not that bad. You’d know that if you just gave her a chance.”
“She’s only nice to you because you can give her something we can’t.”
“And what’s that?”
“A dick to suck and fuck.”
“Savannah!” Bennett gasps in horror as Raelynn high-fives me in a fit of giggles. His phone illuminates in his hand, catching his attention, and he rolls his eyes. “That was rude, and normally I’d have more to say, but I really have to go.”
“Yeah, wouldn’t want to keep your booty call waiting,” Raelynn says, and I bite down on my bottom lip to stifle another laugh.
Bennett looks between us and breathes out a sharp exhale, lips drawn into a thin line. He’s tried to build the bridge between the three of us, but no one is looking to go over it anytime soon. Eyes closed, he shakes his head, and when he reopens them, there’s a newfound sincerity there. “Sav, I really am proud of you. You did great tonight.” He kisses the top of my head, glancing at Rae with an eye roll, before he jogs down the hallway.
Raelynn and I agree to meet in twenty minutes, because I’m in desperate need of a shower before I go anywhere, even if it’s just the hotel bar. Different people littered throughout the hallway congratulate me, applauding my performance and offering words of praise. I try not to sound rude when my only response is a quickthank you, but I need to get to the locker room before I’m the one making Raelynn wait. If that happens, I’ll never hear the end of it.
I grasp the handle, ready to sprint inside, when a slow clap bounces off the walls. I glance over my shoulder, my breath catching. What is he doing here?
“Quite the debut you had out there.”
Try as I might, I can’t hide my smirk as I step back from the door. “Watching me, Brooks?”
“Brooks, huh?” He chuckles with a soft shake of his head before his face turns serious. “But in all seriousness, you looked good, Sav.” I think about making a witty comeback, but something tells me now isn’t the time. That isn’t what he came here to say, not really.
“Thank you, John,” I say, and the corner of his mouth lifts again.
“Can I make one suggestion, though?” There it is. “Make sure you’re protecting your neck. That bump from the top rope during the second match looked pretty brutal. Too many of those and you’ll find yourself benched before you even get started.”
“So, youwerewatching me,” I say, but I know he’s right. I felt it as soon as I landed. However, there wasn’t much I could do; it was the way she threw me off the top rope.
“Savannah, I’m—”
“I know.” A small smile of my own. “I appreciate you looking out for me.”
“Savannah, come on!” Raelynn yells. She stands at the far end of the hall, looking extremely annoyed. “Normally, I’m all for you two making googly eyes at each other, but for once, can you not? I’m starving!”
The flames rise in my cheeks immediately, and I cover my burning face. Why did she say that?
