Page 125 of False Play
She rolled her eyes but leaned in for a side hug. “Why’d you have this idiot pick me up from the airport? Do I not matter to you?” she groaned dramatically.
“I was busy. And you’re the one who insisted on coming to the gala at the last minute.”
“I would have rather taken an Uber if I had known.”
“I was basically your personal airport concierge. Except I charge nothing and have better hair,” Hayes said with a cock of his brow.
“See what you had me dealing with all day?” Olivia muttered with a weary shake of her head.
“Sounds to me like someone’s being ungrateful, Livvie,” Hayes sing-songed. “Be careful, or you’ll have to find a new place to live when you move here. And spoiler alert, youdon’twant it to be your brother’s place. Unless you’re into listening to him fuck like a caffeinated rabbit.”
God, these two were fucking exhausting; it was making me dizzy. They’d been acting like this since we were kids, so you’d think I’d be used to it by now. But…nope.
“Who are you calling Livvie? Because it sure as hell isn’t me,” she snapped, crossing her arms. “I’m done with this conversation. Walk away from me before I smack your head.”
“You know I like my women feisty,Livvie. Be careful,” Hayes quipped.
“Watch it,” I warned. I knew he was joking, but still.
She shot Hayes a glare without a word then looked at me. “Where’s Kennedy? I want to meet her.”
“You’ve already met her.” Multiple times, actually. My sister was an athletic trainer for the New York Jaguars, and they’d crossed paths when Kennedy traveled there with us.
“Yeah, but I need you to reintroduce her as yourgirlfriend.” She stared at me like I was an idiot.
I looked around the room and found her speaking with Brad and Anthony. “Maybe later, she’s busy.”
“Fine, I’ll—” Olivia didn’t finish her thought. Her face paled, and her shoulders trembled lightly. With a confusedfrown, I looked over my shoulder. When my eyes landed on our father, I cursed under my breath.
Olivia went into a full no-contact relationship with our father when she graduated from college. He was gracious enough to pay for it, but paying for my sister’s tuition came with terms. He was eager to control her. It was a constant war between them.
She had big plans—med school, a career in sports medicine. But the pressure eventually caught up to her, and after earning her bachelor’s, she cut him off for good. I offered to help, begged her to let me pay for her MD, whatever she needed.
Because here’s the thing my sister—and our mom—never quite understood: Iwantedto take care of them. After so many years of being useless, not knowing how to protect the two most important women in my life, I wanted to make it right.
But Olivia could be stubborn. I was almost shocked she even let our father pay for her undergraduate degree. When I asked her why, she just shrugged and said, “He should pay for my emotional damage.”
I know what you’re probably thinking, but what can I say? My sister’s humor always turned a little dark when it came to her trauma.
“Did you know he was going to be here?” she asked, barely above a whisper, her voice threaded with something between fear and dread.
I shook my head. “I mean…he showed up at my apartment the other day?—”
“I can’t be here,” Olivia murmured, more to herself than to me. Her hands trembled slightly, and her voice wavered.
“We can go back to my place and forget about this night,” I offered quickly, already stepping forward.
Before I could reach her, Hayes slipped off his suit jacket and gently draped it over Olivia’s shaking shoulders.
“I got her,” he said, firm and soft all at once. “This is a big night for Kennedy, you should stay here. I’ll take care of this.”
“No, I’m sure Kennedy will unders?—”
“Wes can take me. I’m staying at his place anyway. It’s fine.” Olivia met my eyes. They were swimming with something uncertain. A type of pain I wanted to pull out of her and carry myself. “I’m fine,” she said, though we both knew she wasn’t.
Hayes wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to his chest as they walked toward the back exit, taking the long way so my father wouldn’t see them. They bickered like an old married couple, but when it mattered the most, I knew Hayes would be there for my sister in a heartbeat. I wholeheartedly trusted him.
I took a deep breath, trying to calm the rage that was quickly bubbling out of me. Without a thought, only all-consuming anger, I strode to him with menacing steps. “Why are you here?
