“Oh, I won,” I say, throwing my shoulders back. “She’s all talk.”
“God, please tell me there were punches thrown.”
“Seb, stop,” Sophie says, pushing his chest.
“No punches,” I say, shrugging, “but the weekend isn’t over yet.”
“I think Raine might have just passed Maisie as my favorite of your friends, Soph.”
“Stop!” I hold my hand up to Seb. “Keep that shit to yourself or there damn well will be punches thrown, and I don’t think I can take Maisie.”
“Understood. Come on, Soph. Let’s start saying our goodbyes, so we can get out of here. We’ll see you both tomorrow.” He stops and points at Jeff who has backed up into a corner. “You’re not invited to our house tomorrow. Close friends only.”
As we watch them walk away, Jeff turns back to me. “Who are you? Do you work for a competing agency?”
“I don’t know about competing,” I say, smiling at him, “but I definitely work for an agency.”
“Who? Octagon? Are you trying to get Seb away from me? Or Alex?” He grunts. “Good luck with that.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Alex pushes Jeff back. “She’s a friend of Sophie’s. She doesn’t work for a sports agency.”
“I don’t care who she is,” Jeff says, glaring at me. “She overheard me talking to Seb about having Sophie sign a prenup.”
“They’re already married, dumbass,” I say. “It’s too late for a prenup.”
Jeff’s face drains of color. “What did you say? Did Sophie tell you that?”
“She didn’t have to. I’ve known her since we were kids. This,” I say, waving my hand around, “would be her nightmare wedding. Believe me, we’re just here for the after-party.”
“They’re not married,” he says, taking a step back toward me. Alex pushes him back. “Seb would have told me.”
“Check for their marriage license if you don’t believe me. Start with Florida, but I’d check Michigan, too. I’m guessing they got married at his lake house at some point. She loves that place.”
Jeff takes a quick breath. “They were up there over the All Star break. He said he was hurt and couldn’t play in the game—”
“There it is,” I say, smiling. “Sounds like a secret wedding plan to me.”
“Fuck!” He dials his phone. “Look for a marriage license for Seb and Sophie in Michigan. It would have been over the All Star break.”
Alex looks down at me. “Do you really think they’re already married? Or are you just fucking with him?”
“I know they’re already married. I’ve been able to read Sophie since we were little. But don’t get me wrong, I’m enjoying fucking with Jeff, too.”
“No, she didn’t sign a prenup!” Jeff screams into the phone. “How did you not know it was happening that week? You’re supposed to be on top of these things. I don’t care who you have to wake up. Find someone in the fucking state of Michigan who can confirm or deny it.”
“Are we done here?” Alex says, putting his arm around me. “You promised me some more alone time.”
He starts pulling me down the hallway. As we pass Jeff, I whisper, “You’re too late, Jeff. It looks like Seb loves Sophie more than he loves you.”
Jeff glares at me and then charges in the other direction.
Alex shakes his head. “Am I going to have to watch you every second of this trip to make sure you don’t get into a fight?”
“Probably,” I say, looking up at him. “Is that a problem?”
“No, I was pretty much planning on doing that anyway.” He takes my hand and starts pulling me away from the party. “Come on. I know a place where we can get a little privacy.”
* * *