“As in Clara Wilde? The owner’s wife?” He cut me a glance, and guilt hit me hard.
“Yeah. She invites us to their box all the time. I saw you play last week. You were so good out there. Really... fast.” Scarlett smiled at him.
Byrne’s glare could have melted me on the spot. “Can I speak to you for a moment?”
“I’m all ears.”
“Outside.”
“Fine,Dad. I’ll be back, lass. Don’t go anywhere.”
Byrne turned on me the instant we were outside. “What the bloody hell do you think you’re doing? The owner’ssisters-in-law? Do you know how against the rules that is?”
“Technically it’s not against any rule. They don’t work for the team. They’re just... team adjacent.”
“They’re Clara’ssisters.”
“And they’re fucking fit. Come on. You can’t honestly say you wouldn’t want to spend a day in bed with either of them.”
“Yeah, I can.”
“Your loss.”
“I’m gonna head back. I’ve had quite enough of this blind date.”
I shrugged. “Just as well. I got what I wanted. Becca will be pleased as punch I kept my promise, and that’s all that matters. Maybe now she’ll finally let me...”
“Wait, you two haven’t?”
Fuck. How did I tell him she tried to send me into anaphylactic shock on our first date and Trick cockblocked me the next morning? “Nae, she’s not like the rest. This one is a handful.”
He smirked. “Sounds like exactly what you need. Someone to hand you your arse.”
My stomach twisted at the thought. “You might be right.”
“Just don’t cock it all up, and you’ll be fine.”
“Easier said than done, mate. But I’ll do my best.”
By the time I got back into the pub, Becca and Scarlett were both standing with their purses over their shoulders.
“Whoa, where’s the fire, ladies?”
Becca’s steely glare sent ice through my veins. “I don’t understand you, Taylor. Sometimes you’re this sweet guy who’s honest and open, and then other times you’re... this. I like you, but I’m not interested in someone who can’t figure out who he is. Call me when you’ve got your shit together.”
Before I could stop her, she left me standing there with nothing to show for the night than a bar tab and three pints at an empty table.
6
TAYLOR
I swiped through profile after profile on theMeet-Cupidapp. None of the women I’d matched with were appealing. But that wasn’t their fault. It was because there was only one girl who had caught my eye. Becca. It probably didn’t help that the Taylor Savage on the app wasn’t even remotely who I really was. This persona I’d adopted long ago had never fully taken hold. And Becca only added to my certainty that I was done playing the part of the bad boy of hockey.
The team was on our way to Montana for a game against the Wildfire, then a team party at Wilde Horse Ranch hosted by Maverick. Trick was so excited to get a chance to ride a real horse, he was practically buzzing with anticipation. The guy was like a little kid. I’d never let him live it down.
Me? I was excited about one thing. Getting a chance to talk to Becca. To show her I was still in this.
I opened my text messages and stared at the two unanswered ones I’d sent her.