Siobhan pulled in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I guess that’s why I’ve kept Dallas at arm’s length.” Then she gestured to the living room. “Obviously that hasn’t worked very well. I mean, I’m crazy about him. But I’m still a little gun-shy.”

“I get that,” I said. “Your ex almost makes Luke look good.”

Luke was an asshole, to be sure. And inexplicably hell-bent on messing with my life now that I had moved on. But her ex sounded next-level, like the kind that could be dangerous. The damage Luke could inflict was likely limited to spreading ridiculous lies and trying to annoy Chase to death. If anything, Chase was the bigger threat to him.

“I dunno. Luke sounds terrible.” Siobhan dipped a tortilla chip in guacamole. “I heard about that text message thing.”

“Right? Who does that?” I hummed. “Actually, it’s pretty on-brand for Luke. I think he was trying to cause trouble between Chase and me.”

She grinned. “Oh, I don’t think Chase is going anywhere. Not to sell him out or anything but…” She paused. “Okay, I’m selling him out a little, but he’s cute about you.”

I couldn’t fight back my goofy smile. “I can’t believe I used to hate him.”

“You did?” Shiv tilted her head questioningly.

“I thought I did, anyway.” I frowned. So much had changed recently that it felt like up was down.

“In your defense, he can be a total pain in the ass on the ice.” She laughed. “Dallas says he’s one of those players you love if they’re on your team and hate if they’re on anyone else’s.”

“Sounds about right,” I said, standing to put my empty plate in the kitchen. “Should we watch Love in Summer first or Accidentally Engaged?”

Siobhan shrugged. “Let’s work through the list alphabetically.”

“Binge-watching all of these under Dallas’s profile is going to mess with his Netflix suggestions,” I pointed out. Right now, his home screen was full of John Wick, stand-up comedy, and horror movies.

She giggled, taking another sip of her margarita. “That’s the best part. They’ll be notifying him about upcoming chick flicks till the end of time.”

27. part of the game

CHAPTER 27

PART OF THE GAME

Bailey

I set my phone on Chase’s nightstand and slid beneath his covers, leaning against the wooden headboard. It was strange being in his bedroom without him; his presence permeated the room like a ghost. And the bed smelled just like him, infused with that intoxicating blend of his cologne and his natural scent.

Not that I’d been inhaling the pillowcase or anything.

Oh my god, I really liked him. It was terrifying.

A moment later, my phone vibrated. My stomach did a little twirl as I grabbed it, hitting the green Accept icon. “Hi.”