I craned my neck, scanning the banquet hall in the dim glow of the crystal chandeliers. Off to the side, beside an artificial tree covered with twinkle lights, I spotted endless legs, long blond hair, and that dress I wanted to tear off later. Bailey was being chatted up by Mason Greenfield, power forward for the NHL’s Boston Storm.

He was sporting dark, slicked back hair, a ridiculously flashy, expensive suit, and a gold watch so big I could almost make out the time from across the room. A walking new money cliché designed to pull chicks which, frankly, worked most of the time. It was easy enough being a professional athlete; the window dressing was just gravy.

And yes, he was definitely hitting on Bailey. He was probably fully aware that she was here as someone else’s date—he just didn’t care. Greenfield had graduated from Boyd last spring, and he made me look like a fucking saint.

“Looks that way.”

Guess I wasn’t the only one who liked the way she looked in that little black dress.

“She thinks he’s being nice, doesn’t she?” Shiv murmured, watching them.

I took a sip of my beer. “Probably.”

Bailey told me she didn’t get hit on very often. But—my obvious bias aside—Bailey was attractive. She had long legs, gorgeous hair, a killer smile, captivating eyes. She was the whole package.

Then I spent more time with her and discovered that, more often than not, she didn’t realize when guys were trying to pick her up. She thought they were being friendly.

My beautiful, sweet, oblivious girlfriend.

“You gonna rescue her?” Dallas asked.

“I’ll give it a sec to see how this plays out.”

I didn’t want to be a helicopter boyfriend who got crazy jealous at every turn, even though, inwardly, I kind of was. Whether or not Bailey knew it, she attracted a lot of male attention. I didn’t love it, but at the end of the day, I trusted her. She would never cheat, and she could generally handle herself. The only time I intervened was with her creeper ex or when she looked uncomfortable.

Greenfield leaned in a little too close for my liking and said something to her. Bailey shook her head, and what looked like the word boyfriend passed her lips, although I couldn’t hear the conversation from here. He cocked his head and responded. Knowing Greenfield, the retort was probably something classy about how his dick was bigger. She glanced away and scanned the crowd, eyes locking on to mine. We’d hit uncomfortable.

“That’s my cue.” I pushed off from the table and strolled across the room to join them.