Present day . . .

After getting up early for practices most of my life, I usually love mornings. But this morning, I’m dragging ass. I spent my entire night and this morning’s run worrying about Bailey. The picture and message she got last night only reinforced my opinion that Blackhawk Valley is toxic for her, and I’ve been racking my brain trying to come up with something I can offer her so she’ll take my proposal.

She needs money, but she’s always refused to take mine. She needs a better job, but despite all her bluster, she has the self-esteem of a backward, pimple-faced teenager, and won’t pursue one. She needs to let go of the past—including Nic Mendez—and give herself permission to live her life. But for some reason, she buried her heart with her first love, and there’s not a damn thing I can do about that.

I’ve played by Bailey’s rules for four years, and if I were to keep playing by them, I’d make this easy and end our marriage. Telling Lindy about Bailey was selfish—the easiest way to convince her there’s no future for us. But suddenly getting Bailey to agree to move in isn’t only about Lindy or my career. It’s about Bailey.

I grab a protein shake from the fridge and sink into the couch, no closer to an answer than I was when I walked her to her car last night.

I pick up my phone and open the file with my pictures from Vegas. The whole weekend is catalogued here in one form or another—the first night when we went to Rain, our lazy day at the pool, Arrow, Mia, Bailey, me, and the rest of the crew piled into the party bus. As I scroll through the pictures, they transition from pictures of the group to just pictures of Bailey, and of Bailey and me together.

I stop at a photo we took of ourselves in front of the Bellagio fountain on our last night there. The rest of our group had paired off and disappeared back to their rooms, and we were the last ones standing. She was clinging to me as we watched the lights and water, reminding me how much I wanted more.

“Will you ever touch me again?” she asked.

Grinning, I tightened my grip on her hips. “I’m touching you now.”

“You know what I mean.” She turned into me and pressed her hand flat against my chest. “What do I have to do to convince you to take me to your bed, Mason?”

“Marry me.”

She laughed so hard, like it was the most ridiculous idea. “What, now you’re some born-again virgin who needs to be married to have sex?” I answered with a shrug, and she propped her hand on her hip. “Fine. I’m calling your bluff. Let’s do it.”

The wise thing would have been to say no, to point out that she was too drunk to make a decision like that, or to simply remind myself that she’d been pushing me away for nearly four years and one night in Vegas couldn’t change that. But my heart wasn’t interested in wisdom when Bailey was at my fingertips, daring me to take exactly what I’d wanted for years.

I scroll past the pictures of us at the fountains and hesitate when I see the play icon on the video from our next stop.

She’s made it clear where we stand, and despite the chaste kiss we shared in my kitchen last night, I know better than to believe she’s going to change her mind about our chances as a couple. But that doesn’t mean that there’s no chance for the life she’d inevitably build here between now and the end of the season. What’s waiting for her back in Blackhawk Valley? Debt, obviously. A job she’s not passionate about. And assholes like Ron, who send her dick pics captioned with thinly veiled threats. Fuck that. She deserves better than that life, whether she knows it or not. If she’s not brave enough to move away from her hometown and start fresh, I need to help her. Maybe I can’t have her, but I don’t have to watch her throw her life away.

That means I can’t play by her rules anymore.

I pull up my contact list and call my agent.

He answers on the first ring—probably because he’s a workaholic who never leaves his desk. “Mason! How’s it going, bud?”

“Good, thanks.” I swallow hard. “Listen, I’m going to send you something, and I need your help releasing it to the press.”

The restaurant is fancier than I’d choose, but Emma made the reservation, so here I am. “Vodka martini with a twist,” I tell the server. Normally, I avoid drinks like martinis just because of the price tag, but tonight I need the double dose of booze.

When the waiter leaves, I decide to try my sister’s cell again. Emma is meeting me for an early dinner so I can show her the pictures from yesterday’s shoot. I’m early and waiting in our booth until my friend arrives.

I dial Sarah and hold my breath while I wait for her to answer.

“Hi, Bailey,” she says. She sounds tired, and I’m sure she is. Her days are long. She gets Faith ready in the morning and then works all day until she has to pick her up. She makes a healthy dinner and then rushes from one activity to the next, returning home in time for a bath before bed, and she does it all again the next day. The responsibilities of a single mom are no joke, and Sarah takes every one of them very seriously. “I have five minutes before we have to leave for gymnastics. Sorry I didn’t call you back last night.”

She sounds sincere, so I swallow back my insecurity. “It’s okay. I was wondering if you and Faith would like to do breakfast tomorrow? I remember that sweet little café down the street from your house.”

“Can’t.” Her voice goes muffled, and I imagine her covering it with her hand as she tells Faith to get changed. “I have an early meeting, and I don’t want to disrupt Faith’s routine. It’s hard enough to get that girl out the door. How about I call you when we get home from dance tomorrow night?”

I rub my arms and wish I’d brought a sweater into the restaurant. “Yeah. Sure, that’d be great. I don’t want to hassle you, but I miss you both.”

“I miss you too, Bailey. If I’d had some warning you were coming, we could have cleared our schedule. Our days are pretty busy.”

“I know. I’m sorry.” I bite my lip. “So, I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“Yep. Thanks. Have fun tonight, whatever you’re doing. But be safe, okay?”

I flinch. I’m sure Sarah imagines me clubbing all night long, and hell, right now that sounds pretty good. That’s not my regular night out, and I hate that she thinks it is, but I don’t have the energy to explain that it’s not like that. “I will. I promise.”

We say our goodbyes, and when I end the call I’m left feeling tired and lonely. Last night, after Mason’s ridiculous proposal, I went to a coffee shop by my motel and worked on the shoot I’d done with Emma Rothschild when I arrived in Seaside. Since Emma and her boyfriend, Keegan, are both good friends of mine, it’s really important to me that these pictures wow—not that it was hard, given how gorgeous Emma is.

It was easy to lose myself in my work until it was time to check into my motel and get some sleep. Unfortunately, once tucked into my dingy discount room, I couldn’t turn off my brain, and my thoughts have been scattered ever since. What am I going to do about Mason? I can’t be his wife, not for real, but could I play the part for a few months?

It’s been twenty-four hours since I kissed him in his kitchen, and I’m no closer to an answer now than I was then.

“Hello, hello,” Emma says, taking a seat across from me in the booth. She looks like something out of a magazine—fucking beautiful and glowing with happiness. Then again, that might just be sleep deprivation talking. I feel gross by comparison after missing my shower this morning (no way was I bathing in the disgusting space the motel was trying to pass off as a shower stall), but she seems especially radiant today. She’s grinning, and her curly red hair is down around her bare shoulders. “Someone needs a drink.”

I slide my phone back into my purse so I can give Emma my full attention. “You have no idea.”

“The divorce request didn’t go as well as you anticipated?”

I sigh. “He wants me to move in with him after training camp and act like his wife until the end of the year. Apparently, he needs a wife because he screwed up and slept with Bill McCombs’s daughter.” I shake my head. It sounds so dumb when I spell it out. I can see how telling the woman about me would help Mason, but surely we could find a way to do this without living together for the whole season.

“I’ve tried really hard not to pry into your business,” Emma says, her tone cautious, “but do you want to tell me why you won’t just be with Mason?”

I lean back in my seat at those words. Where is our server? I could really use that drink. “You’re hilarious.”

“What’s so funny about that? You obviously love him.”

“It doesn’t matter how I feel about Mason. He’s not a choice for me.”

She holds my gaze and waits for an explanation. When I don’t offer one, she says, “Spill.”

“I care about Mason, but I respect myself too much to try to have a real relationship with him when I will never fit into his world.”

“Oh, Bailey, that’s not true. Look at me and Keegan.”

“I see you two, but it’s not the same with Mason and me.” I don’t expect her to understand, but I draw in a deep breath and try my best. “Before I was born, my mom was a stripper. She met my father at work and they had a relationship.” I drop my gaze to my hands. To this day, the story fills me with shame. Mom thought they were in love, but I don’t think my father cared about anything but getting off. Everything that came after was no more than a consequence he had to deal with. “He wasn’t a rich man by normal standards, but he was by Mom’s, and when she got pregnant, they tried to make it work. They eloped before I was born, and she gave up her apartment so she and my sister could move in with him. I was only a few months old when he died unexpectedly of a heart attack.”

“Bailey, I’m so sorry.”

I shake my head. “Don’t be. I never knew him.”

“But that doesn’t mean you didn’t lose him.”

Emma’s so sweet to understand that. I don’t grieve for my father, but there’s no denying I’ve always had a void in that role. “His family made Mom’s life miserable before he died, and hell after. They wanted nothing to do with her. He’d lived above his means, and anything left was used to pay off his debts, but they thought she’d blown through it all.”

“That’s terrible,” Emma says. “She was grieving, and they were focused on the money.”

“My mom still loves my father.” I think about my words then shake my head. “No, she still idolizes him. But the short time between moving in with him and his death was terrible for her. His family hated her. They thought she was beneath him and let it be known. It was terrible for them both, and to this day she blames his heart attack on the stress they caused. Marriage isn’t just about two people. We don’t live in isolation. We marry someone and their family comes with them.”

Her forehead wrinkles as she studies me. “Mason’s parents have been unkind to you?”

I laugh, but the sound comes out like a helpless squeak. “They have made it clear that they don’t want me in his life.” It’s not the full truth, but it’s enough. “I respect myself too much to endure their disapproval and care about Mason too much to put him through that.”

“What are you going to do?” Her eyes are full of sympathy.

“I don’t know. I guess I’m considering it because I want to help him. If it’s only temporary, maybe it will be okay. I mean, he’s going to be so busy with football anyway, and I really think this is all about appearances and getting the girl off his back.”

“Oh, so he needs a pretend wife?”

I laugh. “I guess you’d know something about that.” We stop talking when the server returns with my martini, and Emma orders one for herself.

“I think my situation with Zachary was a little different than yours with Mason,” Emma says when we’re alone again. “But I’m all for it. Live with him for a few months. Enjoy yourself. Maybe by the end of it, his parents will have changed their tune and you two can give it a go.”

Her naivety is almost adorable. “Except Keegan would kill me.” I bring my martini to my lips and force myself to take a small sip when I want to chug. “I can’t just leave the bar.”

“Sure you can.” She waves her hand. “I’ll make sure he doesn’t give you any grief about it. Tia can handle it while you’re gone, don’t you think?”

I groan. “Why can’t you rationalize all the reasons to get a divorce, huh? I thought you were supposed to be my friend.”

“I am your friend.” She smiles, steals my martini out of my hand, and takes a drink. “That’s why I want you to move to Florida. Mason’s place is great and right on the beach. Enjoy yourself. You deserve the break, and I get to see you more. Win-win.”

Spoken like someone who could afford not to work another day of her life if that was what she wanted.

“Is it about the money?” she asks, because apparently, she’s a fucking mind reader.

I sigh. “A little bit.”

“You know, Keegan and I are more than comfortable. Let us help with whatever you would need to take time off. When was the last time you took more than a few days off work? Doesn’t everyone deserve a vacation?”

“I don’t want your—” That’s when it happens. Emma folds her hands on the table, and I gasp. “There’s a big-ass rock on your finger, Emma!”

Her grin is wide and immediate. “I know!”

“On your ring finger.”

“I know!”

“You got engaged and didn’t tell me?”

“I was going to tell you tonight, but you looked worried when I got here. I didn’t want it to all be about me.”

I jump out of my chair and rush around the table to hug her. I wasn’t very easy on Emma when she first came into Keegan’s life, but I couldn’t be happier to know she’s staying there. “Congratulations!”

“Thank you. I’m so happy.” She squeezes me back, hard, and I admit, I’m a little choked up. My throat is thick, and my eyes burn as I blink away tears. When I sit back down, I have to take a few breaths to make sure I’m not going to cry like some sap. “Will you be one of my bridesmaids?” she asks, and then my eyes well up again.

“Bitch, you’re making me cry.” I wipe away the tears that escape. “I would love to.”

She claps her hands, positively glowing in her joy. “I absolutely hated everything about planning my wedding to Zachary, but this is going to be so much fun. We’re going to have a beach wedding, and Jazzy is going to be my flower girl, and it could pour down rain and the caterer could forget to show up and it would still be the best day of my life.”

“You’re disgusting in your happiness, you know that, right?” I make a face, wrinkling my nose. “Oh, crap, you and Keegan are probably going to want to have a bachelor and bachelorette thing in Vegas like Mia and Arrow did, aren’t you?”

She nods. “Oh, yeah. And Keegan’s going to ask Mason to be a groomsman. Are you going to be okay with that?”

Last time we were in Vegas with our group, Mason and I ended up married. I should be worried about all the time this wedding will push me and Mason together, but instead I’m relieved. It sucks being the only one left living in Blackhawk Valley, and I miss Mason more than I miss anyone else. “It’ll be fine.”

She bites her lip and looks away before turning back to me. “I know you just explained your situation with Mason’s parents, but is Mia’s brother part of the reason you won’t be with Mason? Is this about Nic?”

Emma didn’t come into our lives until after the awful accident that took the life of Mia’s brother, Nic, and our friend Brogan, but I know she’s been given the basic details. I shrug. “Maybe on some level, everything in my life is about Nic.”