“That’s true enough. Well, he broke up with me. I didn’t seem to have a say-so in it.” My words are brittle and I can’t even bring myself to make the effort to lighten the mood.

“Well, he made a mistake,” Garrett says as he sits back and picks up his pizza.

“Then why aren’t you having this conversation with him?”

“I intend to,” he says with a wicked smile. “I just wanted to talk to you and see how much groveling he’d have to do to win you over.”

I blink in surprise, because surely there is no way in hell that Alex Crossman, Most Valuable Prick, would ever grovel to a woman. Besides, I don’t want him to grovel. I don’t find that attractive.

What I would kill for, though, is for him to realize that he was wrong. That letting me go—letting us go—was wrong. I’d be happy with a few simple words telling me that exact thing.

“He doesn’t have to grovel,” I voice my thoughts out loud. “I’m not that type of woman.”

“Glad to know it,” he says around a mouth full of food.

“It’s moot anyway. Alex doesn’t believe this was a mistake. He believes he needed to do this for the benefit of his career.”

“Bullshit,” Garrett says loudly and I look quickly around to see if anyone is looking. I mean, outside of the ordinary stares we got when a Cold Fury hockey player walked into this little restaurant.

Lowering my voice, so he’ll follow suit, I say, “Why is that bullshit?”

“Because I believe you were one of the best things to happen to him. You got him playing better than ever and loving the game again. I’m not blind or stupid.”

“Again, doesn’t matter what you think or what I think…it’s what Alex thinks.”

“It will matter once I get done with him,” he says slyly.

Reaching across the table, I lay my hand on his forearm and when I have his full attention, I say firmly, “Don’t. Just don’t, okay? Leave him be. He made this decision because it gave him some peace of mind, and it’s not up to you or me to take that away from him.”

“Don’t you still love him?” he asks skeptically.

“Of course I do.”

“Then just shut up and let me work my magic.”

“I’m not playing around, Garrett,” I say, leaning across the table and digging my fingers into his arm. “It’s not meant to be.”

“Whatever,” he says, almost in a pout-like way.

“I’m serious. This is my life. Promise me you won’t say anything to Alex.”

Garrett stares at me a moment, the look on his face going eventually from annoyance to acceptance. “Fine.”

“You swear?”

“Every f**king day,” he says with a wink.

“Garrett,” I warn.

“Fine. I swear. I won’t say anything to Alex.”

Chapter 29

Alex

“Dude,” Garrett says after he takes a sip of his beer. “We need to talk about Sutton.”

I raise my eyebrows at him and peel at the label on my bottle. “What about her?”

“I saw her the other day, and she made me promise I wouldn’t say anything, but f**k that…I suck ass at keeping promises.”

“Is she okay?” I ask urgently, because all sorts of horrific things run through my mind.

She’s sick with cancer, and has only days to live.

Or she got fired.

Or something happened to Glenn. Or Penny. Or Jim-Dad.

“She’s fine,” he says with a dismissive wave.

My heart rate takes a nosedive upon hearing that and my defenses come into play. “Then there’s nothing to talk about.”

“Worried about her, huh?” he asks with a devious smile.

“Nope. You just said she was fine.”

“Before that, ass**le. You were worried before that.”

“So what? I cared for her…that’s a natural reaction.”

“Care for her,” Garrett says with finality.

“What?”

“Present tense. Care. For. Her.”

The f**ker is starting to really irritate me. “So what?”

“Sooooo,” he drawls. “I’m tired of you moping around with your heart flayed open. Win your girl back.”

“No,” I say quickly. “It was for the best.”

“Best for who?” Garrett asks incredulously.

“For me,” I say with determination.

“Yeah…and how’s that working out for you?”

I don’t answer because I don’t know what to say. My life has gotten immensely shittier since I walked out of Sutton’s life a little over two weeks ago. My game hasn’t improved, my dad is riding my ass again and I suspect he may be drinking, and the only good thing I had going for me is nothing more than a ghost of a memory.

“I’m fine,” I say, without a lick of conviction in my voice.

But I’m truthful to my soul when I think, I’m far from fine. I’m miserable.

“I’m going to let you in on a little secret,” Garrett says as he leans forward. “You are utterly lost and it breaks my f**king heart to see it.”

“You’re such a poet,” I sneer, only to hide the fact that his words hit deep.

“I’m serious, man. And how could you not be? You cut out of your life a beautiful woman who loves your cranky ass. You have to be miserable is the way I see it.”