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“Cooper does,” I mutter as I twist the top and take a sip.

Yep, still don’t like whiskey. But I swallow it down, savoring the memories it brings back.

Sienna watches me for a moment before she drops down, sitting on the bathmat with her back resting against the tub.

“Do you want to tell me what happened? Or can I guess?”

“He knows about the app, and he didn’t take it very well. He…kicked me out.”

Sienna glances back at me, her eyes full of unshed tears, which only makes mine fall once again.

“I can’t lose him, Sisi. I…I love him.”

61

COOPER

The morning after watching Garrett walk out of my house, I forced myself to get up, get ready, and then I went to meet the team, ready for an away series that would thankfully have me out of LA and away from home for just over a week.

Previously, I’d been dreading it. As much as I wanted to fly Garrett around the country so he could be waiting for me in every single one of my hotel rooms, it was unrealistic. He was job hunting; he had an interview lined up, even if it were for a job he didn’t really want. I couldn’t ask him to put his life on hold so he could be my plaything after games.

Or maybe I could. I don’t know.

I don’t know anything anymore.

I haven’t since the moment Garrett looked me in the eye and confessed to lying to me.

My hand lifts, rubbing at my chest in the hope of abating the pain that’s lingered there ever since.

But nothing works. It doesn’t matter the distance or the time I put between us. The pain is still there.

And worse than that is how much I miss him.

It’s been five days without any contact.

Okay, that’s not entirely true. He’s messaged me; I’ve just chosen not to respond.

I don’t know what to say.

There I was, opening myself up for the first time in my life, thinking that he was doing the same, only to discover that he was holding something so huge back from me.

I sink lower in my seat and pull my hood further over my head. I want to disappear, shut myself in my house, and not have to deal with anyone. That would be fine if it were the off-season. But that isn’t my reality right now. We’re only a handful of games away from the end of the regular season, and we’ve got our postseason on the horizon. There’s no time to hide. I just have to focus on the game and perform.

“You’re especially grumpy right now,” Rovvy points out from the other side of my hood.

I don’t respond, although the temptation to tell him to fuck off is strong.

“You can talk to me, you know, if something is bothering you. I’m a good listener.”

My teeth grind. I’ve softened to Rovvy since my trade, but while we might be friends, we’re nowhere near close enough for me to dive into what’s wrong right now.

“Nothing to say? Fair enough. How about some pictures of Mabes? She always cheers me up.”

Before I get a chance to protest, Rovvy’s cell appears before me, showcasing a photo of his dog wearing a bright pink cowboy hat.

“Her sitter always does things like this while I’m away.”

Of course she does.