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“Fine, fine. We can do something simpler.” She cocks her head. “Statement to the media?”
“Those always go well,” I scoff.
She chuckles, leaning down and kissing the corner of my mouth. “It will this time.”
“You think so?”
“Mhm. Because this time, I’ll be right there beside you.”
“Going to put a fish in everyone’s locker that has something negative to say about it?”
“Absolutely I will,” she deadpans.
A laugh tumbles past my lips, and I wrap my arms around her, pulling her into my chest and squeezing her tight just to feel her against me. Wondering how on earth I got so lucky as to find myself falling for the most beautiful girl I’ve ever known—inside and out. I just have to work out how best to let her know.
“But that’ll be the easy part,” she says.
I draw back to look at her, arching a brow. “It will?”
“Yep.”
“What’s the hard part?”
Her smile is full of mischief, reaching to tap the end of my nose. “First, we have to tell Jack.”
I groan. That’s going to be a trip and a half.
I eye Lila settling back into my arms, a soft sigh leaving her mouth and her entire body relaxing like she’s exactly where she wants to be. Like I’m exactly where she wants to be.
I decide it’s worth it. All of it. No matter what happens.
Because I’m never letting her go.
Twenty-Three
DELILAH
I should probably feel more surprised regarding the picture that is spreading across the internet like wildfire today, but honestly, I really don’t. I think I knew when I kissed Ian after that game that someone would capture it, and maybe a part of me was fine with the idea of it. Rip off the Band-Aid, as it were.
My team, however, is currently in full crisis mode.
“I don’t see what the big deal is,” Theo is saying, and I’m reminded again at how grateful I am that he dropped everything to come to this meeting. “This is what you wanted, isn’t it? You practically shoved this whole thing onto her.”
“Now, now,” Ben interjects, wringing his hands and looking as nervous as always. “We never made any statements regarding who Delilah should or shouldn’t see in her personal life.”
Theo rolls his eyes. “Sing that song for someone else, doll. We all know that you were happy to let her dally around with Ian Chase as long as it was doing good things for the show. Changing your tune now is hypocritical.”
Ben’s cheeks flush because of what I assume is Theo’s flippant use of doll, which I’m sure he will second-guess later, but quickly recovers.
“No one is saying that Delilah has to make any sort of personal decisions here,” he says carefully.
Theo scoffs. “Then why call a meeting over a picture? It’s a fucking kiss. They weren’t having sex on the rink.”
Gia has been listening to this while rubbing her temples, her eyes shut and her lips pressed together as the two men argue back and forth. Her dark brown eyes open now to assess us, her fingers coming to rest on the top of her desk, lacing together as she seems to try to choose her words.
“Dee,” she starts slowly. “I think the first thing we need to know is what is this thing between you and Ian? Is it something casual or…?”
I straighten my spine, looking her in the eye. “No, it’s not.”
