Page 30 of In Love with My Secret Husband

Camilla knew right away her nervousness must have shown, but before she could even ask for help, Trey was already smoothing things over, saying, "My wife still doesn't believe I've completely changed."

Laina's eyes widened. "Oh?"

"I'm not sure if your husband has ever spoken to you about this, but I used to be jealous of him."

Laina could only shake her head. This was news to her indeed.

"I thought he had a thing for Camilla."

Oh.

Oh.

Laina smiled weakly. "I see."

"It's fine," Trey said lazily. "You can say it to me."

"Oh, I would never..."

Camilla was confused. "Say what?"

"Troy's wife is just as kind as you are, sweetheart. She can't find it in herself to say that was the dumbest thing she had ever heard—"

Laina choked back a laugh, but since she didn't deny it, Camilla started laughing, too, and that was how Laina ended up sharing, shyly at first, about how Troy had always talked about Camilla like she was a little sister to him and so Laina herself had never once felt jealous about Camilla. The next ten minutes went by fast, and it was as if they had always been friends. Those tenminutes were also the first time that she had managed to stop overthinking about Troy, and of course she knew...

"Thank you," Laina said simply.

That was no accident at all. She might still not understand why Troy wanted her to be here, but she was pretty sure her husband had asked the couple to look after her.

"There's nothing to thank us for. We're really delighted to finally get to know you, and..." Camilla stopped speaking when she heard the PA system in the stadium crackle to life.

It was time.

The crowd erupted. A roar that started low and built until it shook the glass in the suite, and Laina's head whipped toward the window.

Troy Barrymore was walking out of the tunnel.

Not in a jersey. Not in skates. He was in a dark suit, his shoulders cutting a line through the spotlight that tracked him across the ice, and the noise — thenoise— was like nothing Laina had ever heard from this building.

Twenty thousand people on their feet.

Because in this arena, no one cared about the rumors. No one cared about the headlines or the interview or the scandal. In The Res, Troy Barrymore was a hero. Always had been. Always would be.

The spotlight followed him to an elevated platform near the commentators' booth, where two men were already seated behind a desk. Old Goldie — the gravelly-voiced legend who had called Waymakers games for three decades — and his partnerFleming, who had been trying to get a word in edgewise for most of those thirty years.

The crowd roared again as Troy took his seat between them.

"Welcome back, Troy."

"Thanks, man."

Laina couldn't believe what she was seeing and hearing. Troy was giving a live interview in The Res? She turned to Camilla and Trey, her eyes wide. "What's happening?" she whispered.

Trey's tone was gentle. "I believe Troy made you a promise."

A promise? What promise?

"He's fixing things like a good husband would do."