Page 28 of I Never Stopped Loving You

In this game, it’s two decks of cards put together. Eight jacks total. Four two-eyed wild jacks and four one-eyed removal jacks. She already played two wilds, and I had the one in my hand that I used for the damn six of hearts. If she has the two of hearts or a wild, she wins.

There’s no way she’s holding the last wild, is there? Her eyes haven’t lit up at the sight of her cards in a while now, not ever since I called her out on her shitty poker face…Did she really shut it off that easily?

“That’s why you need me on your team, Noah. I don’t plan on letting any of the bad ones go.”

She places her card down on the pile and picks up her chip.

The last two-eyed jack.

She places her chip on the two of hearts, winning her the game in one move by connecting two sequences of five with the same card.

“I’ll always win.”

Her voice is steady and sharp. She lays down her hand, revealing her remaining cards to me. A king of hearts, a five of spades, an ace of hearts, a five of diamonds…and a two of hearts.

When I look at the board, I realize she had the winning piece to complete not just one sequence but multiple, depending on how she played. She had the two of hearts in her hand, but she decided to use the wild to show she was always going to win.

“You set me up?” I ask as she sits back against the booth and smiles at me across the table.

“No.”

That’s when I see it, the way her eyes light up…She was baiting me.

“You baited me.”

Her smile grows, lighting up her face and making her eyes shine. It’s fucking beautiful, and I’m left speechless.

“No. I simply showed you what you wanted to see. What was it you said? That I had a shitty poker face?”

She gathers up the cards and stacks them in the box before starting to grab her chips off the board.

“I simply played the cards I was dealt and waited patiently until I had everything in place to win. Did you notice how I barely tried to block you after the eight of clubs? That’s because I didn’t need to.”

I think back. She’s right. After she blocked my sequence on the eight of clubs, she didn’t go after a single spot on my paths. She randomly scattered her chips across her side of the board and kept talking. Asking me questions about my dad and the law firm. All the while, she was setting herself up for the win.

Fucking hell. Now I know I’m in love.

CHAPTER 14

WILLOW

I’ve always hated when people assumed they knew me. They think that because of my size, I’m weak, timid, and will back down from a challenge or intimidation.

He said I had a shitty poker face. No, sir. My shitty poker face is perfect because it’s all a lie. A mask I’ve perfected over the years, having to hide who I really am. No one knows Willow Parker even exists anymore. She disappeared without a trace. Moved to the other half of the country, out in the middle of nowhere. New home, new family, new last name.

As I finish gathering our chips and placing everything back into the box, the waitress brings out our food. The burgers are steaming hot, and they smell delicious.

Noah hasn’t said a single word since I made him realize I had my plan set up from the beginning. It’s why I became a master at Sequence and many strategy games. I don’t think of how I can win the game the fastest. No, I prefer the more entertaining way to win. I set it up so that when I win, it’s almost soul-crushing. You let them get so close to tasting victory, then rip it away.

“Can I ask you a question?” I ask, finally breaking the silence as I pick up my burger.

“Anything.”

“Did your dad say anything to you about me after I left?” I ask, then take my first bite.

Oh. My. God.

I’ve died and gone to heaven.