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Shit.Sabrina hadn’t been in town yet when Avery had been working on the renovations. She’d been in New York. But she had told her friend about Keaton in real-time texts during their two weeks together. At the time, it had felt like a fairytale—which was ironic considering the show he was currently a contestant on—so Avery had had to tell someone.
But, she’d never told her his name. She’d kept that part to herself because Keaton was somewhat well-known, at least in the MMA world, and she’d wanted to respect his privacy. That and she was scared if she did say his name out loud it would have the opposite effect of Beetlejuice and he’d disappear, or she’d jinx it or something. Little did she know, they never actually had a chance. She was already pregnant with Jacob.
Avery nodded, confirming her friend’s inquiry. “Yeah, I was.”
A wide smile lifted on Sabrina’s mouth. “I remember you were seriouslytwitterpated. I kept expecting a text saying that you went to Vegas and eloped.”
If Keaton would have asked, she would have. Although, that would have made the whole pregnancy situation that much more complicated.
“What happened with that guy?” Sabrina asked.
“After I found out I was pregnant, I just left.”
A crease appeared on her forehead as her eyebrows lifted. “You didn’t tell him?”
“No, I didn’t really think there was anything to say.”
A spark lit in Sabrina’s eye. Avery knew that look, it made her nervous.
“I wonder what he’s doing now. Do you remember his name? Maybe he’s still in town.” Sabrina pulled out her phone. “We can look him up.”
Avery was waffling on whether or not to tell her who he was. She wanted to, so badly, but with him being on her show she didn’t think it was right. But she didn’t want to lie to her.
Thankfully, her internal dilemma was resolved when Gavin appeared and told Sabrina they were having a ‘code red’ emergency.
She felt bad for whatever fire Sabrina had to go put out, but grateful that it had saved her from having to either lie to her friend or tell her that the man Sabrina had believed Avery was going to elope with was none other than the man she was banking on being the ‘breakout star’ of her reality dating show.
12
“Damn, bro, what did you eat?”Harlan asked as he scrunched his face in disgust and lifted his arm to block his nose.
“I had that pizza for lunch. I’m lactose intolerant,” Vic explained as he fidgeted with his tie.
All the men were rocking suits and ties for the ball. Some were more comfortable than others in the formal attire. Elijah, Luca, and Keaton all got dressed without any complaints or questions. Harlan and Vic weren’t having as easy of a time. They were not happy about having to wear a suit jacket, which they both complained was too tight, and they weren’t thrilled about having to wear a tie either.
Another nasty stench wafted through the air and Harlan threw an empty water cup at Vic. “You gotta go outside if you’re gonna let ‘em rip like that.”
Keaton was no stranger to foul odors growing up with his three male cousins and then spending most of his adult life in a gym. But Vic’s gas was toxic waste-level horror. The entire men’s changing/holding area smelled like a hot sewer.
The door opened and Ivy walked into the room with a wide smile on her face. “Hey guys—” she choked and then gagged. “Oh, my god!” Her hand flew over her face, and she stepped back into the hall. “What is that? Did a toilet back up?”
“Yeah, a toilet named Vic,” Luca explained.
“I’m nervous,” Vic defended his rank gas.
“I thought you said it was the cheese at lunch,” Harlan shot back.
Vic shrugged unapologetically. “It’s both.”
“Come on,” Ivy waved her hand, ushering the five men out of the changing room.
As they all filed down the hallway, Keaton found himself glancing in every room they passed hoping to catch a glimpse of Avery. He hadn’t seen her during the mixer that morning. The last spotting he’d had of her was last night in the kitchen. She’d looked so cute with that flour on her cheek. If Jacob hadn’t been there, he was sure they would have kissed.
Which was crazy. There were so many reasons he should stay away from her. She was supposed to be on her honeymoon. He was on a dating show. He had no idea how long she was going to be in town and wasn’t sure he could handle her leaving again. She had a son, and he didn’t date single moms. The list went on and on.
But for some inexplicable reason, none of those things mattered to him. He just wanted to be near her. She was the flame, and he was a moth. She was a magnet, and he was metal. He was drawn to her in a way he’d never experienced before.
It was the strangest phenomenon, but he felt the most himself when he was near her. Like she was a part of him that had always been missing. It was seriously fucking with his head.
