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  The guys stared at each other as my leg bobbed up and down, waiting impatiently for them to decide what to do. In the end, Kenny called me, and Jett folded.

  The dealer turned over a four of spades, and without hesitation, I folded, throwing my cards in the center of the table. Then I stood, needing to get fresh air. Ashtyn moved to me, but Corey spoke and stopped me from walking out the door.

  “You two dating?”

  I jerked my head toward him. “That’s none of your business.”

  Corey smirked. “Only fitting you get my leftovers.”

  “Shut the fuck up.”

  He grinned. “Aww, I’m ruffling your feathers. You going to run home to Mommy?”

  “Leave him alone, Corey,” Ashtyn hissed.

  “Your girlfriend fighting your battles?”

  “Is that what you think?” I laughed.

  “Doesn’t matter. She was only a hole to stick my dick in.”

  I snapped.

  My hands grabbed fistfuls of his shirt, and I was in Corey’s face. My hat fell off my head as I roared, “What the fuck did you just say?”

  “Whoa!” I heard behind me, and arms started to try and pull me away from Corey. I didn’t budge.

  “Security’s gonna throw you out, dude,” Kenny stated.

  I glared at Corey. “Not likely since we’re in the middle of the fucking lake. How about I throw you overboard instead?”

  “Sir,” someone else said. I didn’t know who. Didn’t care who it was.

  “You think you can talk about my woman like that?” I hissed.

  “She was mine first.”

  “Sir,” someone said again. I ignored them, still with Corey’s shirt in my grip and hands trying to pull me back.

  Realization dawned on me as I processed his words. It didn’t matter that he was hers first because I was with her now and I fucking loved the shit out of her. “And I’m the one who’s going to be with her the rest of her life.” I pushed him back as I released his shirt. When I turned around, Ashtyn’s gaze met mine, and I honestly didn’t know what to do at that moment. I was angry, and it wasn’t toward her, but I wanted to be alone.

  “Sir.” I heard again and turned to see a woman dressed in a pantsuit with a radio in her hand. “We’re going to need you to leave this room.”

  “Already planning on it,” I clipped as I picked up my hat and walked out the door. The cold air hit my face, but it wasn’t enough to cool me off. I needed another drink. I heard heels behind me.

  “Rhys.”

  I turned and looked over my shoulder, seeing Ashtyn. “Not now.”

  “Are you mad at me?”

  I stopped walking and turned to face her. “No, but I want to be alone right now.”

  “I’m not going back to him,” she stated.

  “I know,” I sighed. At least I’d hoped that was the case.

  “I don’t understand why you’re so angry. He was only running his mouth because he’s an asshole who thinks he’s God’s gift.”

  I sighed again, trying to calm down. “Can we talk about this later? I really need a fucking drink.”

  “Yeah. Sure. Whatever.”

  Ashtyn started to walk away, but I grabbed her wrist, halting her. I stepped closer to her and cupped her face tenderly. “I’m not mad at you, but he’s a part of my past too.”

  Her eyes widened. “How?”

  “I don’t want to talk about it right now. I need a drink, and then I need to be alone for a few minutes while I process everything.”

  “Why are you pushing me away?”

  “I’m not trying to push you away. I just need to gather my thoughts.”

  Her emerald eyes stared into my blue ones, and it was her turn to sigh. “Okay, but we’re good?”

  I smiled. “Of course. Just give me some time.”

  “Okay. I’ll go back to Abby and then come find you when it’s almost midnight.”

  I leaned forward and pressed my lips to hers. “Thank you. And don’t worry about me. It’s nothing whiskey can’t fix.”

  Ashtyn smirked. “I think we’re supposed to have sex right now.”

  I nodded my understanding. “While I would love to bring you down to the bathroom where we fucked before, I think we’ve passed that stage. Don’t you?”

  “You’re right. My future is you.”

  “And my future is you. I love you.”

  “I love you too.”

  “I’ll see you in a few.” She went to turn, but I stopped her again by grabbing ahold of her wrist.

  “Talk to Abby about Kenny.”

  “What about him?”

  I grinned. “He wants us to hook them up.”

  Ashtyn’s eyes widened. “He likes her?”

  “I think he thinks she’s cute. Not sure they’ve even spoken more than a few words to each other.”

  “This makes me excited. I’ve wanted to hook her up with someone.”

  “Good. Go talk to her, and I’m going to get a drink.”

  I kissed her again and then she left while I turned back in the direction of the bar. By the time I got there, I was already relaxed, but I still needed to process that the love of my life used to date the guy who beat me up in high school.

  I had no idea why Rhys was acting as though he wanted to kill Corey. Sure I wasn’t all that happy the few times we’d run into his ex, but I never wanted to harm her. Well, okay, maybe I wanted to slap her, but I would never act on it. But Rhys had been in Corey’s face, and I knew in my gut that if they were the only ones in the room, fists would have been thrown. Rhys told me that Corey was a part of his past too. How? What could Corey have done that would cause this sort of reaction from Rhys? From what I knew about Rhys since we’d been dating, he was sweet, kind, and didn’t have a mean bone in his body.

  I walked back into the room where the poker game had resumed. The table was full except Rhys’s seat, and Kenny looked at me as I made my way to where Abby and Clark were.

  “What the hell was that?” Kenny asked me.

  I shrugged. “He won’t tell me.”

  The hands of cards kept being dealt as we all spoke.

  “I’ll tell you,” Corey stated, stopping me in my tracks. “Bitch always runs because he’s scared of me.”

  My gaze cut to Corey. “Scared of you? How do you even know him?”

  “Yeah, man. Enlighten us,” Jett chimed in, acid lacing his words. “Tell us how you get one of the nicest guys I know all riled up.”

  Corey threw some chips into the center of the table. “Your boy’s a pussy. Has been since high school.”

  High school? They’ve known each other since high school?

  Kenny stood, causing the chair to scoot back against the wood floor and tip over. “Fuck you, man!” He pointed at Corey. “Who the fuck do you think you are?”

  “Oooo, Kenny getting all feisty is kinda hot,” Abby whisper-hissed next to me.

  With each word that Corey was saying, the more I wanted to be the one to get in his face. But, I was in the public eye, and I didn’t want to get fired if something were to end up on the internet, so I had to keep my cool even though I wasn’t.

  “Gentlemen,” the dealer warned, “if this continues, I’m going to have to ask you all to leave the table.”

  “He should be the one to leave,” Kenny spat, throwing his arm in Corey’s direction.

  “Let’s just all calm down,” Clark stated to them. “Get the game over with, and when we dock, we can all leave.”

  The players I didn’t know all nodded their heads and muttered agreement. Kenny sat back down, and my gaze moved back to Corey. He was smirking. What did I ever see in him? How did I ever think that we could get married? I didn’t need to know the full story about Rhys and Corey to know Corey and me breaking up was the best thing that had ever happened. It caused all the dots to connect, all the stars and all the moons to line up. I’d dodged a bullet, that was for sure.

  I wanted to run to Rhys and comfort him, tell
him that I didn’t care about Corey and, in fact, I never wanted to speak of him again. It was killing me to be patient and give Rhys time, but clearly, something had happened to cause Rhys to act like this after all these years.

  I shot daggers in Corey’s direction the entire time the poker game was going on until he was out. The only people left at the time Corey was eliminated were Kenny and Jett. Kenny and Jett were good, and it became clear that Rhys was right. It wasn’t only about having luck, it took skill. I wished that he was still playing because I wanted to see him smile and play with his friends like he does at home.

  “I’m going to go find Rhys. Come find us when this is over, or in thirty minutes before the clock strikes midnight,” I said to Abby.

  “Okay. I’ll just watch—”

  “Kenny.” I winked at her.

  Abby smirked. “You know me too well.”

  I chuckled and moved toward the door. Rhys wanted me to talk to Abby about them two getting together, but there was no reason to. They’d eventually figure it out.

  I made my way toward the bar where Rhys had said he was going to be. It had been thirty minutes or so and if he needed more time, then … Well, I didn’t know what I’d do because we were on a boat for Christ’s sakes.

  The snow had stopped falling, and when I got to the outdoor bar, I saw Rhys standing under a heat lamp talking to an older man. Rhys turned and smiled when he saw me. Apparently giving him some time had paid off. Everyone processes anger differently and learning that Rhys needed time to cool off was good to know.

  Rhys reached out his hand, and I took it when I got close. “Otis, this is my girlfriend, Ashtyn.”

  Otis stuck out his hand, and I shook it with my free hand. “Of course. You do the nightly news on—”

  “Actually she’s moving to the evening news,” Rhys stated.

  I smiled. “Tomorrow’s the first day.”

  “Congratulations,” Otis beamed.

  “Thank you.”

  “Otis owns a karaoke bar.”

  My eyes widened, and I look to Otis. “Really?”

  “I do, and I heard you love to sing.”

  My face heated. “I wouldn’t say that. This one,” I hooked my thumb in Rhys’s direction, “is actually the karaoke singer.”

  We all laughed. “Well, if you two ever want to come and sing your hearts out, give me a call.” Otis handed Rhys his card.

  “Thanks, man. I’m sure we can do that one night,” Rhys replied.

  “I better go find my wife. Get ready for midnight and all that. It was nice meeting you two.” We shook hands again.

  “Want a drink?” Rhys asked after Otis left.

  “Sure.”

  He turned toward the bar and released my hand, raising his finger to indicate another drink. I had no idea what he’d ordered until the bartender set a glass of Rosé on the bar top. “Who’s left at the table?” Rhys asked as he handed me the flute.

  “Kenny and Jett.”

  “Not Corey?”

  I shook my head. “Nope.”

  “So he’s lurking around?”

  I took a sip of my wine and placed the glass on the high-top table next to us. “I guess he is.”

  Rhys took a deep breath. “I can’t believe your ex is Corey Pritchett.”

  I sighed. “I can’t believe you went to high school together.”

  “He told you?”

  I nodded. “Yeah, but that’s all he said.”

  “We only went to high school together my freshmen year.”

  “Really? And you still remember him after all this time?”

  He looked off into the distance, and took a few minutes before responding. “Kinda hard to forget the guy who used to beat me up for no reason.”

  My eyes widened as my stomach dropped. “He was the one who bullied you?”

  “Almost every day.” He took a sip of his drink.

  My throat started to close as I remembered what Rhys told me before about his bully and how he ran into him a few weeks back. The same night Philip tried to date rape me. “Now I know why you hate him so much.”

  Rhys sighed. “It was a long time ago, but fuck if it doesn’t make my blood boil to know he’s your ex.”

  We were silent for a few moments. I didn’t know what to say because I couldn’t change my past just like he couldn’t change his. I also didn’t know what I would do in his position. I wasn’t bullied as a kid. In fact, I was one of the popular girls. What I did know was that I loved Rhys. He had come into my life and was like the sunshine after a rainstorm. The thought of him leaving me would end my world. I wouldn’t be able to move on with my life if he wasn’t in it. It was Rhys I needed to make me happy.

  I stepped closer, and Rhys wrapped his arms around me. Before I could come up with what to say, the devil himself walked up.

  “Are your panties still in a bunch, Cole?”

  I felt Rhys’s body go taut against me. “Fuck you,” he hissed.

  Corey chuckled again. “Just remember that paybacks are a bitch and I’ve waited many years to get you back.”

  And all the anger that I was keeping at bay came barreling out. I spun around and shoved Corey. “Just shut the fuck up, Corey!” Corey stumbled back, and Rhys grabbed my waist, trying to pull me back, but I kept pushing as I yelled, “We want nothing to do with you. Leave us alone!” At that moment, I didn’t care who was around, and I didn’t care if my outburst was all over the internet. I was so over Corey’s bullshit.

  A girl appeared at Corey’s side. She was pretty, blonde, big boobs, and a fake tan. A tan in fucking winter. “Don’t touch my man!” she hissed.

  I balked, and it wasn’t because she thought we were going to fight over her man, but I’d realized Rhys and I were better than this. Better than the trash these two people were. “Fine.” I threw up my hands then grabbed Rhys’s hand. “Corey, take a flying leap off the front of the boat.”

  I towed Rhys behind me. I had no idea where we were going, but I didn’t want to stand there with them. We went to the back of the boat where people were standing around. The places we could go were becoming less and less, and I couldn’t wait to get on land. God, I wish we weren’t on a boat.

  “Take a flying leap off the front of the boat?” Rhys chuckled.

  I groaned and looked up at the dark sky. “I’m so pissed right now. I don’t know what I’m saying.”

  Rhys wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me to him. “If you hadn’t stepped in, I would have decked him, and the cops would probably be waiting for me when we got back to the pier.”

  I rolled my eyes out of frustration. “What are the fucking odds?” I could still feel the heat coursing through my veins. I hated Corey. Hated. What if he’d never broken up with me? What if he’d asked me to marry him like I thought he’d do one day? Would I have seen his true colors?

  “How about we never come on this boat again?”

  I nodded against his shoulder, staring out at the twinkling skyline. “I was thinking the same thing.”

  We stayed like that for a few minutes until our friends came up behind us.

  “There you guys are,” Kenny said.

  We turned, and Rhys spoke. “Who won?”

  Jett smiled. “Yours truly.”

  A waiter came over with a tray of champagne. “It’s almost midnight.”

  We all grabbed flutes, and I’d realized I’d left my Rosé on the table at the other end of the boat. Oh well. We were minutes away from returning to the pier and for us to go home.

  While we waited for the clock to strike midnight, I stole glances in Abby’s direction. Her and Kenny were laughing and chatting. I knew they’d figure it out. It probably also helped that we were on a fucking boat.

  Yeah, I never wanted to do this again.

  No more boats.

  Not long after, people started to count down from ten. When it got to one, we all toasted to the new year and Rhys and I kissed. Fireworks started to go off in the distance, and whe
n you kiss the right person, you can’t tell who is kissing whom.

  And it was clear to me that this person was Rhys.

  Switching to the evening news wasn’t much different from the nightly news except I got off earlier. The daily meeting was still at the same time as it was before, but now when I arrived at work, I did the promo videos first thing instead of doing the meeting and then doing promo.

  Freshening up my makeup in the one dressing room we had in the studio, I sent Abby a text. Rhys was working tonight, and I wanted to find out about Kenny and Abby. I know they’d hung out together after we left on New Years a few days ago, but I wanted to know if they really had figured it out.

  Me: What are you doing on your dinner break?

  Abby: I brought a boring salad to eat in the break room. Why?

  Me: Take your lunch early and come to dinner with me.

  Abby: Okay. What’s up?

  Me: Nothing. I just miss my friend.

  Abby: Okay. See you after your show.

  I was waiting for Abby at my desk after my broadcast when I got a text. I balked when I read who it was from.

  Corey: Congrats on moving to the evening news.

  I stared at the words on the screen, and my fingers hovered over the letters wanting to text back. But I didn’t. What was there to say? Thank you?

  Fuck. That.

  “Ready?” Abby asked, stopping at my desk.

  I stood. “Yeah. Guess who just texted me?”

  “Who?”

  “Corey!” We started to walk toward the elevators.

  “What did he want?”

  “To congratulate me on moving to the evening news.”

  “Did you text him back?” Abby asked as she pressed the down button.

  “Hell no.” We walked into the car, and Abby pressed the button for the lobby.

  “He probably broke up with that hooker.”

  “Oh my god!” I laughed, grabbing my stomach as the laughter coursed through me. “She was a hooker, huh?”

  “She was something. Kenny kept—”

  “Speaking of Kenny.” I wiggled my eyebrows. “You two…?”