Page 142 of Off The Ice

“It’s not like that,” I explained, not wanting to let him believe the lie or rub it in his face that I’d moved on with someone else. I just wanted him to be securely in the past. “He’s not—we’re not,” I trailed off, not knowing how to explain. “Liam and I are friends, that’s it. He’s Maggie’s brother. He offered me a place to stay whenyoutold me to get lost.”

“That’s not what he said.” He snorted viciously.

“What?” I drew back. “When did you see Liam?”

Half of me was convinced it was some type of mental warfare that Dave was weaponizing against me, but I couldn’t see the point of it. On the other hand, I couldn’t understand why Liam would ever lie to Dave like that and not tell me about it.

“At some hockey game a few months ago,” he said. “I figured that you’d get tired of him eventually and come back to me, but apparently, I was wrong. What, are you just after the guy with the fattest wallet, now?”

“I told you,” I bit out. “I’m not with Liam.”

“And I told you to cut the bullshit because he told me himself that you were.”

I stilled. “What are you talking about?”

“Oh, he didn’t mention it to you? How he punched me in the face after warning me to stay away from you? Nice guy, you’ve got there, by the way.”

I would’ve denied it. I would’ve told Dave to his face that he was a liar, but I couldn’t because I remembered the articles that came out about the fight that Liam had gotten into. I remembered Maggie bringing it up herself.

I just didn’t know the guy in question wasDave.

I had a million questions running through my head.Why did Liam punch him? Why did he lie about us dating? Why didn’t he tell me about any of this?

But I didn’t want answers from Dave, which was strange because he was probably the person I’d spent more time with than anyone else in my whole life.

But he wasn’t the person I felt closest to anymore. He wasn’t the person I cared about.

That was Liam.

“I have to go,” I said, walking past him to get to my car.

“Come on, Cassie,” he yelled. “You can’t just walk away. You’re throwing away everything we had!”

Without wasting my breath for another second on Dave, I drove away, leaving him exactly where he belonged. Behind me.

Chapter Forty-Eight

Cassie

Ihadn’t meant to ambush him.

I’d spent the car ride rehearsing what I would say without making him defensive, how I could say it without coming across too strong. How I could segue into it in a natural way without irritating him after he’d already had a long day.

God, I didn’t want to ask him. The thought of confrontation always left me a little shaky, but this was Liam. Cool, level-headed, calm, and collected Liam Brynn ,who must have an explanation for why he punched my ex-boyfriend in the face.

But I needed to know.

Apparently, I needed to know so badly that the second I opened the door and saw Liam sitting there at the counter, my entire plan of nonchalance went straight out the window.

“You’re home late,” he said, staring at me with a look of concern. “I was getting worried.”

“Did you punch Dave?” The words flew out of my mouth, and before I could apologize and take it back, because of course he wouldn’t punchDave, I watched as his face went pale, and I knew.

“What?” he asked, his face expressionless.

“He told me you did, so I’m asking you.”

“You talked to him?” His jaw clenched.

---