Page 72 of Perfectly Faked

He tries to pull me back into his embrace, his sleepy grin way too inviting, but I plant my feet firmly next to the bed, heeding the warning in my head:Back away from the hot hockey player.He’s about to topple your weak resolve like a Jenga tower under the fist of a toddler.

I point at him. “Leo, you don’tknowher. This will not go well.”

He narrows his eyes, studying me. “Wait, does she know about us?”

I cringe, knowing this is not the conversation I want to have right now. “What exactly do you mean byus?”

His brow knits together. “She doesn’t know we’re a couple? Or fake couple? Don’t your parents follow your career?”

“Well, sort of. They knew you were my practice partner.” Mom was not happy when Dad made that decision.

“But not dating?” he asks. “What about the Pro Ice Gear sponsorship?”

“I was waiting to tell her,” I say, searching for matching shoes in the closet so I won’t have to face Leo.

“Because you didn’t want to,” he sums up. “You knew she still wouldn’t approve of me.”

I grab a pair of sneakers and sit on the edge of the bed. “I know it makes no sense. Even though my dad is a hockey coach and used to play himself, she has this... general disdain for hockey players.”

He scratches his head. “That makes no sense.”

“She came from a rich family,” I explain, sliding my shoes on. “She thought hockey was just a passing fad for my dad when heplayed in college. Then he got an offer to be an assistant coachanda big inheritance from my grandfather, and she pushed him into coaching because she thought it was more ‘respectable.’”

Leo tilts his head. “So let me get this straight. She married a hockey player, turned him into a coach, and now she doesn’t wantyoudating a hockey player?”

“Shespecificallytold me not to date one.”

His lips curve into a crooked smile. “Well, if it helps, I’m not just a hockey player. I’m also an excellent cuddler.”

I throw a pillow at him. “Leo, this is not funny!”

He catches it easily. “Okay, fine, I’ll get up. You go distract your mom, and I’ll try not to ruin your life.Too much.”

“Just stay out of sight. If she doesn’t see you, she won’t think there’s any funny business going on.” Then it hits me. She already knows. She’s never justshown upto my place before, unless she had a reason to. My parents have all kinds of connections in the hockey and skating world. Somebody must’ve told them about the Pro Ice Gear sponsorship.

“I have this bad feeling. Maybe she knows about us.” I stand and shake my head. “This is not good, Leo. She’s coming over to have ‘the talk.’”

Leo frowns. “About the birds and the bees? Shouldn’t you have had that talk a long time ago?”

I smack him with a pillow, harder this time. “No! The one where she tells me not to date a hockey player.”

“That makes more sense.” He sits on the edge of the bed, leaning his elbows on his knees. “She was going to find out eventually, right?”

I shift on my feet, suddenly feeling guilty. “Well, yeah, you know...” I avoid his gaze. “Much later.”

I just hadn’t figured out how. Or when. Possibly not until I fled the country to avoid it.

Last night, everything felt so simple. For the first time, I thought Leo and I were on the same page, ready to try again and not let the past or anyone else come between us. I’d figured I’d tell my parents in my own time, on my terms. What I hadn’t figured on was my mom showing up unannounced the very next day, armed with opinions and, possibly, a vendetta.

“I need to be ready for her,” I say, moving toward the door. “I’ll figure this out.”

Leo grabs my arms before I can rush away. “Vic, it’s going to be all right.”

“You don’t know my mom,” I say, my voice betraying my nerves.

“Actually, I do,” he says. “I met her in college when she was visiting for homecoming, remember? She liked me, until she found out I was a hockey player and we were dating.”

That’s exactly the problem. She liked himthen. Only for a moment. She won’t be happy to know we’re together again. And I’m terrified of what she’ll do—how she’ll use this against us, especially since Leo is still on Dad’s team. There are so many ways this could blow up, and I haven’t thought through any of them.

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