Page 84 of Perfectly Faked

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” he says with a smirk.

“Something’s going on with you and Victoria,” Lucian says, taking the corner of the bed. “And we’re staging a sit-in until you tell us.”

“You can’t stay here all night,” I grumble. “I snore like a Mack truck. And I have terrible morning breath and smelly feet.”

“That’s supposed to scare us away?” Tate says, taking a seat next to Brendan. “Please, Leo, you play hockey. Half the locker room has those same problems.”

I let out an aggravated sigh. “Fine.” Then I fiddle with the edge of the box, stalling for time.

“Well?” Brendan says. “Should I make us some popcorn, or are you going to tell us?”

“Victoria might move to Seattle to train with Peter, and Coach doesn’t want me influencing her decision.”

“Okay, and the problem is?” Brax asks, frowning.

“Seattle is across the country. Between my travel schedule and her training, we’ll never see each other. She deserves someone who can move to Seattle to support her career. Someone who’s not me.”

Brendan leans toward me. “That’s where you’re wrong. She deserves someone who makes her happy. And it’s pretty obvious that’s you.”

“And let’s be real,” Tate adds. “Peter might be great on the ice, but off the ice, he’s got the personality of a beige wall. She won’t choose Seattle permanently if it means giving up what you two have.”

Brax smacks the back of my shoulder. “You’re Leothe EgoAnderson. If anyone can make this work, it’s you. And you can thank me later when it all works out and you have little Leos skating around.”

We all turn to Brax. “I think you’re kind of jumping the gun,” Brendan points out.

“What?” Brax shrugs. “My wife is pregnant. I have babies on the brain.”

Tate nods at the box in my lap. “Does that box have something to do with Victoria and you?”

My grip tightens on it. “Maybe.”

Brax reaches over and snatches it out of my hands.

“Hey!” I lunge for it, but Brax dodges, and the lid falls off.

Everyone freezes as the skates fall out of the box.

“Skates?” Tate says, obviously unimpressed.

“Old skates of mine and Victoria’s,” I say through gritted teeth, picking them up off the floor. I’m just hoping they don’t see the ring tied to the laces.

“Wait, what’s this?” Brendan says, grabbing them out of my hands and holding them up.

The small diamond catches the light.

Lucian’s eyebrows slowly rise. “A ring?”

Brendan stares at me. “You were going to propose?”

I swipe the skates back. “That was a long time ago. All in the past.”

Tate’s eyes widen. “You’ve kept them since college? Seriously?!”

“So?” I say, shrugging nonchalantly. “People keep lots of stuff. Doesn’t mean anything.”

“Yes it does!” Tate says. “You don’t keep a ring unless you’ve been carrying a torch for her this whole time.”

“Thank you, Captain Obvious,” I grumble, shoving the skates back in the box and slamming the lid shut.

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