Page 61 of Only ever you-Ana & Byron
That night, there was a shift between them.
Not a fight or anger. Just a soft, padded space like a wall of cotton had been gently placed between their bodies. When they lay in bed, his arm didn't reach for her the way it usually did. He kissed her goodnight, forehead only, then turned onto his side without a word.
Ana stared at the ceiling.
She'd meant what she said.
But it didn't make it easier.
Chapter twenty-six
Chapter 25
One Year Later
The game had been brutal. Byron's team had won after the last two losses, and the air around the VIP box was akin to excitement compressed in a soda can, ready for the tab to pop off.
Ana stood among the other wives and partners, casually sipping her water as one of them, some leggy brunette unimaginatively named Devon, eyed her dress with a tight smile.
"Bit... casual, aren't we?" Devon said sweetly.
Ana didn't even spare her a glance. She knew catty from a mile off.
"It's called understated. "
Devon's smile froze. Before she could think of a comeback, the door opened.
The players filtered exhausted , still damp from showers. Byron entered with a slow stride, talking in low tones to Kieran, a broad, tattooed wall of a man with a shaved head and an unsettlingly calmpresence. Where Byron was swagger and sly innuendo, Kieran was steady and silent like a rock.
Byron clocked Ana instantly. She always stayed away, put off by the general ambience with the WAGs.
Whatever he'd been saying to Kieran, he forgot it mid-sentence.
She was already walking toward him.
Byron barely had time to open his arms before Ana jumped, arms around his neck like she'd done a hundred times. Her chin pressed to his shoulder. He held her tight for a long moment as the players moved around them. Losing a match was always hard, but winning made up for it.
He didn't kiss her with everyone watching. But he whispered into her ear:
"I'd do anything for a kiss right now."
"I love you," she murmured back, smiling against his neck.
When she slid down, Byron looked visibly happier, like just touching her was enough to light up his life.
Ana turned to Kieran, who had respectfully looked away during the PDA.
"You wanna come to dinner with us?"
Kieran looked startled. "I don't want to intrude,”he said in a cut-glass accent.
"You won't," she said easily. "Byron's cooking."
Byron raised an eyebrow. "Am I?"
Ana didn't miss a beat. "Yes, you are."
Kieran glanced between them, Byron in his pink-tinged post-match glow, Ana still smugly tucked under his arm like a mascot and finally nodded.
