Page 44 of The Recovery Coach
“Jayden.Stop.You have to stop.”
He whirled toward her, ripping his hand free of her grasp.“Why should I stop?I’m gonna kick his ass.”
Jayden was yelling, and Olivia shushed him.“It was a long time ago, okay?It’s fine.I’m over it,” she whispered, trying to avoid being overheard in his outrage.
She reclaimed his hand and dragged him back to the bed.Fumbling for the remote, she increased the volume of the football game.
“How long is a long time ago?”he asked.
“When we were kids.Before he moved to Seattle.”
He resettled on the bed, staring at the game projection.
“That’s fucked up,” he said.
“It’s really fine.We talked it through; we’re friends again.Everything is fine.”
“Fine.”He sighed.“You should date Lover.I bet that would piss him off.”
“My goal in life is not to piss Connor off.”She couldn’t finish the sentence with a straight face.
Olivia and Jayden both keeled over in laughter.Because her goal in life absolutely was to piss off Connor.In a fun way.It had always been a great hobby.
“Seriously, though,” she said when they regained their composure.“Connor and I are fine.You don’t need to defend my honor or anything.”
“Okay, okay.Not Connor then.But maybe somebody?You shouldn’t spend too long wallowing over Lance.He’s too fucking stupid to waste any more of your time.”
Olivia sighed.She should get back out there.She had plans to carry out.
“I’ll think about it,” she said.
Chapter 16
Hazy
TheMondayafterThanksgiving,Hazy’s parents and Jayden cleared out of Hazy’s house, leaving him and Livy to their own devices.
The Freeze had taken off on a road trip.Hazy was catching up on the reality TV show he’d fallen behind on because he’d been watchingPhineas and Ferbon repeat with Livy.
She plopped down next to him and said, “I’m going to start dating again.”
He hadn’t been prepared to navigate that conversation.“Um, what?”
She leaned into him, showing him her phone.“It’s time to get back out there.I won’t find a partner by sitting on your couch watching kids’ shows.”
Hazy’s mind drifted back to the conversation with his mom over Thanksgiving.She seemed to think sitting around on Hazy’s couch was exactly where she’d find a partner.But he didn’t have to worry about that while his teammates were away.
“You ended a five-year relationship less than two months ago.”
“I think the length of my relationship is null and void considering he’s having a child with the woman he cheated on me with.”
She had a point.The idea of Livy meeting up with random strange men made his stomach churn.He wanted to keep her to himself for a little while longer.Odds were, any man she dated would have reservations about her relationship with him and his team, regardless of how innocent those relationships may be.
He failed to contrive a valid objection to her finding someone new.“But I still need you,” he said.
“And you’ll still have me.I’m sure Daisy wouldn’t mind babysitting occasionally.”
He ignored the babysitting insult because she had another great point.Why did she have to be good at logic?Daisy had been bugging him to hang out.He kept putting her off because she’d insist on talking about his injury, Livy’s involvement in his life, and what his plans were for the rest of the season.He didn’t have answers to any of her questions.
