Page 26 of The Marriage Playbook

He sat frozen, staring at her.

We didn’t discuss this, she realized. He didn’t know what to say. He wasn’t ready for that question.

She managed a little laugh. “What he means is that the team wasn’t trying to save face,” she explained. “It was a violation of his contract to step away so that we could get married, but…” She thought fast. “Liam was hoping it would be a hiatus, not a permanent departure. He wanted us to have six months together, and then he meant to go back to the team next season. But since he was in violation of his contract, the team gave him an ultimatum. He would have to see out the season or they’d cut ties with him. I think they expected him to choose differently, but they didn’t know how in love we are.” She reached out and took Liam’s hand. She thought she had saved it, or at least come pretty close.

But the moment her hand brushed Liam’s, he pulled away as if he had been shocked. His hand knocked into his glass of wine, and the waiter let out a cry of shock as it spilled all over the tablecloth.

Liam cursed. “I’m so sorry,” he said, jumping up from his seat and grabbing his napkin to try to help mop it up.

The waiter recovered quickly. “It’s all right,” he said. “These things happen. Why don’t I move you to another table while I clear all this up. Is that all right, Mrs. Sims?”

Liam picked up his plate of salad, but nobody moved.

“Mrs. Sims?” The waiter repeated.

“Oh!” Cara shook herself. “I’m sorry. I was just…distracted.” Or I totally forgot that Mrs. Sims is supposed to be me now. She got to her feet and picked up her plate as well. “I’m happy to move, of course.”

The waiter led them to a nearby table. “I’ll just take care of that spill and be back to refresh your drinks.”

“Thank you,” Cara said, settling into her new chair.

Liam let out a sigh as he sat down across from her. “I guess I’m not the only one who can act fake,” he murmured. “What was all that about me only leaving the team so we could get married?”

“I didn’t think of it until he just brought it up,” Cara admitted. “But you’ve got to agree that’s a great way to turn the narrative. I mean, people are going to be completely sympathetic to the idea that you wanted to leave the Stingers temporarily to give us some time together. It moves you from being angry and violent to being sensitive and romantic.”

“We should’ve talked it through beforehand,” Liam said. “That guy definitely knew we didn’t have our story straight.”

“I think he was more surprised by how you acted when I touched your hand,” Cara said. “You’re supposed to be in love with me and you acted like you thought I was trying to poison your drink or something.”

“None of this stuff was in your playbook,” Liam pointed out.

“Well, we need to spend more time together,” Cara said. “We need to talk more. Get to know each other more. I mean, I’ve studied my dossier on you. But do you know anything about me yet, other than what my job is?”

He snorted. “I looked at that dossier. You don’t know as much about me as you think you do. That’s just stuff about my football career and things that have been in the press. Some of it isn’t even true.”

“Well, what do you suggest?” She forked up a bit of her salad and popped it into her mouth. She had to give credit where it was due—it was extraordinary. “What should I know about you that I don’t?”

He hesitated. “We’re leaving here tomorrow?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“You should come back to my hometown with me,” he said. “Get out of Miami. This place has nothing to do with who I am. You should see where I come from. Then you’ll be able to put together an explanation of why I suddenly fell in love with a random woman no one has ever heard about, and maybe it will actually seem believable.”

Cara had to admit that he had a point. Explaining why a high-profile sports star had been so private about his relationship was something she was still struggling to sort out. “All right,” she said. “The information I have says you’re from Rose Valley. Is that true?”

“That’s right. Have you been there?”

“No,” Cara said, reaching for her wine. “But I guess I’m going now.”

CHAPTER 14

CARA

They checked out of the hotel first thing in the morning. Cara’s original idea had been to linger until just before the deadline, to make it seem as if they were taking full advantage of the room, but after the way things had gone at dinner the night before, it seemed like a good idea to get out as quickly as possible. She was sure the staff had gossiped about what they’d seen, and people would be waiting to watch them as they left. Waiting to gather their own tidbits about Mr. and Mrs. Sims.

Liam handled the checkout because Cara had told him it would look better if he did. She stayed by his side—it wouldn’t do for them to be separated—and linked her arm through his, resting her head against his bicep and doing her best to appear as if she was tired from a long night of little sleep.

In truth, it was sort of nice to lean on him like this. She could feel the strength of his arm, but his skin was soft, which made it a comfortable place to rest her head. She forced herself to let go of her need to control things, and to allow him to handle it. He wouldn’t mess anything up. It was just a hotel checkout.