Page 64 of A Summer of Stars

And Jeremiah. I knew Kieran and I would fight, but Jeremiah and I… I had meant to keep my distance from him.

The rain droplets hitting my cheeks slowly joined hot tears. I pressed my fingers into the corners of my eyes as our dance together replayed in my head.

“How are you?” Jeremiah had asked, his voice as warm as the day’s sun.

“Good, you?” I asked, my tone civil.

“I’m good now.” He smirked.

“Are you capable of not flirting?”

“Can you blame me?”

“I can, because I’m here with someone else.”

“Ah yes, the actor. I saw you two together earlier—epitome of romance,” he said sarcastically.

“And we were?” I countered.

“Do you not remember how we celebrated after the Madrid Open, two years ago?”

I shouldn’t give in to his manipulation. But my hand fell across my face to cover an unexpected laugh. Two years ago, we were at a retired tennis player’s party. His house was massive, but not sizable enough to move an elbow or find a corner to kiss in because of the massive guest list. Jeremiah and I were squished against a window when he spotted a pool in the neighbor’s yard. He was out the door before I had a chance to convince him otherwise. A minute later, I was in a stranger’s pool and Jeremiah’s lips were on mine. I didn’t even have time to pull my heels off before he was pulling me in.

He nudged my side. “Don’t try and tell me that wasn’t romantic!”

“I wouldn’t call sneaking into a stranger’s pool romantic!”

“I was more so referring to the kissing that took place in the pool,” he whispered. The corner of his mischievous mouth lifted. A familiarity. Jeremiah,happy. A sign of the man I married. Not the one I divorced.

“Romance isn’t all that makes a relationship, Jeremiah.”

“It is for you, though.”

“Trust is too,” I reminded him.

“Of course, and I want to earn that back. I took off practice, found a suit, and drove all the way here just to see you. I’m trying.”

“But why now? Why not put the effort in before? You never took practice off.”

“Because my career is my life. Taking days off means the competition getting a leg up. You should understand that more than anyone.”

“I know, I was taking off entiretournamentsto see you.”

He shook his head. “I wasn’t asking you to do that, Luna.”

“I didn’t say that. I was doing it because I loved you. I wanted you to know I loved you. Taking the time off was worth it to me.”

“Loved?” he asked, bypassing my point. “Are you saying you don’t love me anymore? Simply because of a kiss?”

The image of him in bed with Ava flashed when I blinked.

“Luna, please, please just listen. It was nothing, she’s nothing. I was stressed, I had a drink,shekissedme.”

Bile threatened to rise.

“Don’t do that.” I closed my eyes.

“Don’t do what?” he asked, offended.