Fake dating the captain

~Liv~The second Caleb’s key turned in the lock I knew it was over. I was on the couch in his hoodie, the one I stole two winters ago, eating cereal straight from the box because I’d been too numb to cook for three days. He walked in, dropped his duffel, and just looked at me like I was a stain he finally decided to clean.“We need to talk, Liv.”I laughed.. “You flew in from Vancouver just to say that in person? Awwww.” I walked over trying to pinch his cute player jaws instead he moved back and didn't smile.Caleb never really smiled when it mattered; only on camera, only when the blonde influencers were around. His jaw did that tight thing it does when he’s trying not to yell. “Your dad called me.”My stomach dropped so fast the cereal box slipped out of my lap and spilled across the floor. “Of course he did.”“He said Ava’s ready. She’s done with Milan, she’s moving back, and… he thinks it makes sense. For the family. For the brand.” He rubbed the back of his neck, eyes anywhere b

~Liv~ I thought the hard part would be pretending to like Rowan in front of people. Turns out the hard part was pretending in front of Rowan himself when he was standing in my bedroom doorway at eight in the morning. “Jesus Christ,” I croaked, yanking the blanket up to my chin. My hair looked like a real mess. “Ever heard of knocking?” “I did knock. You snore-laughed in your sleep and told me to come in.” He stepped inside anyway, kicked the door shut with his heel, and handed me a coffee. “Two sugars, splash of oat milk. Zoe ratted out your order.” I took it because I’m not an animal, but I glared the whole time. “We have rules to discuss, Parker.” “Yeah, I know. Rule one: you honestly need to stop looking at me like you’re planning my murder. Makes the photos look weird.” He dropped into the beanbag Zoe insisted looks cute and somehow made a six-foot-four of pure muscle look relaxed. “Rule two: we need a backstory before tonight.” “Tonight?” “Yurp there's a team cha

~Liv~ I thought the night couldn’t get worse after being waterboarded by a sink and vodka-crabbied by a girl who probably couldn’t spell “cranberry,” but apparently the universe was in a very generous mood because the second Rowan started driving us away from the arena, it hit me I couldn’t go home.Not because I was scared. Not because of the girls. Because my parents changed the building code and the gate remote died and I forgot to charge the backup because life hates me. And I didn’t have the energy to text anyone or beg to crash on some couch, and I absolutely refused to walk back into Rowan’s building looking like a drowned sewer rat.I just tucked myself under his jacket and pretended to be dead for the whole ride, but Rowan kept glancing over like he was waiting for me to explode or cry again. The truck was warm but I kept shaking, and of course he noticed.“You’re still freezing,” he said, gripping the wheel like it insulted him. “You should stay at my place tonight.”I didn

~Liv~I didn’t feel the phone leave my hand. I just heard the splash, far below the railing, like a coin dropped in a wishing well that never granted anything. Ava’s ultrasound picture disappeared into black water. Weeks gone . Grainy little bean. Caleb tagged in the comments with a string of heart emojis and “Can’t wait to marry my girls.” The wedding was moved up. Of course it was. Because everything in Ava’s life accelerates while mine stalls out in the breakdown lane.I laughed so hard my ribs hurt. Then I threw up over the side of the pier, mostly alcohol and self-loathing.After that it was just legs carrying me from bar to bar, shots sliding down like punishment, music too loud to think. Someone kept buying me drinks because I was the sad girl crying. I let them. I let everyone. I wanted to disappear inside the noise.At some point the world tilted sideways and I was back on the pier, shoes gone, dress soaked from falling in the shallows. The tide was out, exposing all

~Liv~I woke up tasting something like…..death? Shit! and regret too….OMG, my tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth like I’d been licking a carpet all night, and the first thing I felt was Rowan’s arm still locked around my waist, heavy and warm and way too fucking there. My brain did that thing where it reboots in safe mode and then immediately slams me with the highlight reel of yesterday: me grinding on him in the truck, me begging, me slapping him, me crying like a toddler who dropped her ice cream. Cool. Awesome. Ten out of ten way to start the day.I had to get out. Like, right now. Before he woke up and looked at me with those stupid kind eyes and made me feel even smaller than I already did.So obviously I tried to ninja my way out of the bed, slow-motion rolling toward the edge like I was defusing a bomb, except the sheets had other plans and twisted around my ankles and suddenly I was falling, face-first, straight onto the hardwood with a thud that rattled my teeth and probab