Lyric and Lingerie (Fort Worth Wranglers 1)

“It is. Oh, you may pretty it up however you want, but the only reason you’re here is because you got caught up in the drama and the story of it all. You got caught up in the make believe. But that’s not how the real world works.” She honestly believed that. It was written all over her face.

“It can be.”

“No.” She shook her head decisively. “It can’t be. Because in the real world, the prince ends up with the beautiful princess, not the absentminded professor. Once, I believed it could be different, and all that got me was a broken heart. I can’t believe it again. I won’t believe it.”

He’d done this to her, and now he was offering her his heart and she wouldn’t take it.

She blinked the tears away, then pulled herself up to her full height. “So, no, Heath. No, I won’t marry you.”

She turned on her heel and walked out of the garage.

His world stopped spinning as her words tattooed themselves on his soul.

She’d said no.

He couldn’t think, he couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t—

“That was the saddest damn thing I’ve ever seen.” It was a female voice, and she sounded anything but sad—gleeful, more like.

Everything froze inside of him as he turned around to find Shelby and her crew—complete with cameraman—staring back at him. “Quarterback wins at football but loses at life. Now that’s the real story here. Unless … you want to reconsider my offer …”

He turned away. He’d just had his heart destroyed, and she wanted to use the footage as a bargaining chip. Like he cared. By 6:05 CST, the world would know that he’d had his heart broken, and he didn’t give a good goddamn. She could plaster the story on every network in the country and he still wouldn’t care. He’d lost Lyric—no, he’d never really had her—and nothing else mattered.

Harmony came back in then—shit, he’d forgotten she was around; how much had she heard?—and started ushering the ESPN crew out. “Show’s over folks. Nothing more to see. Back into the house.”

?

??Not on your life.” Shelby smirked. “Keep the camera pointed on Heath, Josh, or start typing your resume.”

“I think you misunderstood me. I said to get back into the house. It wasn’t a request.” Harmony got in Shelby’s personal space and looked down her nose at the reporter. “Southern hospitality dictates that I offer you a cold glass of iced tea instead of punching you in your overly big, capped, white teeth. I’m willing to give you ten seconds to accept that glass of iced tea before I drop you on your skinny Yankee ass. What’s it gonna be?”

Harmony was fast becoming one of his favorite people.

Livinia stepped behind Harmony and glared at Shelby. “Get in the house or so help me God, I’ll shoot you for trespassing.” If she’d only had a shotgun to cock, the badass female image would be complete. He hadn’t known that Livinia had it in her.

The knowledge shattered what was left of him. Because if Harmony had it and Livinia had it … then Lyric had it too. Only she was too damaged, too broken, because of what he’d done to her all those years ago, to let her inner badass show.

Too scared of being hurt to take a risk on him.

* * *

Chapter 27

* * *

“If you stay in that bed any longer, your ass is going to be permanently attached to the mattress.” Harmony smacked Lyric on the butt and then yanked open the curtains in Lyric’s bedroom.

“I like this bed.” Lyric dove under the nearest pillow. “It’s comfortable and steady and it won’t ever leave me.” She sniffled a little before she could stop herself. But that was just because the sunlight was burning her eyes. Or at least, that was her story and she was sticking to it.

“He didn’t leave you. You pushed him away.” Harmony crossed her arms and leaned against the dresser.

“No, no, no.” That was so wrong that Lyric pulled her head out of hiding just to make sure Harmony could hear her set the record straight. “He told me he couldn’t be with me until I trusted him. And then he walked out.”

“Which was your cue to go after him and tell him that you do trust him. It’s not quantum physics.” What did Harmony know about quantum physics?

Lyric loved quantum physics—she understood it and it understood her. It was this relationship stuff that she didn’t understand.

But Heath sucked at it too, she reminded herself as she reached for the stash of chocolate bars on her nightstand. Her mother had been replenishing it twice a day since Heath left her. It seemed that her mother no longer cared about Lyric’s thighs now that her daughter had dumped Texas’s most eligible bachelor on TV.