Fighting For You (The Connor Family 5)

“I’ll need a bigger living room once you two get hitched up,” Val said jokingly, pointing between Hailey and me. We were the only single Connors left.

I caught Will’s eye.

“Bet Hailey will get there first,” Will said.

I shook my head. “Oh, come on, man. I was going to bet the same thing. I need you to bet against me.”

“I’ll do you a solid and bet you’ll get there first,” Hailey said. I grinned. Our betting habit had rubbed off on our sisters.

Hailey hadn’t told us if she was dating anyone, though she shared more with our sisters, which was fine by me. I’d accidentally eavesdropped on their girl talk a few times, and... that was a little too much detail for me. Plus, I was well aware that I could be overprotective of my sisters, and they were all adults. They didn’t need me hovering. I just couldn’t help myself.

I could see Hailey springing on us that she was serious about someone.

As for me, I liked the way things were, or at least I told myself I did. After the first GQ title came out a few years ago, I became an internet sensation. Then, my fame carried out into the offline world, which was rare. Soccer wasn’t one of the three popular sports in the US, but I wasn’t fooling myself. I’d become known for my looks, not my game.

In the beginning, I’d rolled along with it. It was fun. I’d always been popular with the ladies, but that had taken popular to a whole new level. I’d relished the attention, taken advantage of it. Somewhere along the way, though, I’d realized that my newfound fame was attracting a lot of people who weren’t interested in me, just in how they

could benefit by hanging around with me. I was tired of that. Still, I couldn’t see myself settling down anytime soon.

“Jace, I got the stills from the last photo shoot today but forgot to forward them to you. They’re fantastic. I think half the girls in my office are a bit in love with you,” Val said.

“Nah, they just like me shirtless.”

“Thanks for agreeing to that, by the way.”

“You know me. I take off my shirt for the calendar or my sister’s campaigns.”

Val ran a very successful cosmetics and fragrance company, and I was featured in a few of her ads. It was the first time Val had asked me for anything, and it hadn’t even occurred to me to say no. I’d probably do whatever Val wanted me to do.

“And speaking of people who like you shirtless, Leta keeps talking about you.”

Yeah, that was one thing I didn’t want to do. Go out with Leta.

“Val, I thought you considered me too much of a heartbreaker to go out with any of your friends. I think I liked that way of thinking better.”

Val pouted. Hailey laughed, and so did Lori, but I could tell she was one hundred percent behind the idea. Our middle sister was a wedding planner, and since neither Val and Carter or Will and his fiancé Paige had set a wedding date, it seemed she was waiting for Hailey or me to suddenly need her services. She was seven months pregnant, but I doubted she’d slow down even with a baby in tow.

“I admit I was wrong. You’re on your way to becoming an honest man.”

“Not going out with Leta.”

I’d met her often enough to know we didn’t have much in common.

“Be careful with the heartbreaker tag,” Hailey advised. “It could turn and bite you in the ass.”

I groaned, but Hailey was a PR pro, and I listened to her carefully whenever she gave me advice.

“Did you find someone to manage the sponsorship contracts?” she looked from me to Graham, who was sitting opposite her.

“Yes.”

“You’ve had quite a few personnel changes this year.”

There had been a changing of the guard at the Lords over the past year. In addition to Bree leaving, our former head of PR, Amber, had also gone on maternity leave. Graham’s father had worked in PR at the club, but Graham had recently opened a restaurant, and his dad now oversaw marketing there.

“Yes. We hired Brooke Derringer,” Graham went on.

“Any relation to the head coach?” Hailey asked.