Page 7 of The Only Goal

I can’t go back to Gladstone. My parents will probably scoff at me. “How could you let his eyes wander? Why weren’t you a better wife?”

Grace, Miranda, and Kelsey will shake their heads and be sad for me, sure… but then they’ll no doubt start up with the whole “So, he strayed a little. Get over it. Forgive him. You can’t walk out. He’s your security. Look at the lifestyle he gives you.”

Hudson’s parents will tell me that their boy is a fool, but I can’t go taking his child away. “You’re a family. You do whatever it takes to stay together.”

I heard his mother say that once, in that clipped way of hers. You don’t argue with Mrs. Clark. That woman is always right… apparently.

“Like every other mother in that damn town,” I mutter while drying myself off.

The towel is rough and scratchy, but I hang it up nice and straight on the rail before creeping into the bedroom to unearth my pajamas. They’re soft and silky, the pale purple fabric shimmering.

Hudson bought these for me. I hold them up, tempted to rip them to shreds. These surges of anger are surprisingly strong, but they’re followed very quickly by a wave of overpowering sorrow… and then I’m tripped up by this blinding fear.

What the hell am I supposed to do now?

My phone starts vibrating on the bed. I automatically reach for it, then growl when I noticed Hudson’s name on the screen. Throwing it down, I get dressed, checking on Kai one last time before crawling into bed.

The phone screen lights up again.

Hudson: Just tell me you’re okay. Where are you? Where’d you go? Are you back in Gladstone?

I cringe and shake my head. Is he worried that I’ve shot back to our small hometown and run his name through the mud? Damn, that would kill him. He’s always cared about appearances.

I still remember the first time I saw him.

My carefree, wonderful summer with Baxter had ended in disaster, and I hadn’t really spoken to my best friend properly since that afternoon by our secret swimming hole.

He’d gone away to visit his grandparents the week before school started, and I couldn’t wait for him to get back so we could patch things up. But then my parents introduced me to Hudson at church that weekend… and he offered to drive me to school the next day. I don’t know why I said yes. I should have told him that I always catch a ride with my best friend, Baxter. But the word just popped out of my dazzled mouth.

He was so cool and handsome. He played guitar and wore a leather jacket. There was this swagger about him… this confidence that was so appealing.

New and mysterious, he had this smile that made my instant attraction impossible to deny. With his soft brown hair and sparkling blue eyes, I was a goner.

“Hey.” That was all he said, but it was enough to have butterflies dancing through my stomach.

“Hi.” I smiled up at him, no doubt blushing.

I couldn’t help it. He was looking at me like I was the prettiest girl he’d ever seen. His gaze was this mix of awe and adoration that made me feel like a queen.

He asked me what grade I was in as I fidgeted with my hair, and then he wanted to walk me out of the building and all the way to Dad’s car. It was the sweetest thing… and so…

Well, it was a compliment. Out of all the girls in church, the new, cool, superhot guy with the trendy shades chose me. He wanted to drive me to school, and in that moment, I forgot all about patching things up with Baxter.

Hudson swept me right off my feet, and I was helpless to stop myself from falling hard and fast. He always knew what I needed to hear. He wooed me like I was under his spell, and life changed. The gap between Baxter and me grew so wide, we practically became strangers.

We tried every now and then, but our conversations became more stilted. We weren’t besties anymore. I was dating Hudson… and then I got pregnant.

A chill runs through me as I relive the terror of reading that positive pregnancy test. Baxter was the first person I told.

Closing my eyes, I dip my chin and remember that hideous conversation.

“Baxter,” I rasp, tears burning my eyes as I rub my thumb over my phone screen.

I wonder where he is now. What he’s doing with his life.

He went to Nolan U in Colorado to play hockey, but he would have graduated by now.

I hate that we lost touch. After his mother died, he took off, and he wouldn’t reply to my messages. I tried for weeks… months… but then I gave birth to Kai, and my world became all about my little boy.

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