Page 22 of Forever Player

“There’s a but in there.” Eden clearly reads my nerves. “I know you. You don’t like people getting too close.”

“Not true. I’m close with you guys,” I remind.

“You didn’t tell us who the baby daddy was,” Eden counters and she has a point. I have trust issues and relationship issues. I blame the way I grew up. Our family home was more of a war zone, and me and my brothers mostly fended for ourselves. If it wasn’t for Grams, I don’t know what would’ve become of all of us.

“I may have some small trust issues,” I admit, pinching my index finger and thumb together. I place bacon strips on the hot pan and begin to fry them up. The smell makes my stomach grumble. I was so nervous about confronting Brett yesterday, I barely ate.

“Just a tad,” Eden laughs. “But seriously, don’t beat yourself up over it.”

“How can I not? Maylee missed out on her dad because, like you guys said, I am closed down. If I didn’t have all these issues, then Brett wouldn’t have missed Maylee’s milestones.”

“She’s going to have many more,” Ellie kindly reminds. “You can’t fight who you are, Willow.”

“I’ve made bad decisions. The guilt is eating at me,” I admit.

“You got a message from Brett’s phone telling you to bark up another tree. There was no reason for you to think he lost his phone. That would’ve been farfetched. You did the best you could, given the circumstances,” Ellie assures.

“I agree, Willow,” Eden confirms and having their support and understanding means a lot.

I sulk as I place the bacon and eggs on three plates. I leave the extra in the pan so it will stay warm for Brett.

“I hate living in Sugar Meadow,” I blurt to my friends. Coming home made sense financially, given my situation. “I got scholarships so I could leave this town. I can’t believe I ended up back here. If it weren’t for my brothers, I would’ve gone crazy.”

Eden frowns and so does Ellie.

“Come back to town,” Eden says referring to New York City. “Maylee can go to day care and you can get your old job back.”

“The cost of living is so high in the city. I’d want a two-bedroom apartment. I can’t afford it,” I admit as I dig into the eggs. “Sugar Meadow will have to do for now.”

“I’m sure Brett will help out now,” Ellie says.

“I don’t know. I’m keeping my expectations low,” I reply as I pick up a strip of bacon with my fork.

“Right, because you’re scared of disappointment, but the handsome defensive player out there isn’t going anywhere. Trust me.” Ellie winks.

“You can’t know that,” I say to her.

“Oh, I can. You guys don’t know Brett the way I do. His nephew, Asher, has become good friends with Syd. You have to see how Brett is with Asher to understand what I am saying.”

“Even so. This is all confusing. I have to talk to him about co-parenting and how that will look.”

“Connor said he got two weeks’ leave from the team. That means you have time to figure things out,” Ellie relays.

The front door opens and Brett walks in, holding our daughter. My heart skips a beat when I see him holding her in such a loving way. My brothers love her too but they are never hands-on. They are more the type to give her kisses and make her laugh as they are passing by. Last night was the first time Finn ever babysat for me, and that’s why Chelsea was here to help him because she has a niece and Finn didn’t know what he was doing.

“How was the walk?” I ask Brett.

“Good, it’s colder than it looks.” He shivers. “The property is beautiful. I want to help out while I’m staying here.”

My jaw drops. “You want to work on the farm?”

He nods. “If I’m staying the next two weeks, I need to contribute.”

Ellie raises her brows and gives me a look that saysI told you so. Eden smiles stupid.

“Um, I can ask Jacob but we never spoke about if you are staying and whatnot,” I mumble awkwardly. “But I mean, of course you are welcome to stay. That would be great for Maylee.”

Shut up, Willow, and stuff a sock in it.

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