Page 93 of Her Football Star Ex

When Emerson turned to me, her face was pale, like she’d just seen a ghost.

“This woman says she needs to speak to you.” There was question and hurt in her eyes.

Did she think this was Victoria? Or did she think it was someone else I had been romantically involved with?

I swallowed, a sick feeling twisting in my gut.

“Hello?” I said, stepping beside Emerson in the entryway as I faced the woman with olive complected skin, high cheekbones, and blue eyes.

Could this be Victoria’s sister? Because the resemblance was uncanny.

Like a ghost from my past showing up at the exact wrong moment.

The woman looked worried, as if she knew her reason for being here was going to cause a major disturbance to my life.

“Hi, Vincent.” She eyed Emerson warily before meeting my gaze. “I’m sorry to show up like this, but…”

“Who are you?” I asked, unable to focus on what she had to say until I knew who she was.

“Oh sorry.” She tucked some of her dark hair behind her ear, clearly flustered. “It’s been a really long week.”

I crossed my arms as I waited.

“I’m Amberley Barkume.” She shook her head and closed her eyes for a second before looking up at me again. “My sister was Victoria Ruetzel.”

“I can see the resemblance.” My heart hammered in my chest as I peeked at Emerson from the corner of my eye.

Please don’t jump to conclusions. Please don’t leave me.

I’d just gotten her back. If she thought for a minute that I still had something going on with Victoria, she’d never talk to me again.

But when I turned back to Amberley, I realized what she’d said. “Wait, did you say Victoriawasyour sister? Did something happen?”

Tears welled in the woman’s eyes and she said, “She was in a skiing accident last weekend.”

“Is she okay?”

I hadn’t seen her for a year and four months, and all our interactions were tainted because of what they had turned into…but I was still a decent enough human that I didn’t want her to be badly hurt.

“It’s been a nightmare.” Amberley shook her head, her lips trembling. “The funeral was yesterday and…” She looked at me then to Emerson, and then back at me. And a feeling of dread—the strength of which I hadn’t felt since the night I came home and told Emerson that I’d slept with Victoria—flooded me.

“My husband and I have been trying to figure out what to do, but we already have three kids of our own and…” Amberley sighed and reached for something on the landing beside her that was hidden from my view.

And in a split second, my whole world dropped out from under me.

Because from behind the exterior wall of my apartment, Amberley had picked up a pink baby carrier. And inside that carrier, all cuddled up in a fuzzy pink elephant patterned blanket was a little baby girl who had to be less than a year old with dark hair and brown eyes.

The baby looked like me.

“I know my sister never told you about her because she thought Evelyn wasn’t yours. She was in love with the guy she got back with after that night she had with you, and she was hoping the baby was his.” Amberley had tears and sympathy in her eyes, like she knew just how her showing up today had the possibility to destroy everything I’d been working to rebuild with Emerson. “But I guess he had a paternity test done amid all the craziness of the past week, and that’s when we read Victoria’s journals and realized Evelyn’s biological father is actually you.”

36

Vincent

Emerson excusedherself from the room as soon as she realized what was going on, disappearing down the hall into Jaxon’s bedroom. And though she hadn’t said anything other than she was going to give Amberley and me some privacy to talk, the moment I looked into her eyes, I knew it was over.

Any reconciliation we might have going for us had gone down the drain as soon as the baby came into the picture.

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