Page 31 of Shoot Your Shot

“He has an appointment tomorrow, but I’m not sure what they’ll be doing at this one.” I sigh. “If I know Kolt, he’s thinking they are going to tell him he’s good to join the team again. And sadly, that isn’t the reality.”

“Yeah. Keep reminding him that it takes time to recover.” I hear him shuffling around. “And remember, aside from being married, you and Kolt were also each other’s best friend. Just talk to him, Paige. Sometimes, that’s all it takes.” He sighs. “I gotta run. Practice is about to start.”

“Love you, Dad.” I wipe the tears from my eyes.

I love my mom so much. She is a saint and the kindest human on the planet. But I’ve always been a daddy’s girl through and through.

He just … gets me.

“Love ya, babe. Talk soon.”

Once he ends the call, I flop back on my bed.

I know Logan and Amelia are coming over later, and I don’t know if I should go out or mind my business in here. It doesn’t matter what I do; I feel like I’m messing up. This is uncharted territory for me, and I don’t know how to navigate any of it.

Logan, Amelia, Maci, Walker, and Poppy all arrive. And right away, the guys head into the living room with Amelia leading the pack, anxious to see her uncle Kolt, who is grumpily awaiting their arrival. He loves his friends—he really does. But I know visits under this sort of condition isn’t his favorite thing. And he hates the attention being all on him. But I know one thing: seeing Amelia will put a smile on his face—that’s for sure.

I glance anxiously at Poppy, who is visibly uncomfortable, which is an unusual sight. She isn’t the type of chick to get nervous. She’s strong and confident. I’m also a little worried that I’m on her bad side now since I ghosted her. That wouldn’t be good for me. Because black cat? Forget that. She’s more of a junkyard dog when it comes to protecting her loved ones. In her eyes, I’m sure it seems like I deserted my husband and left him all alone.

When I left Kolt, I didn’t just abandon him. I left the entire Sharks family—Poppy included. We had been friends. Really good friends. And yet I abandoned her, and when she tried to contact me, I ignored her calls, all because I was too afraid she’d talk me into coming back.

Now, she’s pregnant, and she has the cutest baby bump I’ve ever seen. All I want to do is squeeze her, but I can’t because the air between us right now is so awkward and we’re barely looking at each other.

“I’m Maci,” Logan’s girlfriend says, no doubt sensing the unease between Poppy and me. “I’m Logan’s … girlfriend.”

Her cheeks heat a little after she saysgirlfriend, and Poppy nudges her.

“Almost said Amelia’s nanny, didn’t you? You dirty little ho.”

“Shut up,” Maci says but giggles. “I’m not a ho. It just … happened.”

Her laughter dies after a few minutes, and she looks back and forth between us. “I’m going to, uh, go in the living room.”

Poppy gives her a clearly annoyed look, but that doesn’t stop Maci from walking out of the kitchen, leaving us alone.

The silence is painful, which isn’t anything I’m used to when it comes to Poppy. We’ve always been comfortable around each other, but obviously, now, things are different. Finally, I sigh, knowing that I can’t fight the conversations that need to be had. It’s time I face them, especially when it comes to people I care about.

“Look, Poppy, I’m really sorry for just … taking off.” I run my hand nervously down the back of my hair before waving it toward her swollen belly. “But I’m so happy for you. Congratulations.”

Judging by her expression, it’s almost as if I slapped her with my words. Her eyes narrow, and her lips form a hard line for a moment.

Finally, she opens her mouth. “No,” she says, wagging her finger at me. “You don’t get to just come in here and say congratulations to me.”

“But you came in here … so …” I shrug, widening my eyes at her playfully.

Even though she’s being sassy, she’s too adorable with her round baby bump for me to be frustrated. Seeing her this way hurts a little, but not because I’m not happy for her and Walker—I am elated for them. But I so wish I could be pregnant, too, experiencing it with her.

She rests one hand on her stomach protectively, and my heart feels like it’s under attack as I imagine putting a palm to my stomach and feeling a kick, knowing there was a little person inside of there. Growing inside of me.

But let’s be real; thanks to endometriosis, that is likely never going to be in my cards. Oh, and I don’t have a husband anymore. Well, not really.

“Fuck off. You know what I mean.” She rolls her eyes. “You ignored my calls for weeks. Until, finally, I gave up.” She pauses, sadness covering her face. “Just because you left Kolt doesn’t mean you had to abandon the entire team. I thought we were friends, Paige.”

“We are!” I say quickly, rushing toward her and stopping a foot before her. “We are friends, Poppy. I love you, and I feel like shit for ghosting you and everyone else the way I did. I just … I don’t know. I think I was in such a bad headspace that it seemed like the only way.” My voice breaks with emotion, and I inhale sharply. “I am so sorry.”

I point toward her stomach. “Can I?” I ask and pray she doesn’t punch me. After all, she’s always been my feistiest friend.

She tries to play it off tough, but eventually, she smiles, bobbing her head up and down. “Anyone else? Fuck no. You? Of course you can.” She points her finger at me. “But I am still madat you, Paige. You owe me, like … five thousand milkshakes for leaving me.”

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