Page 123 of The Forever Play

I didn’t have the heart to tell her I didn’t want her here.

She seemed so determined to come and support me… if she could line up a babysitter. All I can hope is that it’s not Russell. He’s been calling every day to interact with Zoey, and it riles me so fucking much. But my daughter adores the guy and Sienna feels bad, so she lets it happen. She’s even taken Zoey around for a few playdates, and I hate that Russell’s so great with my kid. I hate that Zoey loves Uncle Rusty, but it’s not like I can deny her, right?

What kind of asshole would that make me?

Swallowing down my angst, I point into the crowd. Sienna starts jumping and laughing, blowing me kisses, so excited to be here.

Fuck.

I wish I could tell her to go.

I don’t want her seeing this shit.

And I don’t want her anywhere near those Kelsey U fuckers.

God, please don’t let my worlds collide. I’m begging you.

CHAPTER 45

SIENNA

I will be forever grateful to Mrs. Ward. She’s watching Zoey for me so I can come to this game. It’ll be past Zoey’s bedtime by the time I go back to collect her, but so worth it. Hopefully Zoey won’t turn feral. If I’m lucky, she might even fall asleep on Mrs. Ward’s couch, and I can just bundle up her sleepy little body and take her home to Football Frat.

Man, I love living there.

It’s been awkward some of the time, I guess. The house isn’t really set up for a toddler, but Zander’s been doing little things to make it safer. He even bought a car seat for his SUV. It was the sweetest thing. Zoey was stoked, excitedly climbing into it and demanding a drive.

She loves Zander so much. She loves all the guys, even Carson, who tries to avoid her like the plague. If he’s ever home, she’ll always try to interact with him. I should put a stop to it, but it’s so funny watching Carson squirm.

Oh man, he wants us gone so badly. I cringe and try toflick the thought from my mind. Darting my eyes away from his helmet, I focus back on my man.

I’m so freaking proud of him right now, leading his team onto the field like the champion he is.

He’s told me about his dreams to play pro ball, and I’m going to support him all the way. I don’t care where we live next year, as long as we can be together. If he gets drafted, I’ll just follow him. I’ve got no ties to any place in particular, but I’m tied to him, and I’m happy to stay that way for life.

Russell doesn’t know about any of this.

I’m pretty sure he’d blow a gasket if he found out. He’s still annoyed with me for staying away for so long. One night has turned into three weeks, and he is riled.

Thankfully, he hides that whenever I take Zoey over to play or catch up with him at the park, but the rest of the time, I’m getting a steady stream of texts that constantly question my sanity. He loves to complain about my choices. But after each rant, I then get a thread of apologies and begging not to cut him out of Zoey’s life.

Honestly, he’s infuriating.

But Zoey loves him.

He is really sweet with her, and I can’t forget the fact that he and his family have been my longest friends. Growing up the way I did, I struggled to make connections that would last. But the Fishers have always been an anchor point, and even though Russell drives me bonkers sometimes, he’ll always be a part of my life.

My parents have been kind of pissed about my latest decisions, but I’m slowly trying to talk them around. They understand that Zander and I have worked things out, and they’re cautiously optimistic, but they’re reallyunhappy about the rift in my relationship with Russell, which is probably why I’ve been trying to appease everyone and keep Russell in my life.

Which annoys Zander, so I still can’t keep everybody happy.

I internally roll my eyes and try to focus back on the game.

Zander seemed nervous about this one. I get that it’s his old school, and I’m assuming that’s the main problem, although he won’t confirm nor deny.

He gets so hedgy whenever I mention Kelsey U. He has yet to share any details of his time there. I think he worries that it’ll just bring up that ugly memory of what I saw. But I’ve forgiven him for that. I want to move past it and just forget, which is why I probably let it slide whenever he changes the topic off Kelsey U.

But man, he was agitated this morning. He wouldn’t say he was, and he put on a smile whenever he was interacting with Zoey, but I could feel the tension pulsing out of him, which is why I was determined to find a babysitter and be here to support my man.

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