Page 15 of The Forever Play

“Looks like you’re pregnant.”

Zoey mumbles something soft in her sleep, and I press the back of my hand against my mouth, my eyes filling with tears as I watch her.

She’s the most precious, treasured thing in my entire life.

I didn’t expect her to be such a gift, but she’s been everything I didn’t even realize I wanted. She helped heal my pain. Her sweet newborn cries stitched up my heart, her mouth suckling me, her soft fingers resting on my skin, baby laughter and beautiful smiles… every breath she took was a balm for my wounded heart.

But I don’t think I realized how bruised and scarred my heart still is.

Until I saw the man who demolished it standing there at the playground today.

CHAPTER 6

ZANDER

I can’t stop thinking about Sienna. It’s been nearly two days since I saw her and Zoey.

Zoey.

That name will be burned into my brain forever.

“Zoey!” Sienna’s voice had rung across the playground, and at first I hadn’t recognized it. But now it’s on repeat in my brain.

Sienna’s voice was always so playful and fun. It was a sweet melody in high school.

It hadn’t sounded so light and playful when I heard it on Sunday, but it was still hers.

Mine. My Sparky.

But she’s not.

Not the way she looked at me, all bug-eyed and afraid.

All “Nope!” and run.

What the fuck!

I have to find her. I have to know the truth.

Am I Zoey’s father?

The thought makes me shudder, twisting my gut intoa painful knot and making it impossible to finish my lunch.

I nudge the tray away from me, too lost in my memories to even hear my teammates around me.

Zoey’s a toddler. If she’s about two, then there’s a really strong chance she’s mine. Unless Sienna tried getting over me by immediately sleeping with someone else after I left. The thought fills my mind with a green-red haze, and I shut it off, forcing myself to see this notion through.

Our last night together had been epic. It was a final goodbye.

I can still see her face through my bedroom window, rain running down her skin like tears. I’d pulled her inside and she’d cried against me, mourning the end of our relationship and begging me to hold her one last time.

I couldn’t just hold her. I needed her to know that I was hurting too. That I still loved her.

And so we lost ourselves in each other the way we always did.

It came so naturally, our bodies burning for each other, our fingers knowing where to touch, our tongues dancing that familiar tango.

I plunged inside her before putting a condom on. It hadn’t even occurred to me until I felt that liquid fire in my veins. I could sense the impending orgasm and suddenly realized how fucking irresponsible I was being.

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