Page 130 of Hot Shot

Trent’s face gives him away, tight with disdain. Cricket wiggles in Trent’s arms, and when he puts her down, she runs off to the dugout holleringBye!over her shoulder.

Wilder doesn’t follow. He’s squared up to Trent.

“Didn’t know you’d be here,” he says.

“Didn’t know I had to clear it with you.”

“I’d appreciate a heads up. I keep asking but nobody seems to listen.”

“Paul told me about the tournament, said I could come.”

“Well, Paul’s blessing isn’t the one you needed.”

Trent’s nostrils flare, but it’s Paul who speaks first, his glare locked on Wilder.

“Wilder—that’s enough. You can’t police who comes to her games.”

Remy and a couple guys have pulled up behind us, and Wilder’s dad Buck is leaning over the rail, glaring at Paul. Wilder is furious, but he somehow contains it, with great strain.

“Paul, you are not my father. Don’t talk to me like you are.”

“We have had this conversation?—”

“And you said you’d tell me when he was coming around.”

Trent takes a menacing step toward Wilder. “The hell they will. I have every right to see her.”

“No, you don’t. You don’t have any rights when it comes to her.”

Trent shakes his head. “What’s your deal, man?”

Wilder’s eyes tighten, narrowing. “My deal is that I don’t trust you. Mydealis that you’ve been accused of?—”

“I didn’t do it,” he answers darkly.

A pause convinces Wilder not to push it. “I feel for you, I do?—”

“Doesn’t seem like it.”

“—but you’re not her father.”

Patty sucks in a breath. Trent freezes, his eyes sharp and fists tight at his side.

“Ichanged the diapers,” he starts. “Irocked her in the middle of the night when she was sick with a fever.Iwas there when she took her first steps and said her first word and skinned her knee for the first time. It wasme, notyou.”

The words visibly sting Wilder. “Because all of that was taken from me. You were there, and she loves you. And that’s the only reason I let you see her at all.”

“Letme?” Trent scoffs.

“Letyou,” Wilder repeats. “I don’t know you, and I’m not convinced you’re not dangerous. So theleastyou can do is tell me when you plan to see her. If you want me to trust you with her, that’s the way to start. Showing up unannounced like this has me feeling like you might be a problem.”

“I’mthe problem?” he says, lunging for Wilder, and all of the men around us seem to move at once to get between them. Remy and Greyson grab Trent by the arms, Tate in front of him, trying to soothe him as he thrashes, shaking them off once they’re a bit away. Patty and Paul are at his elbows.

“Come on,” Paul says, turning him around and guiding him backward by a hand on the shoulder. “Let’s step away for a second and cool off.” He shoots Wilder a look before they walk him out of earshot.

Worried, I glance at Wilder. “You went a little hard on him, don’t you think?”

The pain in his eyes when he looks at me breaks my heart. “Not one of them will listen to me. Not one of them has said a fucking thing to ease my mind—all they’ve done is fan the fire. This? Him just popping up without telling us?” He shakes his head. “This doesn’t help. This makes it worse. This makes me more suspicious and more angry because nobody respects me enough to do this one fucking thing I asked for. I thought I’d earned that at least, but…here we are.”

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