Page 43 of Jilted

13WILDER

TEN YEARS AGO

“I can’t freaking believe it.” My buddy Andrew shook his head. “When did you find out?”

“A week ago.”

“Didn’t you use protection?”

I raked a hand through my hair. “We did at first. But we weren’t seeing anyone else, and she’s on the pill.”

“Isn’t that thing supposed to be like ninety-nine percent effective?”

I blew out two cheeks full of air. “I’ve always been an overachiever.”

“What are you going to do? You’re leaving for England in a few months.”

“Not anymore.”

Andrew’s eyes bulged. “What?It’s all you’ve talked about since we were kids. Playing for England is your dream.”

“I’ll postpone. Or I’ll play here in the US. It’s not too late to qualify for next year’s draft in the MLR.”

“You know that’s not the same thing. Rugby here is shit. You might as well play professional Ping-Pong.”

I frowned. “It’s growing fast.”

He shook his head. “Name one player here who has a seven-figure endorsement.”

Of course I couldn’t. Not here anyway. England? New Zealand? South Africa? Definitely. But the sport didn’t make household names and faces in the US. “You know I don’t need the money.”

“I know. But don’t you want to play against the best? In a stadium full of eighty thousand people?”

That’s what hurt the most. I didn’t mind not making money. My father had enough to last generations. But I wanted to be the best,and in order tobethe best, you had toplayagainst the best. There wasn’t a player from the United States ranked in the top fifty. It sucked. But what the hell was I going to do? My girlfriend was pregnant. I couldn’t move to another country right before she was about to give birth.

Andrew sighed. “Do you love her at least?”

“I haven’t been with anyone else in four months.”

He frowned. “That’s not a yes. That could mean she’s a great lay.”

I pointed. “Watch it.”

“Seriously, Wilder. This is a big fucking deal—changing your entire life for someone. Do you love her or not?”

“I’m content.”

“I’m content when I sit on my grandmother’s couch and she makes me her homemade gnocchi. Doesn’t mean I want her to have my baby and uproot my entire life.”

I raked a hand through my hair. “Doesn’t matter what I want now. Because it’s happening. We’re having a kid.”

14SLOANE

Friday afternoon, I was sitting at my desk finishing up some work when my phone vibrated with an incoming call. I got excited, thinking maybe it was Wilder, only to get the ultimate letdown when I read the name on the screen.Josh.My ex was the absolute last person I felt like talking to—even seeing his name irked me—so I let the call go to voicemail. But I was curious, so when my phone chirped with a new message, I couldn’t help myself and pressed play.

“Hey, Sloane. Long time, no talk. I couldn’t decide whether I had a better chance of you reading a text from me or answering my call. Or maybe I’m kidding myself and I have no shot at either. At least I got to hear your voice on your message.” He paused, and for a few heartbeats I thought that was it, that he’d hung up. But then he spoke again. “Anyway, I miss hearing it. I’d like to talk, if you have some time. So… yeah. Call me back. Please?”

I shook my head.What balls. Though I realized this might’ve been the first time I’d thought of Josh andonlygotten angry, not sad. A few months ago, a call like that would’ve thrown my whole day off, but now, I didn’t find it too difficult to get back to work.

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