Page 27 of Sneak Attack

If steam was rising from my skull, I didn’t care. Selma was always a tough one to handle because she knew too much. And for the most part, we did co-parent Jasper well. It was when she crossed the line where everything went up in smoke. And she’d been doing it more lately.

“Well…you told me, didn’t you?”

There was hurt in her voice I didn’t believe for a second, but she was still the mother of my child and even if she was faking the pain to manipulate me, it worked.

Damn her.

“What are you doing, Selma? Why this? And why now?”

I worked to soften the hard edges of my tone and it must have worked, because her posture slipped. “Maybe, because I’ve been thinking. Of Jasper starting school, of not having his parents together. You don’t date anyone, Cole. Ever. And I don’t want—”

“Don’t.” I made sure I was kind, despite the bullshit she was shoveling. This wasn’t the first time she’d done this. But it would be the last. “Don’t finish that. You don’t even mean it. You don’t want me. Never did. All I’ve ever been to you is a prize to win and if you’re not going to be honest with me, at least be honest with yourself. You tricked me into fucking you that night. You wanted Hilary and I to break up so you could shoot your shot way back then and you only hate Eden because she’s the only girl in the world who had a shot with me.”

“She willneverhave anything to do with my son, Cole, so maybe end that dream now.”

“Ours.”

“What?”

“Our son.”

“We’ll see.”

Oh, she fucking did not…I was in front of her before she could blink. At six three, I towered over her five-four frame and Ineverused my size to intimidate a woman. Ever. But she’d gone too far. “Too fucking far. You ever threaten to take my time with my son away from me and you’ll regret it.”

“Now who’s throwing out threats?”

God damn. This woman. She strolled around this town like she owned it and couldn’t see how she was a big fish in a very small pond. But I could be the shark, if I needed to.

“Try me. You try to take Jasper from me, and it will be the last thing you do, so help me, God. I willruinyou.”

Fear sparked in her eyes. Maybe regret. But she washed it away with a blink and stepped back. I figured I’d made my point as she got to her door and opened it, but then she had to throw the bomb at my feet that almost made my head explode straight into the atmosphere.

“I guess we’ll see. I’m not the perfect little angel with secrets, Cole. You are, so maybe remember that.”

She slammed her door before I could get to her, but it didn’t matter.

I was frozen, rooted to my gravel drive. I didn’t even flinch when she threw her Armada around and that gravel kicked up, peppering me in the shins and chest.

She’dnevermade that threat before.

And I knew Selma enough to know she’d use it if pushed. Except it wouldn’t just be my life that was raked through the media. It’d be Jasper. My family’s. Hilary’s parents and Nate.

And Eden.

“Fucking hell.”

* * *

Mondays were usually light practice days after games on Sunday. I’d already done a light workout, mostly stretching, some yoga, and time on the bike to stretch out sore muscles and keep them loose for the upcoming week. Off-season for me was more meant for improving athletic endurance and ability but once the season started, my entire focus shifted to maintaining the growth I’d strived for and staying injury free. Which meant a lot of time on a bike or elliptical and stair stepper, and not nearly enough muscle load to help me push out all the anger that lingered after last night’s interaction with Selma.

It wasn’t uncommon, although infrequent, for her and me to get in a fight, for her to fly off the handle and then apologize a few hours later. Typically, once she calmed down, maybe vented about how big of a selfish asshole I was to her few friends in town over a couple of cocktails or some shit. They’d tell her to knock it off, she knew the score when she got pregnant, and I was at least thankful she had friends in her life willing to speak truth because on the nights she didn’t apologize, it was because she went to her parents.

Her mom and dad were always happy to shove the knife into my back. I got it. She was their daughter. I was just the little shit Buchanan boy who took advantage of her in her grief—another lovely story she spun.

She’d gone too far last night, though, because in all the years we fought and I tried to reinforce already firmly set boundaries, she’d never once threatened my custody of Jasper. Granted, we’d never had to go to court or a judge or any shit like that. We worked it out. It changed depending on her schedule, my travel days during the season and our parents were both more than happy to pick up the slack.

It worked.

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