Page 11 of Red Zone

“She’s probably a hockey player’s kid, and I think that was who Skye dumped me for.” The kid’s eyes were similar to mine, but Mav had greenish-blue eyes, so Lily was more likely his.

Fio tilted her head, scrutinizing my expression too closely. “If he’s not in the picture, you could still date her.”

Life was complicated enough. “No. She’s a flight risk to boot—possibly similar to Mom.” Who’d left us to start another family.

Even with all that, why can’t I get Skye out of my head?

Islid into a back corner booth across from Kylian and next to Ares at Last Call, an off-campus bar that was always crowded after games. Despite it being a weekday, the place was packed. It usually was, as it was the go-to college hangout, the it place. And it had been for me, too, until I had a come-to-Jesus moment in a conversation with my roommates and our head coach. With it being my last year, the countdown to the combine, and scouts watching our every move, it was time to quit my reckless behavior, stop drinking, and get serious.

Aurora practically lived at the condo, and her meals were a constant reminder of how domestic life could be. I’d never thought much about it before, but with Skye back in my life—even at an arm’s length—it was harder to ignore that I wanted someone there for me too, even if I couldn’t have it.

The steady stream of girls and all the partying that I’d enjoyed over the past few years had come to a grinding halt. I didn’t miss what it represented, its purpose: to ease my loneliness and distract me from how happy my closest friends were with their girls and that their paths weren’t meant for me. I’d come to accept it rather than bury my head in the sand and pretend everything was fine.

“Thanks for meeting me.”

“No problem.” Kylian pushed a glass of ice water in front of me. “After your?—”

“Change of heart”—Ares shoved my shoulder—“we were surprised you wanted to come here.”

I shrugged. “I wasn’t ready to go home. Dad was passed out in his usual drunk state at Fio’s. It fucked with my head for a minute. And I don’t know, I just wanted a breather somewherethat didn’t remind me of all the responsibilities and expectations pressing in.”

“Dude, you’ll be fine,” Kylian said. “You were all over ESPN after the game this weekend. You’ve got nothing to worry about.”

Slouching back against the booth, I ran my hands through my hair. “Maybe.” But that could change with one career-ending injury. Nothing was guaranteed.

“What else is bothering you?” Ares folded his arms and braced his weight on the table. “You seem more stressed than usual. Is this really about your dad or the draft? Or did something else happen?”

“You know the tutor I’m required to see for chem?”

“Yeah.” Kylian’s gaze locked on me as he waited expectantly for my response.

“Fuck it.” I clenched my jaw before letting the story pour out of me. “It’s Skye. The address was for Coach’s house. She lives with him and his wife.”

“Okay.” Ares drew out the word. “Not ideal, but he must’ve set it up because it was at his house.”

“He was involved in it, according to my advisor and Coach Mack.”

“And?” Ares continued. “That means Coach will see you’re committed to improving your grade.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Is it messing with your head? Maybe you should get another tutor,” Kylian said.

“That’s part of it. It’s not just about seeing her again,” I admitted, the words heavy on my tongue. “She’s everything I want but can’t have. Seeing her with Mav only worsens the pressure—scouts, coaches, Skye—every part of my life feels like it’s tearing me apart.” I confessed, running a hand through my hair for the millionth time.

Kylian and Ares exchanged concerned glances while I bared my soul and grappled with conflicting emotions that were too big to manage.

“Have you thought about talking things through with her? Maybe making another go of dating?” Kylian asked.

“She walked, man. I tried to talk to her, to get her to understand why I said what I did, but she blocked me. If she could walk away that easy, then there’s no denying that she doesn’t want me.” I took a deep breath then dropped the truth bomb that had plagued me since I’d left Coach’s house. “Besides, she has a kid.”

“Does that bother you?” Kylian leaned back, giving up all pretenses of drinking the water before him.

Does it?“Yes and no. I like kids.” But that wasn’t the problem. It was how things ended between us.

Both Ares and Kylian had hard and fast rules about family. They had moms who would do anything for them, who always had their backs, and who they loved beyond all reason. I didn’t have that, and I listened to them when it came to the things like family and relationships. I was too emotionally screwed up to trust myself, and I tried to make sure I wasn’t letting my past infect my present and future—which was a constant battle I failed at more often than I liked to admit.

Ares’s fist clenched on the table. “She’s a single mom. You can’t mess with her unless you’re serious.”

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