Page 4 of Red Zone

Neither stated the obvious—I’d probably dodged a bullet freshman year. But even though I hadn’t known who she was connected to then, she’d taken a wrecking ball to my life. She’d left me, and after, I couldn’t stop imagining her everywhere and nowhere. And now, she was the social media liaison for ourteam. It was time for truth, and if my roommates wouldn’t drop it, I would.

“She’s here. She’s the coach’s niece, and she’s impossible to ignore.” But even as I said it, I knew the deal—it wasn’t a game I could walk away from. Skye Finley had already changed the rules.I’m so screwed.

CHAPTER TWO

SKYE

My leg bounced beneath the table as I tried to steady my nerves, cradling my caramel mocha latte like it could shield me from the last few hours. I probably shouldn’t be having caffeine. I was nervous enough as it was. Another heavenly sip convinced me I could handle the extra jolt. It was too damn good, and I needed something comforting.

The bell jingled over the door to Brewed Awakening, the café on campus that fed my coffee addiction. It was one place I knew Liam never went, so it’d been safe to frequent while I had taken classes and actively avoided him for the past few years, minus the one semester I took off.

I shivered as a cool breeze blew in with the hulking guy who’d just entered. Something settled inside me at the sight of Maverick Davis, my oldest and best friend, with his tall frame and easy smile. He didn’t bother to order, as I had his boring black coffee waiting for him. Across from me, the chair scraped against the floor as he pulled it out then lowered himself into it.

“Okay, Skye, I got your SOS.” He leaned in, his toned muscles rippling under the black Henley. He searched my face with his piercing blue eyes, framed in long dark lashes that wereseriously wasted on a guy—especially one I was immune to, as Mav was like a brother to me. “What’s going on?”

“I ran into Liam—literally—at my new job.”

Mav angled himself closer by resting a thick forearm on the table, blocking me from a nearby table of guys. “You knew you’d see him when you accepted the internship. I thought you were ready.” His brows furrowed. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t have pushed you to take it. Bet he was shocked to see you.”

“Yeah, he was.” I rolled my eyes. “But seriously, I thought I could mostly stay in the background, and he wouldn’t recognize me.” I twisted a lock of hair around my finger—a horrid nervous habit I couldn’t seem to break. “Shit, Mav, it was like seeing a ghost.” I didn’t say that one touch from Liam was like a live wire to my body. He lit me up inside, an impossible addiction that I’d barely quit the first time. All those old feelings came rushing back. If not for my daughter and Liam’s unwillingness to alter the trajectory he’d planned for his life, I don’t think I could’ve done it.

“Not liking the dreamy look on your face.” Mav grimaced. “Stop thinking whatever you are. It’s weird.”

That made me laugh. Ever since his sister died when we were little, our relationship had changed. Though she had been a year older than me and Mav, she was my closest friend. Her death severely shook us. We’d clung to each other and forged a sibling relationship that got us through losing her. So, yeah, I got why he didn’t like the direction of my thoughts. It grossed me out to think of him having sexy thoughts about girls too.

“Go back to how Liam ran into you.” His jaw clenched. “Do I need to mess him up?”

I snorted. “No. It was an accident. When he turned and saw me…” I closed my eyes and relived the emotions that’d shifted through his eyes like quicksilver, from shock to desire to anger.I shivered. “My hope that he wouldn’t remember me imploded—and not in a good way.”

“Does that change things? I know you thought you wouldn’t be seen—which I told you was ridiculous—but what’s the worst that can happen? You left him. Don’t you think he’ll ignore you after the initial shock wears off?” Mav took a sip of his coffee. “He’s not a relationship kind of guy. Unless he could be—if you tell him?”

I refused to touch that last question with a ten-foot pole. I’d heard enough about how Liam hit it and quit it from a few athlete-obsessed girls in several of my classes. Their gossip convinced me I’d done the right thing by walking away, even if it’d shattered my heart.

I’d just found out I was pregnant. My defenses were up, and I probably didn’t handle things the best way when I asked Liam what he would do if circumstances changed and he couldn’t go into the NFL. I should’ve known that wasn’t an option.

“Nothing will stand in my way,” he’d said, and my heart had shattered.

I knew then what I had to do. “Not even for me?” I’d tried to keep it light, but so much was at stake, and I was uncomfortably vulnerable.

“I like you a lot, but no. The NFL is my future, and if you’re not on board with that, then we aren’t meant to be together.”

My stomach rolled on a wave of panic from the unwanted memory that clashed with the ache of seeing Liam again. It drove home the uncontrollably wild way he made me feel. It didn’t matter anymore. I’d made my choice. Lily was mine—but what if he found out? Would he challenge me on parental rights like my dad did with my mom? Would he even care?

“You’re making decisions for him, Skye. Don’t they deserve to know each other?”

“I’m protecting her, Mav.”

“Are you? Or are you protecting yourself? Secrets have a way of coming out, Skye. And if he finds out from someone else…” He let the thought hang, his gaze steady on mine.

“It doesn’t matter. It’s done. Maybe I shouldn’t have taken on the internship. It’s so much, and I don’t want to steal more time from my daughter.” I slowly rolled the almost-empty cup between my palms.

Mav cupped my hands and leveled that look at me that he got when he intended to lay down some deep truth. I stilled, waiting for his advice, needing the solidarity he offered.

“You’ve got this. Just set boundaries and remember that you’re juggling a lot. You’re a great mom. On top of school, you’re doing your TA job and trying to manage a public relations internship. It may be too much. I mean, I hear you. It will all look great on a resume, but you’ve gotta cut yourself some slack. If you’re solid that keeping him out of Lily’s life is the right thing to do, then Liam isn’t a factor in your world, right?”

The question hung between us. My only answer was a scowl.

Mav shrugged, resolved to drop it if I wanted to be stubborn. “Fine. You’re sticking to your decision. Then don’t give him any headspace.”

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