Page 5 of Red Zone

I nodded along to his words. He was right. I could do it. I released the cup I’d been cradling, turned my hands into his, and squeezed. “Thanks. I needed this.” I pushed out a breath, the tension leaving my shoulders for the first time since yesterday’s deer-in-the-headlights moment with Liam.

“You good with seeing him daily?”

I bit my lip, pondering his question rather than responding with my typical knee-jerk reaction. “I don’t know. I mean, it’s been years. I’m over it, or I thought I was. But after seeing him again? It’s just… hard. I didn’t expect to feel anything.” I shrugged, not wanting to worry about why I ended things with him in the first place or if I did the right thing. I did. But a partof me felt like I should have at least told him I was pregnant with his child. When I’d confided in Mav, he’d made his thoughts crystal clear that I should tell Liam, but he’d stood by me and supported my decision. I’d decided to have and raise her on my own. I couldn’t lose Lily. My biggest fear was that Liam would get a big NFL contract and sue me for custody.

“Maybe this is your chance to clear the air with Liam. To tell him.”

“No. Stop. You’ve pushed that already. Let it go.” I didn’t think that would be a good idea. “The whole encounter is probably karma finally catching up with me. Besides, I’ve heard about how much of a player Liam is. Has that changed?”

Mav frowned. “No, but that doesn’t?—”

“Why are you defending him? Didn’t you guys have that fight after I ended things? You didn’t exactly help by throwing a punch back then, you know.”

He sighed, running a hand over his face. “Yeah, well, some guys deserve to be hit, and I’d do it again if he hurt you.” His expression turned weary. “That was long ago, and my cousin was involved.”

“Your cousin is a problem.” But that was a discussion for another day. I had enough on my plate, and adding to Mav’s wasn’t helpful. “Look, I’m not risking it. Liam never wanted a family or to get involved in anything serious outside his goal of becoming a professional athlete. I’m taking our collision and eating turf as a sign that I should keep my distance. I’ve got enough on my shoulders without adding Liam to the mix.”

Mav said nothing, which brought a boatload of guilt. I didn’t like that one bit. As my oldest and closest friend, I knew him far too well. I needed commiseration, and while he gave me some of that, he also pushed me to be up-front with Liam. That wasn’t going to happen. And since Mav knew my secret and I wasn’t willing to discuss it, we needed a change in subject—stat.

“Now that we’re done talking about me, tell me what’s new with you. Any more news on the agent or hockey front?” He already had an agent, Trevor Faraday, who was one of the best in the NHL.

Mav shrugged, released my hands, and leaned back in his chair. “Trev’s in talks with two teams. He’s calling tonight, and we’ll probably hash out details then.”

I studied his relaxed demeanor. The NHL was his endgame, but unlike Liam, he wasn’t wound tight about it. “You take it all in stride.” I gestured to his coffee like he held the secret to his zen. “How do you just show up and not worry?”

He shrugged. “Because I’ve already done the work. Now, I just need to let it pay off.”

I rolled my eyes. “Must be nice. Some of us don’t have it that simple.”

“You could do the same, Skye. Stop running.”

I narrowed my eyes, not liking the implication “I’m not running. I’m doing the internship. I saw Liam. I’m moving past it.” Mostly. “Let me know how it goes with the agent and potential placement, okay?” I glanced at the time. “I’ve got to head out. Thanks for letting me vent.”

After another sip from his disgusting black coffee, Mav unfolded his large frame from the chair and drew me in for a hug. I stayed an extra few seconds before pulling back, the clock ticking in my head for when I had to pick up my daughter.

As I stepped out into the cool breeze, Mav’s words echoed in my mind.You could do the same, Skye. Stop running.If only it were that easy.

Fifteen minutes later, I stood in front of the doors to Little Sprouts Daycare for the designated pickup time. A few more seconds, and Miss Jill opened the door. Lily raced under her arm, pigtails bouncing, carrying a backpack nearly as big as she was. I bent, opening my arms, and she launched herself into myembrace. Laughing, I stood with her and spun around to her delighted peals of laughter. My heart felt two times lighter as I showered kisses all over her face, inhaling the smell of crayons and fruit snacks. For a moment, all my worries faded.

“I missed you, Lily-bean.”

Two tiny hands clutched my cheeks. “Missed you, Mommy.”

Having my daughter in my arms was all I needed to reaffirm that I’d done the right thing and that Liam needed to stay in the dark, where he belonged—firmly in the past. As I peppered kisses across her cheeks, Lily wrinkled her nose the same way Liam used to when he tried not to laugh at the onslaught. God, even her grin sometimes felt like a mirror of his.How long before someone else notices?

Her tiny arms wrapped around my neck, anchoring me in the moment. For now, she was mine and mine alone. But the storm I’d been running from was closer than ever, and Liam didn’t look like the kind of man who would let me outrun him again.

CHAPTER THREE

LIAM

Itore across the turf, following the new route Coach Mack wanted the wide receivers to practice. I dug in, weaving through defenders, shaking free of a tackle before cutting hard to the right. Kylian’s perfect spiral fell into my hands like a gift. I tucked the ball in and sprinted to the end zone.

When I jogged back, tossing the ball to Coach Mack, I caught a glimpse of Skye’s long hair dancing in the wind as she bent along the sideline, snapping pictures. She was everywhere, and no matter how much I tried to ignore her, she had a way of getting under my skin. I didn’t know what pissed me off more—that she’d left without a word or that seeing her still made my chest ache in ways I hated admitting.

After staying up until two a.m. the previous night trying to make sense of my chemistry homework and stressing about the test I’d probably bombed, I gave up. My mind kept drifting between plays I needed to memorize and the final looming ahead. That was when I caved and scrolled through the team’s Instagram account. Since she’d taken over, the engagement had skyrocketed. The pictures were… well, they were outstanding. She had talent and a way of humanizing us, getting peopleeven more invested. Her approach reminded me of the NFL documentaries that followed a few professional athletes.

We practiced three new plays until they were smooth. When training drew to a close, Coach Mack motioned me over. “Cartwright, a word?”

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