Page 36 of Red Zone

His face turned beet red as he narrowed his eyes in anger then darted them to Lily for half a second. “Cute kid. Too bad my cousin Mav isn’t here to play daddy to his daughter.”

The smugness in his voice made my blood boil. Calvin wasn’t just running his mouth—he was fishing for something.Does he know Mav is the father? Or is he just poking at rumors?Either way, the implication hit too close to home.

Skye whirled to face the asshole who would soon find my fist in his smug face. Her finger jabbed into his chest, and she bared her teeth at him. “You have no idea what you’re talking about, so shut up and get out of my face.” She bent, picked up Lily, and took off for the back door to the house.

That was my cue. I grabbed Calvin’s jacket and hauled him close. Ares and Kylian converged from my peripheral vision. I didn’t care, nothing would stop me from shutting the asshole up, but I wasn’t stupid. There were too many witnesses, and our coach’s presence stilled the violent reaction I wanted to unleash on him.

“Stay away from Skye and her daughter.”

He smirked. “Funny how that bothered you so much. Bet she has a hard time looking at that ugly scar on your face. Probably why she dumped you in the first place.”

“You’re an idiot.” The scar was nothing to me. I wasn’t that insecure. “You talk to either of them again, and you’ll regret it.”

“You got nothing,” Calvin taunted. “You’re too much of a pussy to do anything to me with Coach so close by.”

Kylian and Ares crowded us, giving me just enough coverage so no one would see what happened next. I buried my fist in his gut. Air rushed from Calvin’s mouth as he bent over from the force of my punch. Ares wrapped his arm around Calvin, and I released his jacket as my friend led him to another section of the yard, saying that Coach would find out how Calvin had treated his niece and her daughter if he mentioned my hitting him. I didn’t think the weasel would rat me out, but it was better with the threat in place.

As Calvin hobbled away, his words stuck in my head like a thorn.“Too bad my cousin isn’t here to play daddy.”Skye had always been close to Mav, sure, but… could he be Lily’s father?She’d sounded like that wasn’t the case when I asked about the father at the park. I clenched my fists, shoving down the thought. I didn’t have time to chase shadows.

“What was that about?” Kylian asked.

I glanced at our QB1, then eyed the patio doors, fighting the urge to check on Skye and Lily. “Calvin was mouthing off. It was nothing. He was trying to hit on Skye and get a rise out of me.” I laughed, the sound darker than I’d thought it would be. “He didn’t expect Skye to hand him his ass, though. It was hot as hell.”

After Calvin slunk off, the tension in my shoulders eased, but not entirely. Being part of the team wasn’t just about stats or scouts—it was about showing up for the guys who relied on me, both on and off the field.

We put the incident behind us and mingled with our teammates—most of whom were outside at one of the tables—eating our body weight in food. Ares, Kylian, and I took turnsat the grill, giving Coach a break. Even while grilling with Ares and Kylian, I found my gaze drifting to Skye through the crowd. She laughed at something Eileen said, but the tension in her shoulders hadn’t eased. Calvin’s words lingered like a bad taste in my mouth.

After everyone had eaten, we had a short meeting about expectations. Coach’s tone was heavier than usual, his words measured as he reminded us of the dangers of taking the easy road. His gaze locked onto each of us in turn. “Jackson’s death wasn’t just a tragedy—it was a wake-up call,” Coach said, his voice steady but sharp. “You’re under pressure. I get it. But cutting corners? Taking risks with your health to keep up? That’s a fool’s game. You’ve all got talent, but talent doesn’t mean anything if you’re not smart about using it.”

The weight of his words hung over us like a cloud, and for the first time, I saw flickers of doubt on even Ares’s and Kylian’s faces.

The barbeque broke up, but Kylian, Ares, and I lingered to help clean up while the rest left. As I passed through the yard, my gaze caught Mav exiting the house next door and heading toward his car.They’re neighbors?Calvin’s smug words clawed at the back of my mind, each digging deeper. I quickened my pace, the fire in my chest demanding answers I couldn’t ignore any longer.

I caught up to Mav just as he reached his car. My chest burned with jealous rage. “Hey!” I barked, my voice cutting through the relative stillness.

Maverick turned slowly, his expression wary but calm, like he’d been expecting me. “Cartwright.” He leaned against his car. “What do you want?”

“What do I want?” My voice was as strained as the muscles in my back. The idea that he could be Lily’s father made me wantto lay into him, but I restrained myself. “Just had an interesting conversation with your cousin.”

“Oh?” Mav’s dark brows rose.

“Yeah, Calvin thought you should be next door playing daddy to your daughter.”

Mav’s lips twitched at the corners. “Okay and?” He scoffed. “I don’t pay much attention to what Calvin says. He’s an idiot.”

“Tell me the truth. Are you Lily’s father?”

Mav’s eyes widened briefly before narrowing, his usual cocky smirk replaced by something colder. “You’re seriously asking me that? Haven’t we already had this conversation?”

“Answer the damn question.” I stepped closer, my pulse hammering. His cousin was a mind fuck—the reason we were having the discussion again. I needed to hear the truth, needed tomake surebefore I let myself believe what was clawing its way into my chest.

Mav straightened, his arms crossing over his chest. “You’re supposed to use your damn head, Cartwright. Skye is like a sister to me.”

The weight of his words hit me hard. I wanted to call bullshit, to believe there was still some angle I hadn’t seen, but there was no hesitation in his voice. No guilt. Just raw frustration.

Memories of every time I’d seen them together flashed through my mind, and I analyzed the interactions without the persistent red haze of jealousy I usually wore around them. I could see it for the first time—there never had been any romantic chemistry between them.Protective?Yes, absolutely. But that palpable chemistry that ignited whenever she and I were close was absent.

Anger laced my frustration and that goddamned panic of what-if because the timing was right.So if it wasn’t him… then that only leaves one answer.

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