Page 38 of Red Zone

A shudder racked my body, and I soaked up her support before pulling away. I had to make her understand why telling Liam was a terrible idea. “I can’t put Lily through the heartachethat’s bound to follow telling Liam he’s her dad. Can you imagine?” My voice rose, and I had to take several deep breaths to regain control. “He’s on the verge of achieving everything he’s ever wanted. A family isn’t part of that plan, and I can’t risk derailing his future—no matter how much I might want to. I can’t do that to him, not when he specifically told me that was his end game and nothing, not even me, would distract him from reaching his goal.”

“But—”

“No.” I softened my voice. I didn’t want to hurt her. I knew her ambush came from a place of love. “It can’t just be about what I want. If I told Liam, he could lose everything important to him. Can you imagine Uncle Tommy finding out?” I whisper-shouted. “He would flip his shit if he learned one of his star players knocked me up. That could derail Liam’s likelihood of interviews from scouts and field time.”

“You really think your uncle would do that?”

I rolled my eyes. “Hell, yes.”

Aunt Eileen paled, looking adequately chastised. “Well… okay. We’ll keep this between us, at least until football ends.” Fire returned to her soft brown eyes. “Then all bets are off because Liam should have things in order with an agent by then.”

“No.” I firmed my voice, willing her to see reason. “This needs to stay silent until after the draft.”

Aunt Eileen shrugged, the corners of her mouth lifting with that mischievous expression that spelled trouble. I didn’t like it.

She shook her head. “Sweetheart, people are going to notice. Lily’s the spitting image of him—the eyes, the grin, everything.”

“No one will notice. Lily isn’t around the football players.” I crossed my arms, mimicking her posture. We were at an impasse, but I would win.

“Except for today, especially when Liam was seen holding her around all of them.”

“That’s a low blow.” I saw red. “Did you plan for this? Did Uncle Tommy have all the ballers over for a team-building barbeque because you put the idea in his head?”

“Of course not. But even the most unobservant can see that Liam is so good with Lily. Maybe it’s you who can’t see that. All I’m trying to do is pull that rip cord.” She rested her hand on my arm, probably in an attempt to get through the wall I’d erected. “Open your eyes and see what could be instead of worrying over heartache and loss.”

My head jerked back as if she’d slapped me. “I know firsthand what loss feels like. Remember, I lost my parents. And when I found out I was pregnant, I knew the news wouldn’t be welcome. The guy I was madly in love with didn’t want a serious relationship with me. It was clear that a family would impede his professional trajectory.”

The floor creaked faintly outside the door, and the hairs on the back of my neck prickled, but I was too focused on Eileen to care.

Frustration pinched Aunt Eileen’s mouth, creating lines she hated along her upper lip. “But that’s his daughter too. All I’m saying is Liam deserves to make the choice to be a father to his daughter. Tommy doesn’t need to know until later if that’s what’s stopping you from telling him.”

“So she is mine.”

I spun to find Liam’s tall, broad frame filling the door. His head was tilted back slightly, brows angled together, creating lines on his forehead. The scar on his cheek stood out, and a muscle jumped along his tense jawline.

Staggering back as if I’d been punched in the gut, I uncrossed my arms and held my shaking palms out against the anger and shock pouring off him. “Liam?—”

“Lily’s asleep.” Guttural words shot through clenched teeth. “I was coming to say goodbye.”

“Liam, I?—”

“No.” His response cracked like a whip as he retreated into the hallway. “We’re going to talk, Skye—about all of it. But not now. Right now, I can’t even… How could you keep her from me?”

My breath caught, frozen in my chest. Liam’s voice wasn’t just angry—it was broken, raw, like every ounce of betrayal had poured out in those words. My hands trembled, the room spinning as if gravity had flipped. This couldn’t be happening. He wasn’t supposed to know—not yet, not like this.Lily… Oh God, Lily.

The air left my lungs, and I dropped to my knees as a full-blown panic attack hit me with the force of a tsunami. I couldn’t even process how much he’d heard other than the part about Lily being his—I was well and truly fucked.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

LIAM

Lily’s my daughter.I’d asked Mav, and part of me had already known. But hearing it like that, hearing them confirm it—it still felt like a goddamn sledgehammer to the chest.

The truth wasn’t unexpected—not really. That quiet, nagging thought had been buried in my subconscious from the second I saw her. The familiarity in her green eyes. The way Eileen had watched me, like she was waiting for me to see it, to put the pieces together. I had. I just hadn’t wanted to believe it. Hadn’t let myself. Because accepting it meant facing the reality that Skye had kept something that massive from me—had made the choice, alone, to raise our daughter without me.

My hands fisted at my sides, my breathing uneven.She’s mine. Lily is mine.And I never had a fucking clue.

A crushing weight settled over me, pressing down on my chest like a full-body tackle I hadn’t braced for. My legs moved before I’d even made the conscious decision. I rushed down the stairs and past the kitchen, where Kylian and Ares were still talking to Coach. One look, and they both straightened, quickly saying goodbye and hurrying after me.

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