Page 43 of In The Game

I lift my chin and look down at her through hooded lids. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You know what it means. I’ll never trust a word you say. A broken heart and a battered reputation are a small price to pay when you’re not the one footing the bill.”

“I broke your heart?”

A serious miscommunication went down. We’re not on the same page. We’re not even in the same goddamn book.

“Forget what you did to me, you brokehisheart!”

“Please.” I fold my hands together. “Please, let me meet him again. You have no idea how hard the last week has been on me.”

She scowls. “Oh, have the last few days been hard for you? Try the last few years.”

“Raleigh, I swear I didn’t know. Let me fix it!”

“You can’t fix it! You can never make up for those years. You did this to yourself. You don’t get to try and swoop in when it’s convenient for you. That’s not how children work.”

My mouth is gaping. I don’t know what to say.

“You’re right. Fuck, you’re absolutely right. I amsorryfor whatever hell you’ve been through over the years. I can’t imagine. But I can’t let you go again—”

“You don’t get to say that!”

“Okay, okay.” I raise my eyebrows and hold up my hands. “Listen, I’ll follow whatever rules you want. Just don’t shut me out. What do I need to do?”

“Nothing. Just keep living your life and stay out of ours.”

Not happening. It feels like I’m in some confusing dream. She’s talking nonsense. There’s been a huge error, but I can’t figure out where it began.

“I can’t do that. Give me your number.”

She shakes her head and looks off to the side. “The irony.”

“I’m not the only one to blame here. Let’s not forget, you walked away from me! And from now on, I need direct communication with you—because whether you want to admit it or not, that’s my son.”

“He willneverbe yours. There’s no paternity test.”

“Fuck a paternity test, all I needed to do was look at him! You already gave me his birthdate. Do you really think you can keep me away from him, Ral?”

The transformation she makes after that statement is downright frightening. Her eyes widen, and somehow, that small five-foot-whatever form is suddenly full of menacing intimidation. She nearly growls as she says, “Are you threatening me for custody? You will not take my son away from me. That boy is my world, and I am an excellent mother. I’ve been the sole—”

“Jesus Christ!” She’s irate, tears are welling in her eyes, and I’ve turned her into this. “I would nevertakehim from you. All I’m asking for is a chance to know him.”

What have I done?I’ve broken this woman and have missed out on years I’ll never get back. I can’t figure out what the hell happened, but I’m not wasting any time finding out. I check my watch. Shit, I’m supposed to be lacing up my skates now.

“I want to continue this conversation, but I’ve got a game tonight and need to get to the arena. Give me your phone.”

She stares at me with distrust, and I speak as calmly as I can. “I’m not going to steal custody from you, Raleigh. I can see you’re an excellent mother, you’re doing an amazing job.”

I don’t know what makes her do it, but she unlocks her phone and holds it out to me. A photo of Arthur is the wallpaper behind her apps. He’s curled up in a blanket with that same stuffed koala bear he had at the arena.

After adding my phone number into her phone, I text myself to make sure I have hers. Before handing it back to her, I skim her other text conversations to see if there’s any that seem to be a romantic interest. No heart emojis on any of the contact names is a good sign.

“Is there a boyfriend I should know about?”

She crosses her arms over her chest. “I don’t see how that’s any of your business.”

“It is if he’s around my son.”

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