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I find myself both hoping itisandisn’this.
“Positive. I threatened to get a paternity test. She said the father is married and wants nothing to do with them.” Jackson’s disgusted tone only twists the knife deeper into my gut.
Oh. My. Fucking. God.
My dreams and nightmares have collided. The baby is mine. It has to be. I got Aurora pregnant, the one woman my team captain is in love with. Obsessed.
Can this get any more fucked up? At least my divorce is final, and nobody here knows I was married. Not even Jackson seems to question if I’m the father.
“His fucking loss,” Grant says.
“For damn sure,” Killian agrees.
A wave of guilt washes over me. I’mthatguy. I may not have explicitly said I didn’t want a baby, but during my panic, my behavior made it painfully clear. I judged her, acted superior, and used my marriage as a feeble excuse for my actions. And to make matters worse, I kept her in the dark about my plans to become the head coach of her ex’s team.
“That’s what I told her.” Jackson is grinning again. And why wouldn’t he be? Everything he wanted fell into his arms, quite literally. “I saw the baby at the hospital. A little boy. It was fucking incredible.”
A little boy.Tears burn my eyes, and I bite my lip to stop from crying or raging.
“She’s thrilled but working her ass off. I offered for her to move into my place because Emily is giving her trouble. You know how she can be.”
“Jealous and self-absorbed,” Killian answers, bitterness lacing his tone. “And she’ll cause problems between you and Aurora. She’s done it before.”
“Exactly, and I plan on spoiling the shit out of them.”
“Dude, that’s fucking awesome,” Grant says. “I’m happy for you.”
You know what’s notfuckingawesome? Learning, in the back of an airplane, from the man in love with the woman carrying your child, that you have a son on the way.
Pursuing Aurora will cause Jackson to despise me and shatter the integrity of the team I’ve poured endless hours into building. Yet, I can’t ignore the fact I have a responsibility. I won’t give up my child.
Eventually, she’ll find out I’m Jackson’s coach. What then?
I can handle them being together. After all, I’m accustomed to burying my emotions in work. But the idea of not being a part of my child’s life is unbearable.
I never wanted kids, but now that I know I am, I can’t let it go.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
“Jackson! Open up!” I shout through the door, my words coming out slurred, no matter how hard I try to avoid appearing drunk.
I admit, I had more than a few drinks at the hotel bar. I only intended to have one, enough to take the edge off while I processed the predicament I got myself into.
Then I thought about Aurora, overwhelmed with work and her roommate, and one whiskey became two. I thought about how she was supporting her grandmother and our child—a child I could easily afford—and the guilt pushed me to order a third.
The situation sank deeper.
The mother of my child is relying on another man—a man who met my son before me. She was hospitalized and had nobody but her ex to lean on. That shameful realization led me to one more.
I lost count, thinking about Jackson, who, surprisingly, has grown on me. I kind of like the kid. His attitude reminds me of the chip I once had on my shoulder. And even though he’s in love with the woman I desire, I still don’t hate him. He’s too fucking charming to hate.
Except in this particular moment, when he refuses to... “Answer the damn door!” I pound my fist harder.
Defeated and unsteady, I rest my forehead on the hard surface, rejoicing in the swirling darkness.