"Sure, why?" "I get the impression you have something on your mind," I hit the highway and we zip toward the exit to my apartment building. "Are you worried about the baby?""What? Oh no!" she says with a wave of dismissal. "I'm just distracted is all."We are silent while I park in the lot at my building. My place is only ten minutes from the stadium. It's not the fanciest apartment complex, but rent in Houston is really expensive, especially inside the loop. I'm lucky I can afford it. Not all soccer players can. I'm pretty sure the rookies are all driving from at least thirty minutes away and have roommates."So here we are," I say, turning off the engine."No underground parking with a secret passcode to get in?" she jests. "I'm shocked there's not more security."I snicker. "Professional soccer players don't need much security in the States. In Europe or South America, hell yeah, but here, people are more interested in football players." I get out of the car and make my way around

I stay silent as my heart drops. I'm not asking for anything right now. It's too soon. We both have fears, but to hear someone he's close to say he may never be ready for something more is jarring."When my dad left my mom, what, ten years ago? Eleven? Wow. I didn't realize it had been that long." She clears her throat. "Anyway, it threw our family into this weird chaos, especially the boys. They all looked up to my dad. Thought he was practically a god among men. So him revealing he was a lying, deceiving, cheating human the whole time, well, you can imagine how well that went over.""I'm sure.""Add onto that, my mother is really close to her boys." She twirls her ponytail around her finger. "She's close to all of us, but Daniel and Geovany the most. They're her babies, ya know? Ever since then, Daniel has made it very clear over the years he has zero interest in commitments, says he refuses to settle down until he is one hundred percent sure he's got the right person because he'll

I stare at the TV, Jamie Fraser's naked butt strolling by. That alone should hold my attention, but I can't concentrate on the most recent episode of Outlander.All I can think about is how it's been more than a week since I've heard from Daniel and how it's pissing me off. I texted him once. He never texted me back. I'm not surprised. I knew this was coming as soon as Chance called him dada. It was written all over his face. It scared the shit out of him and threw him right back into that default mode Blanca talked about. He'd tried to cover it well, but the fear was so obvious.The next morning, I saw his picture online. He and his teammates were coming out of some strip club at four in the morning. There's no way to convince me they went to Purple Palace to have a team meeting. So not only did he get freaked out, he lied to me, and immediately ran to the safety of other women. Distant women. Women whose names he will never know, and he doesn't have to worry about getting close to.

I lean against the wall in the hallway, hugging a folder to my chest. My thoughts run rampant as I wait for my new attorney, a man I have never met but hired based on a recommendation. It wasn't hard finding him. The minute you start asking clients at a salon for resources, people come out of the woodwork to give you names and numbers. Ultimately, my coworker, Nathan, had a client who went through a custody battle last year. From what he says, it was really ugly. But she ended up winning, and she still sees Nathan every six weeks, which means she didn't go broke fighting for her kids. That's good news.Still, all of the "what ifs" mock me. What if the attorney charges more than I expect, and I can't hire him? What if I hire him, and he's in cahoots with Erik? What if he ends up bungling the case? What if he doesn't bungle the case, but we get a shitty judge who's had a rough day, and I lose custody? I recognize how ridiculous and irrational I sound, but that doesn't stop the thoughts

The door makes a snick sound as it closes behind me, and I'm immediately aware of the noise level in the house. It should be comforting. It was always comforting before. But now it's a reminder of what I didn't bring with me this time.It's been several weeks since I've seen or talked to Quincy. She texted me once. I didn't respond, and that was the end of that. I'm not sure if I was expecting her to keep trying. That's what most girls do. But Quincy isn't most girls. If I'm honest with myself, I was never her priority. Her child was. Like it should be.I keep reminding myself the kid is the reason I need to stay away. He will ultimately get hurt if this relationship, whatever it is, continues. But that doesn't make this separation any easier. I'm the one who cut all ties. I'm the one who decided this was what was best for everyone. But I miss her like I've never missed anyone or anything before. The six weeks I was out of soccer when I broke my tibia in high school was brutal because