“Do you want to leave?”
I shake my head. “No. I refuse to let him ruin our good time. Besides, your coach wanted you to be here and you have that autograph thing at three.”
“I don’t want you to be alone, where he might harass you.”
“I’ll be fine. Promise.” I lean over and kiss him. “Thank you for not being mad.”
“It’s my own fault for being stubborn. It’s like we were in our own little bubble and the outside world didn’t matter.”
“I guess we know better now.”
“Does that mean you want to hear all about Briar?”
“Is she here?”
He chuckles. “No.”
“Then no. Not now. One prior relationship drama at a time.”
“There’s no drama with Briar. She’s part of my past. You’re part of my future.”
I love hearing those words, but they also worry me because I have a gut feeling we haven’t seen or heard the last from Tony.
And that scares the hell out of me.
Chapter
Twenty-Nine
West
Of all the guys in the league who could have been Joey’s father, it had to be DeMarco? I seriously can’t think of anyone else I’d be less thrilled with.
I’m such a dumbass.
She told me he played in the league, she even double-checked to verify he wasn’t on the Thunder, but I didn’t want to know so she didn’t tell me. And now we were both blindsided.
I know DeMarco well enough to know without a doubt he’s going to do something to make her—and probably me—miserable for the rest of the weekend. Just because he can. I want to protect her but I’m not sure how, and more than that, I want to protect Joey. He was obviously extremely uncomfortable around him, which is weird, because he wasn’t shy at all when he met Bodi and the other guys at the house.
More than anything else, I’m aggravated that he’s partially ruined our weekend. She’s trying to act brave, but there’s no doubt Serena is shaken up. If I’m honest, I am too. Not because I discovered who Joey’s father is, but because I feel this vague sense of déjà vu.
Just like when Briar’s ex came back in the picture.
She assured me they were done and she was with me.
I don’t think she ever cheated, but when it came down to it, herfeelings for him were so strong that I couldn’t compete with their shared history.
Intellectually, I know it’s not the same with Serena and DeMarco.
They had the equivalent of a one-night stand, and he was an absolute douche to her when she told him she was pregnant. However, I’ve already watched how intense the pull between a woman and the father of her child can be. The last time it happened, it hurt like hell.
I don’t think I can go through it again.
Hell, I won’t go through it again.
I’ll walk away before I put myself in that position.
Just like I did last time.