Hendrix - Kelsey Clayton Page 0,5

me. “If you say so.”

WE'RE MINUTES AWAY FROM the end of the fourth quarter, and Asher has played better than I've ever seen him. Our defense has been on point, only allowing them to score one touchdown while our offense has scored five.

Asher hikes the ball, and I run down the field, knowing it's coming right for me. He throws the ball and watches as it soars through the air. I jump up as high as I can and catch it, then fall backward right into the end zone, letting my momentum tumble me into a somersault and then back onto my feet. The score is forty-one to seven. Even if Ollie misses the field goal, there's no coming back from this. We have this game in the bag.

The buzzer sounds to end the game, and the crowd goes wild. Not only did we win the game, we kicked ass. I walk up to Asher and press my helmet against his.

“Now that's what I'm fucking talking about!”

He chuckles, looking like he's on top of the world.

Yeah, he's back.

My best friend's back.

I'M SITTING ON THE arm of the chair with Lennon beside me and a beer in my hand. Tessa lies across the couch, her head in Asher's lap. While the rest of the team went out to celebrate, we opted to spend the rest of the night at my house. Lennon has to go back to school in two days, but she's staying here in the meantime. After last summer, she and her dad are no longer on speaking terms.

Asher runs his hand through Tessa's hair, and she moans erotically, as if he just shoved his hand down her pants. Lennon giggles into her sleeve as I roll my eyes.

“If you two are going to fuck, please don't do it on my couch and remember to use a condom.”

Asher snorts. “Surprise babies are your thing, Daddy.”

I wince subtly at the mention of Saige's—and potentially my—daughter, knowing I haven't told Lennon about it yet. It's not that I was planning on keeping it from her. I just knew the second I bring it up, it becomes real. Suffocatingly, terrifyingly real.

“What is he talking about?” she asks me.

My hand moves to rub the back of my neck as I look around the room. “I, uh, might have a kid.”

“Might?” Her eyes bore into me. “Is some girl claiming she's pregnant with your baby?”

I shake my head. “It's more like my ex-girlfriend from college. She has a daughter, and if the math is anything to go by, she could be mine.”

Lennon is quiet for a second before exhaling. “I don't know what's more surprising—that you might be a dad, or that you've had a girlfriend.”

Asher throws his hands in the air. “That's what I said!”

She laughs softly and looks back at me. “So, what did she say when you asked her about it?”

The whole room goes quiet, and I bite my lip as I once again avoid her gaze. Before I know it, she sighs and pushes me right off the chair. I fall onto the floor and my beer spills all over me. My brows furrow as I look up at her.

“What was that for?”

She glares at me, ignoring Tessa and Asher, who are cackling at my expense. “For being an idiot. Don't be that guy, Colby. You're better than that. Cut the shit, be the man I know you are, and find out if that kid is yours.”

My tough exterior melts under her stare, the same way it always has, and I starfish on the floor. “And what if she is? I don't know how to be a Dad, Len.”

She shrugs. “I don't know, but I do know you're not the kind to ditch out on your responsibilities, even if it isn't what you imagined for yourself.”

I sigh heavily, because she's right.

She's always right.

I need to find Saige.

3

SAIGE

People run around the office like they're going to lose their minds if they don't get everything done within the next five minutes. I sit at my desk and roll my eyes. Busy work days have never been my forte. I'm more of a go-with-the-flow kind of girl, and apparently it's paid off. Being an event coordinator, you need to be able to do what the client wants, your opinion be damned.

The clock stares back at me, looking like it's not even moving. A part of me wonders if I could get away with changing it without anyone knowing. After the past couple days,