“I’m only human, Queen Victoria. How do you expect me to pay attention when you have your hands on me like that? And that perfect body of yours is so close to mine.”
“Three. You’re not equipped to ride this ride.” And with that, she shoves my chest and lets me go. She walks away without another glance.
I watch her ass the entire time. A few other men do the same. She finds Tara and Ethan, and I go to the bar for a bottled water. By the time I catch up with them again, they’re on their way out of the club. Not surprisingly, when I offer her a ride home, she turns me down and leaves with her sister and Ethan, but not before I put the bottle of water in her hand.
“I’ll see you soon, Victoria Taylor.” She puts her free palm in my face and walks away without a word. I watch her bare legs and wonder what her skin would feel like underneath my fingertips.
I text my driver and meet him outside a few minutes later. I don’t bother saying goodbye to any of my teammates. They dragged me out tonight, and since Evan is spending the weekend with his maternal grandmother and half-sister, I decided to leave the empty apartment for a few hours. It’s hard to believe that I live in a four thousand square foot Manhattan apartment overlooking Central Park. The house I grew up in was less than half the size of where I now live. Mama still owns it. Paying off the mortgage was the first thing I did when I got my first paycheck. It sits empty, still fully furnished from when we all lived there. I make it a point to visit every time I go home. As sad as it was those first few years without Daddy, some of my best memories take place in that house. I don’t think we’ll ever part with it.
Mama struggled to keep me and my brother clothed and fed, and as two boys well over six feet tall, we were always hungry. She did the best she could, sacrificing time and money so me and Charlie could play sports. He wanted to play baseball, but she couldn’t afford the equipment, so we both ended up playing basketball. Out of the two of us, he was the more gifted athlete. At least that was the case when we were both in high school. Until a decision he made took it all away from him. That was only the beginning of the rift between us.
By the time I get home, I’m tired and ready for bed. It’s been three years since Kelsey died. Evan had just turned two the week before. All he has of his mother are pictures and stories told to him by his grandmother. All I have left is guilt. Guilt for not being in love with my wife. Guilt for thinking she got pregnant on purpose. Guilt for wanting out of the marriage. Guilt about talking to a lawyer behind her back because I did not want to lose custody of my son.
When Kelsey died a week after I left the lawyer’s office, my entire world came to a standstill. My son’s life would never be the same, and his sister, Mia, was taken away from him. Her father has custody, but she spends a lot of time with her grandmother and Kelsey’s sister Robin. Unbeknownst to her father, I still support her through her grandmother. It was an arrangement we made soon after Kelsey died when I realized I’d be losing custody.
The house is lonely without Evan. All he’s ever known is the two of us, other than a bad attempt at a relationship last year with a woman who was only interested in me. Since that relationship ended, Evan’s gotten clingier, almost as if he’s scared to have me out of his sight. Away games are stressful, but when I leave behind my crying son, it only heightens my anxiety. The only places he’ll go without me are his grandmother’s and Ethan’s penthouse to spend time with Vincent. Since Tara’s moved in, he’s been spending more time there with his friend.
He talked about her for days after spending time upstairs. Though I had met her briefly before, I had to go and see for myself one night. My son was right. She genuinely loves spending time with Vincent, and by extension Evan. It’s made me want to give him a home with a woman who loves him and wants to spend time with him, but that’s almost impossible to find. It’s akin to finding a needle in a haystack or a unicorn. The ones I come across tend to want me because of what I do, not because of who I am. With a young son, I don’t have the time to weed out the good from the bad. I owe it to him and to myself not to make the same mistake twice.
I strip out of my clothes and drop in the middle of my empty bed before checking my phone. There’s a text from Evan from several hours ago. He’s sitting on the couch with his half-sister, both smiling into the camera.
FIVE
“Where did you say you are?”I toss the towel from around my waist and throw it in the corner of my bedroom.
“My future in-laws.’”
“In-laws? You popped the question already?” I barely have time to put my underwear on before Evan comes running into my bedroom. “Is the ring ready yet?”
“Daddy, I’m bored,” Evan whines.
“Not yet. Long story. Her dad’s a big fan of yours, and I—”
I cut him off with my laughter. “And you need me to get in good with your girl’s daddy.”
“She’s a bit of a daddy’s girl.”
Evan climbs on my bed and jumps into the pile of clothes on the floor. I pick him up and throw him over my shoulder. He kicks his legs and giggles, squirming like a fish.
“Is her sister there?” I’m suddenly eager to do my friend this favor. I’d do it whether Victoria was part of the package or not, but I haven’t been able to stop thinking about her since I saw her at the club almost a month ago. She’s like a ghost. She’s not on social media and Tara refused to give me her phone number.
“She’s a bigger daddy’s girl than Tara. Of course, she’s here for her family’s Memorial Day barbeque.” I never would have pegged her for a daddy’s girl, but I can certainly work with that, especially if he’s a fan. That works in my favor.
“Text me the address. I’ll be there.” I end the call and toss my phone on the bed. I take Evan from my shoulder, spin him around the room and throw him on my bed.
“Let’s get you dressed, Son. I’m taking you to see Vincent.” He jumps off the bed, wearing nothing but his Spiderman underwear and a white t-shirt, and runs out of my bedroom.
“Come find me,” he giggles. I sigh and prepare myself for a game of hide and seek. It shouldn’t take long since he always hides in the same spot.
We are dressed and out of the house in under an hour. It’s a good distraction from my day. After an early morning practice and workout session, I have the entire day to spend with Evan. It’s just a bonus to have other adults around.
By the time we get to the Sugar Hill brownstone, Evan is practically bouncing on his heels, and when Ethan opens the door and tells my son where Vincent is, he runs in and disappears to the back of the house. I look around my friend, and even from the front door, I can hear her voice. She yells something and laughs. It’s a loud, unguarded sound, and I want to hear it again. I’ve thought about her voice almost every day since I saw her.
“She’s out back,” Ethan says. “But that’s not why I invited you here.”
He gestures me inside, and I lower my head to step over the threshold. “Yeah, yeah. I’m here so you can suck up to your almost father-in-law.”
“And mothers-in-law. Two of them,” he says, lowering his voice.
