“We should start using condoms again,” Bailey says. I frown at my phone as I climb the stairs to my hotel room. One, I wouldn’t relish going back to having a barrier between us when we make love, and two, this isn’t the conversation I expected to have when I called to say goodnight.

It’s been six days since she said those magic words to me—I love you—and I told her about Lindy taking money from my parents. I’m in San Diego with the team, and I should probably be dreading tomorrow and another game on the bench. Instead, I can’t stop thinking about my wife waiting for me at home.

“Why are you thinking about condoms?” I ask.

Bailey sighs. “I was just thinking about your story and how Lindy got pregnant when you were in high school. I’m good about taking my pill every day, but I don’t want you to think I’d be offended if you wanted to double up.”

“I’d only be worried if I weren’t prepared for an accidental pregnancy. But it’s your body, Bailey. If you want to use condoms then we will.”

“No, it’s not about that. I just thought it might be a tricky subject for you, given your past.”

I round the corner and jog up the last flight of stairs. I can’t believe we’re having this conversation on the phone, but she brought it up. “I don’t want extra protection, because I don’t mind the idea of you carrying my baby.” She’s silent a beat too long. “Do you hate that idea?”

“I don’t think we’re ready for that yet, but . . .” She draws in a long breath. “Now I wish I hadn’t brought this up on the phone, because I want to kiss you.”

I grin. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Tell me what you’re wearing.” I keep my voice low as I push out of the stairwell and walk through the hotel hallways to my room.

Bailey laughs. “You did not just ask that.”

“Fuck yeah I did. And in a minute, I’m going to throw the lock to my room and make this a FaceTime call so I can see for myself.”

Everyone prefers home games to away games. Not only are you playing on your own turf and have a stadium full of cheering fans on your side, you get to sleep in your own bed the night before the game. I hated leaving Bailey this morning. Knowing I wouldn’t be home until late Sunday night was harder still.

I slide my key into the slot over the door handle, and the light flashes green before I push in. “I’m waiting.”

“If you must know, I’m in a pair of your flannel pants and a Gators T-shirt, and they both fit me way better than I anticipated, so instead of being all content as I snuggle into my husband’s clothes, I’m playing around on my tablet and looking at easy weight-loss plans.”

“I hope you’re kidding.” I drop my key on the minibar, pull my wallet out of my back pocket, and undo my belt.

“About the outfit or the diet?”

“The diet,” I say, unbuttoning my shirt. “I kind of like thinking of you sitting around my house in my clothes. I bet you look adorable.” I turn around and almost jump out of my skin when I realize I’m not in the room alone.

Lindy puts her finger to her lips, signaling that I should be quiet. At least she’s wearing clothes this time. I guess I’ll count my blessings.

“So adorable,” Bailey says. She groans. “Tell me when you’re ready to switch to FaceTime. I want to see you.”

I scowl at Lindy and point to the door. She shakes her head. “I’m gonna need a rain check. Lindy’s here.”

“Lindy?” Her voice wavers on the name.

“Yeah. Unfortunately.” I give Lindy a pointed look. “I just need to get rid of her and then I can call you back.”

“I don’t like that she’s there.”

“That makes two of us.”

Bailey laughs. “I wish you were home. I’ve gotten spoiled the last few weeks, and now my body doesn’t like to sleep without you.”

“I feel the same,” I say softly. “I’ll call you later, okay?”

“Okay. I love you.”

“Say it again,” I say, because I don’t give a fuck that Lindy’s waiting for me. That will never get old.

She laughs. “I. Love. You.”

“I love you, too. Miss you already.” I end the call and toss my phone on the bed before giving Lindy my full attention. “This again?”

“How’s your wife?” She shakes her head. “So fucking clever, marrying you in Vegas. Kind of wish I’d thought of it myself.”

“Yeah, except I wouldn’t have married you because I can’t stand you.”

“Right. Because you are madly in love with Miss Stripper Pics and her magical hooha.”

I rub the back of my neck. I should have known that stripper pics thing started with Lindy. “Stop with that shit. Seriously, I had no idea you were so immature. How did I ever think I was happy with you?”

“Because you were.” Lindy’s expression softens, and she lowers her voice. “We could get that back. That’s why I needed to talk to you about your wife.”

“In my room? At night?”

“I didn’t think you’d want me doing that in front of the guys.”

“You don’t need to talk to me about shit. Though if you’d talk to your dad and let him know you’ve moved on and he can quit fucking with my career, that would be fantastic.”

She shakes her head. “You’re the most naïve man I’ve ever met. You really think this is going to end happily?”

“I don’t need to hear your opinion about my marriage or your thoughts about my wife.”

“Are you so sure she’s better than me? Do you think I was weak to be influenced by your parents but she’s immune?”

I don’t like to talk about the past, but here she is, shoving it in my face. “I think some people have more integrity than you’d ever understand.”

“Really?” She shakes her head. “You’re so smart, but you can be so dense.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Mason, I’m a woman. I see the way she looks at you. That girl is in love with you.”

“I know. Lindy, I’m in love with her too.”

“Yeah, but the difference is, she’s going to walk away. She’s going to leave you.”

My gut clenches like she just put her fist in it. “You tell yourself whatever you want.”

She tilts her head to the side, and for a moment, her face shows real sympathy. “She’s been in love with you for years but she wouldn’t let herself be with you. Don’t you wonder why?”

“It’s complicated.”

“Is it? I think it was complicated for me. Your parents talked to me about your future, your life, your hopes and dreams, and our baby. That was complicated.”

“How complicated was it when you used their money to buy yourself that Porsche? I bet you looked terribly conflicted driving around with the top down.” I shake my head. “You didn’t even need the money. But if you didn’t have to play by your daddy’s rules and go to the college he chose to get the car you wanted so badly, then you won, right?”

“I’m not the villain. Your parents made me believe that you would resent me if I had that child.”

I lean against the wall, as far from her as I can get. “You’ve explained yourself to me before. I’m not interested in hearing it again.” I point to the door. “That’s the way out.”

“Stop sticking your head in the sand,” she says, standing. “In Bailey’s case, it’s just about money. You can’t get any more basic than that.”

Her words send a chill through me. It’s not what she’s saying—I wouldn’t put it past her to lie—it’s the certainty in her eyes. “What do you know?”

“You know your parents aren’t above bribery, and you know how they felt about her. How they feel about her.” She turns up her palms and shrugs her shoulders to her ears. “I don’t know anything, Mason. I’m just a girl who sees the red flags when they’re there. I’m just someone who can feel it in her gut. This girl isn’t any better than I am. She’s worse.” She shakes her head. “I did what I did because I loved you. I did it for us. For our future. But if I’m right about her, she won’t be able to say the same. In her case, it wouldn’t have been complicated. Greed is simple and selfish.”

“I want you to leave.”

“You can bury your head in the sand all you want, but it’s not going to change the truth.”

“I said leave.”

She sighs heavily. “I’m just trying to warn you. You may hate me, but I still care about you.”

I hold my breath until she’s out the door, and when it shuts behind her, I immediately grab my phone, but I stop before calling Bailey.

I shake my head. No, Lindy’s trying to make me question Bailey because she’s jealous. She can’t be right when I just had a conversation with Bailey about a potential pregnancy.

But I can’t stop thinking about her words. If Bailey was willing to strip to send money to her sister, is it so far-fetched to think she’d have taken any money my parents offered? As I reach for my phone to call my mom, I hate myself, but the seed of doubt’s been planted.

“Mason,” Mom says. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes, everything’s fine.” We already had our regular Saturday morning conversation, so I’m sure this call takes her by surprise—a sign that I’m not doing great in the son department. “I need to ask you something.”

“Of course, what is it?”

I’m ashamed of how long I hesitate, ashamed that it takes me so long to get the question out of my mouth. I don’t want it to be true, but I need to know. “Mom, when I was at BHU, did you offer Bailey money?”

She gasps. “What?”

“Did you give her money to stay away from me? Or pay her in exchange for a promise to never have a relationship with me?”

“Did she tell you that?” Mom doesn’t get angry often, but I hear it in her voice now, simmering quietly. “Mason, that’s not true. I didn’t like the girl because she was a stripper, but—”

“She didn’t say it. I’m asking.”

“No. Mason, absolutely not. I lost a year of my relationship with my son after making that mistake once. I wouldn’t do it again.”

I draw in a long breath, and it feels like my lungs are filling for the first time since Lindy put that piece of poison in my brain. “You understand why I had to ask.”

She’s silent for a beat. “I do, but I wonder why you asked me and not Bailey. With a question like that, shouldn’t you have been able to ask your wife?”

“Next time Mia’s in town, I’d like to bring her over to meet Faith.”

My sister stiffens and purses her lips. “What?”

I draw in a deep breath. I didn’t expect this would go great, so I’m prepared. The fact that I feel like I can even bring it up says a lot about how far we’ve come in the time I’ve been here. Yesterday, Sarah and Brandon brought Faith over to watch the game and swim. The Gators lost by fourteen, which was brutal, but more frustrating than the loss was that Mason barely got to play. They put him on special teams to receive the kickoff a few times, but he saw more play time in his first game last year than he did in this one.

When he got home, he took me straight to bed, kissing and touching me with a desperation I didn’t quite understand. After, he told me about Lindy’s visit and that she’s still determined to win him back. When I asked him if that was what he wanted, he kissed me again, harder and more desperately than the first time around. “You’re all I want,” he whispered as we made love again.

Today, I’m spending the afternoon with Sarah and Faith, and it’s been awesome. First, because she invited me over, and second because she hasn’t been rushing me out the door.

Now Faith is out back playing on the playset, and Sarah and I are cleaning up the kitchen.

“I know you’re not ready to tell Faith about me yet,” I say, treading carefully. “I wouldn’t expect you to tell her that Mia is her aunt. But Mia lost her brother, Sarah. And I think it would do her heart a lot of good to know about Faith. If she met her, she’d see that Nic’s still here in a way.” I see the worry on her face, and I reach out and squeeze her wrist. “No one is going to take her away from you. Faith is your daughter. I was sure when I made that decision that it was the right one, and I stand by it. I just want Faith to meet Aunt Bailey’s best friend, okay?”

Tears spill out the corners of her eyes. “Okay. I guess that’d be fine.” Then she surprises me by stepping forward and wrapping me into a hug. “Bailey, I’m so afraid I’m not good enough to be her mommy. If I weren’t, maybe I wouldn’t be so scared.”

“You’re a fantastic mother.” I turn her toward the windows so she can look at Faith playing on the swing set beyond. “Just look at her.”

She wipes away tears and turns to watch Faith pump her legs on the swing. “I’m so afraid I’ll never be the mother you are.”

I frown at her. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I’m ashamed of what you did for me. I’m ashamed that I let you, ashamed that I needed you to, and ashamed that I never would have had the courage to do it myself.” She draws in a breath and looks down at her hands. “If I’d been able to figure out how to cope after Greg left, you would have never had to take that disgusting job. I just kept thinking, how much more is she going to sacrifice for us? And I was left torn between wanting to let you have a relationship with Faith and wanting to push you away so you wouldn’t feel responsible for taking care of us.”

“Sarah, I made my own choices. I know how you feel about them, but at the time it was a choice I was comfortable with making. I wouldn’t do the same thing now, because I have a different relationship with my body today than I did then.” I look away, realizing this says a lot about what Mason’s done for me. He’s changed a lot about the way I see myself. I was always pretty clinical when it came to thinking of my body, but now taking off my clothes for strangers would feel like an invasion of my privacy.

“I hate that you felt like you had to.” Her face crumples. “And I hate that I was so afraid of someone taking her away from me that I let you. You were always so brave, like a mother should be.”

I pull her into my arms and stroke her hair. “Giving her to you and giving you help when you needed it are my proudest accomplishments, but you are her mommy.”

We hug each other for a long time, and years of animosity seem to melt away, replaced by a new understanding.