Page 28 of Power Play

“Do you even know this woman?”

“I know she was awarded custody of my child, and I have to sue the state for her to be mine,” I finally say. “I also know social services is trying to take her away from me, and if I have to marry a complete stranger to keep my kid, I will. I did. I’ll do anything for Emmy.”

“But she’s your baby mama’s sister,” Mitchell says.

“And?”

“Isn’t that… weird?”

“Not for us.” I’m firm about that. “Marriage doesn’t have to be all about love and rainbows. It’s a business transaction.”

MacGregor shakes his head. “That’s sad.”

Fists clenching at my sides, I turn on him. “What does that mean?” I would never take a swing at him, but I still don’t have to stand here and tolerate his accusations.

He doesn’t know half of what I’m dealing with. The doubts running through my head at all hours of the day. He’s saying my inside thoughts out loud. It’s not what I wanted for myself, but it’s the hand I’ve been dealt. Now I have to live with it. I don’t need him calling me out.

“Marriage should be about spending your life with someone who makes you happy. It should mean something,” he says. “Sure, there are business deals and political alliances that happen behind closed doors, but that’s not what it should be about.”

“Who knew you were a romantic?” I throw a nearby towel at him. “This works for me. It works for us.”

But hours later, as I take my seat on the team plane, I whip out my phone and pull up my messages with Riley. It’s all fairly straightforward. Everything is about Emmy or the house. The day the maid comes, when Tyler will drop off the prepared meals, when I’ll be back.

She doesn’t share anything personal. Neither do I.

And for some reason, that leaves me feeling hollow. We’re married on paper, but we don’t act like a married couple. We don’t do anything together, like ships passing in the night, trading the baby back and forth between us.

Until MacGregor brought it up, I tried not to let it bother me. Doubts are one thing; regrets are another. Now, it’s the only thing I can think about. For so long, all I’ve wanted is a family, someone to come home to. And boom, now I’ve got it. But it’s not at all what I thought it would be. I like belonging to someone. I like knowing someone belongs to me. That we’re a unit, however it happened.

And even though I’m surrounded by teammates, I go home to Emmy and Riley, and I’m still lonely. I never thought I could be so alone when I’m constantly around people.

Something has to change. I have to change. I need to do something.

The flight is only an hour and a half, but by the time we deplane, grab our bags, and I drive home, it’s past midnight. Riley should be asleep, so I’ll have to talk to her in the morning.

But when I walk in the door, her light is on, and I find her in Emmy’s room, changing her.

“Hey,” I whisper so I don’t spook her.

Riley looks up, exhaustion etched into her face. “Hey. How was the game?”

Part of me is disappointed she didn’t watch. But I’ve never asked her to. It didn’t occur to me until just now that it’s something I need.

I want my wife to care about me. I want her to show an interest in the things that are important to me, beyond our daughter.

“We won. I scored a goal.” I lean against the door, my gaze raking over her body. Dark circles crease under her eyes, and she’s wearing sweats and a baggy shirt, her hair tied up in a messy ponytail. I wonder what would happen if I pulled the hair tie out, letting her waves cascade around her shoulders. She looks gorgeous with her hair down. She also looks gorgeous with her hair up. Basically, she looks gorgeous all the time, even when she’s exhausted.

She’d probably slap me, though. They taught us in kindergarten not to pull pigtails, but still, I haven’t learned. My fingers twitch, and I shove them into my pockets so I don’t inadvertently reach out. It’s really inconvenient being attracted to my wife.

“Nice.” She grins, then zips Emmy’s pajamas closed.

The baby lolls her head to the side, and when she sees me, she lets out a happy shriek, going from snoozy to wide awake in an instant. Her smile spurs one of my own, and my heart pangs. I love this little girl so fucking much.

“I guess it’s my turn,” I laugh. I discard my suit jacket, then roll up my sleeves. “Gimme my girl.”

“I’ll grab her bottle,” Riley says. She shoves Emmy into my arms and practically bolts from the room.

“Guess it’s just you and me, then, kiddo,” I murmur to my daughter as I settle in the gliding chair. “You like me, don’t you?”