Fourth Down (Portland Pioneers 1)

I say goodbye to my teammates and drag my tired ass to my SUV. As soon as my CarPlay comes on, my playlist starts playing. I look at the time and know it’s too late to call Autumn. I wish she had texted or called me back. I want to talk to her, get a feel for what exactly happened at my place tonight. Right now, I feel like I’m walking into a firestorm without any protection.

The drive back to my apartment takes hardly any time because of the lack of traffic. The one time I need the drive to be prolonged, it’s short, and I’m pulling into the garage in no time. My bag feels heavy. Almost like it’s carrying the weight of the world in it.

When I get to my floor, I hesitate outside the elevator doors. The temptation to go down to Autumn’s floor and knock on her door is pressing. It’s late, though, and she works tomorrow. I don’t want to wake her. The truth is, she may not even want to see me. I already messed up earlier in the week, and while I worked to fix the gap I created, adding Elena to the mix is enough to scare anyone away.

When I come around the corner, the door to my apartment is open. Elena stands there in a T-shirt that is meant to look like my jersey. She reaches for my bag, but I hold onto it. “What are you doing here?” I ask her. To my knowledge, she received the divorce papers, and while I can hope she will just sign them, I’m not stupid. She wants money. The money I’m not willing to give her. I might need to rethink my stance on this because if she goes away with a cash payout, it’ll be worth it.

“I’m home.”

I tilt my head slightly. “I thought we agreed you’d give me notice when you wanted to come to visit the children, and I would get a hotel. Showing up in the middle of my game, when I’m out of town, is a bit . . .” I pause to seek out the right word. “Dare I say, rude?”

“It’s rude to come home to my children and husband?”

I push past her. “Ex,” I remind her. “I’ve filed for a divorce, Elena. I know you’ve received the papers.”

“I did,” she says as she follows me into my bedroom. “But then I sat there and read what had become of our marriage, and I realized I didn’t want this. That we owed it to ourselves and our babies to try again.”

Her words make my stomach roll.

“Boyfriend break up with you?” I look at her, sitting on my bed, and wait for her answer.

“We were never really together, Julius. And he was never my boyfriend.”

“Just your fuck buddy? Got it.” I leave the closet and head into the bathroom. Unfortunately, she follows. “What happened here earlier?”

“Nothing, why?”

“No, not nothing, Elena. What did you say to my parents and to Autumn?”

Elena blanches. “I would never say anything to your parents. We sat here and watched the rest of your game. I braided Roxy’s hair, and Reggie called out the plays as Noah did them. Everything was perfect.”

“And Autumn?”

“What about her? She was on her way out the door when I arrived.” Elena moves into the bathroom and sits on the countertop. “I know you’ve been seeing her, and I get it, but I’m back now, and I’d really like to work on our marriage, Julius. You should’ve seen how excited the kids were when I walked in. Reggie is so happy, and Roxy fell asleep in my arms. I didn’t realize how much I missed them until now.”

“I’ve moved on, Elena.”

“Well, unmove on, Julius. We owe it to each other to give our marriage another shot.”

I pop some Tylenol and drink from the faucet. “I’ll take the couch,” I tell her as I exit the bathroom.

“What’s wrong with the bedroom?”

“Not if you’re in there, Elena. I told you. I’m done.” I shut the bedroom door behind me and head back into the living room. I go to my pile of stuff, pull my phone out, and scroll to Autumn’s number. Call me when you wake up. I need to talk to you. I missed you, Weather Girl.

Thirty-One

Autumn

As soon as the elevator door closes, I feel relieved. I half expected Elena to continue to follow me, but she turned back to the apartment—the one she has shared with Julius since they moved here. If that isn’t a deterrent for this relationship with him, I don’t know what is. My mind is racing with everything that just occurred in that apartment. One minute, we’re all sitting there rooting on the Pioneers, and then the next—a straight-up hurricane. Pint-sized too. Julius and I are close in height, but Elena is tiny, which means Julius towers over her. Still, her personality and demeanor are anything but small. She’s fierce, demanding, and scary. More so, she’s a mama bear asserting her claim on her cubs. I can’t fault her for being aggressive toward me. What bothers me the most is I feel like I’m innocent in all of this. I’m not the other woman. At least I hadn’t looked at myself that way until this past week. However, Elena made me feel like I am one in a matter of seconds.