Vista Marquis stole a piece of my heart and soul that night in her bedroom and kept it prisoner all these years.

So I guess I am freaking out, as she put it. Just not in the manner she meant it. “I’m not sure how to react to all of this,” I confess to her, holding my head in my hands as I try to process everything. “I came here to...” I stall out, stumbling over the words in my head that I want to say. I settle with, “I just didn’t expect this.”

“Are you mad at me? Is that it?” she asks me, her voice small but hard, like she’s gathering her strength. “Because it takes two to tango, you know.”

I chuckle under my breath. She’s got a way with words that makes me smile. “You’ve had some time to get used to this. Give me a little time to get caught up, okay?”

She’s silent a moment, and then she nods her head in agreement. So reasonable. I gaze around at the rows of machines, all neat and tidy and ready for tomorrow. I can tell she takes pride in what she’s accomplishing, as she should. I’m proud just to be sitting here. This place is going to make a killing. But that’s not really what’s running through my head. It’s just a distraction for what’s going on beneath the surface, because there’s a question that I need to ask, and I don’t know if I want the answer.

Taking a deep breath, I decide to just spit it out. “When did you plan to tell me about the baby?”

From the corner of my eye, I see her shoulders stiffen. It’s an answer same as any other, but I want to hear it from her. So I wait. And wait.

Finally, when the silence has gone on long enough to make me want to scream, she speaks. “I wasn’t going to say anything. Ever.”

I’m instantly enraged. Red hot anger boils my blood. I ball my fists and knot my arms around my raised knees so I don’t lose my shit and destroy everything in the room. I need something to release my aggression on, and that’s usually a soccer ball, but they’re hard to come by at this hour.

“It wasn’t anything against you,” she says quietly. “I just wanted distance from all of it. You’re a big time soccer player and the cameras are always on you, following you around. If they found out about me or the baby, it would destroy everything. You, me, this baby, my mother, your father. I didn’t want that for any of us.”

Fuck my father. I couldn’t care less if the media sharks rip his whole world apart, but I can understand her reasoning. That doesn’t mean it makes me feel any better. She was ready to cut me out without even asking me how I felt about it.

“I can appreciate you trying to protect our kid, but that’s our kid. That means I get some kind of say in its life.”

“You’re absolutely right,” she agrees, and for some reason, that pisses me off, too.

“You’re damn right I am. Where the hell do you get off keeping this from me?” Unable to sit still any longer, I jump to my feet and start pacing. “So what if I’m famous? So what if people follow me around? So fucking what! Do you think I’d ever let anything happen to my kid? No. Hell no.”

Years of pent up anger and frustration come rushing to the surface and the faster I pace, the more I feel it. “You’re just like the rest of them. You think I’m some irresponsible, worthless shit who’s only capable of kicking a ball into a net. Well, here’s a newsflash for you. I’m made of tougher stock than that! I went to college, I got my degree. I might be rich, but that doesn’t make me dumb!” I shout, throwing my arms out to my sides.

Vista’s eyes are wide, and I can tell that she isn’t certain how to respond. I know I’m going off the rails, but I can’t seem to help myself. It’s like the floodgates have opened, and I can’t stop the water from rushing through.

Getting to her feet, Vista keeps her distance, and wouldn’t you know it, that angers me even more. She shouldn’t be afraid of me, dammit!

“I understand that you’re upset right now, and you have every right to be, but you’re scaring me right now, so I’m going to ask you nicely to please leave. You can come back when you find some self-control.”

“Oh, I’m controlled, princess. I promise you that,” I say snidely. My whole life is about control lately. “In fact,” I tell her, “you’d be proud of me. I haven’t had a single drink or fucked a single woman since I left Chicago. Do you know why that is?”

She shakes her head, her expression weary.

“It’s because I’ve been working my way back to you. And now that I’m here, you’re sending me away. What the fuck!” I laugh, even though nothing about any of this is remotely funny. “And then I get here and I find out you’re pregnant with my kid and have been hiding it from me?” I throw my hands up.

“You’re not making any sense, Levi. Just leave. Go home, or back to your hotel or whatever, and get some sleep. We can talk more about this tomorrow when you’re feeling more like yourself again.”

Her words cause something inside me to snap. I think it’s just a culmination of everything that has been weighing me down my whole life all coming to a head in this very moment, but it doesn’t make the outcome any different. Or prettier. With more bite to my words that I intend, I tell her, “Fine, you want me gone? You don’t want me in your life? Then you don’t have worry about it anymore. I’m out of here.”

Turning on my heel, I head for the door. I know when I’m not wanted. I’ve spent my life learning how to spot the signs, and I’m done sticking around where I’m not welcome. I’ll make sure Vista and the baby are taken care of, of course, but now I’m free to finally do whatever the hell I want.

Strange, but as I storm from the room I don’t feel free, or even particularly relieved.

“Levi, stop!” Vista chases after me, rushing out into the dark and empty waiting area. “You’re being really immature right now. You know I didn’t mean that I wanted you to go away.”

“Then what did you mean?” I roar, spinning around to face her.

She skids to a stop, her wide brown eyes looking up at me in shock or fear, I don’t know which. “I-I just meant that I didn’t want to be around you when you’re so...upset. I want to talk, but not like this.”

My heart is pounding so hard I can feel my body moving to the beat of my pulse. But as I continue staring down at her, I feel myself begin to calm down. I’m letting my emotions get the better of me when I should be the voice of reason here. Right? I think so, anyway. It’s hard to know what to do when you suddenly find yourself standing on your own without a security blanket to fall back on. That’s what my father was for me, a source of security. I knew that if I fucked up, he’d be there with the answers on how to clean up the mess. Now, whatever choices I make are mine and mine alone.

It’s the biggest learning curve I’ve ever had to face and it’s scary as fuck. I can’t tell when I’m doing this adult thing right or if I’ve got it all wrong.

“Shit.” Combing my fingers through my hair, I grimace. “Shit. I’m sorry, Vista. I’m being a total dick, aren’t I?”

A hint of a smile appears on her porcelain face causing my heart to stutter. “Yeah, you kind of are.”

I don’t want to be that. Not to her. Not ever. I need a time-out to collect my shit before I completely fuck this up. Or at least, not any more than I already have. “Can I have a do over?”

She pretends to think about it. I love that she doesn’t just give in to me. She makes me sweat a little first. “Yeah, you can have a do over.”

I want to fall to my knees before her, I’m so relieved. Not that I ever doubted how charming I am. “Tomorrow then. After closing. I’ll pick you up, take you to dinner, and we’ll talk.”

Drawing her bottom lip between her teeth, she considers it for what feels like an eternity before saying, “It’s a date.”

Yeah, it is, isn’t it?