The Player | SPORTS ROMANCE | 18+

Chapter 23

SALVADORA DE LEON

My mind had been all over the place all day. I couldn't concentrate on a single task. Not one task.

How could I when my son's life lay in jeopardy?

Okay, maybe I was being dramatic, but it sure didn't feel like it. After Titus spilled the truth in his outburst this morning, I couldn't stand to look at him for a moment longer. Not when he was accusing me of all these horrible things, of being a hypocrite even though the story was completely the opposite. And then before he left, he had to threaten to file for full custody of Arturo.

He threatened to take my baby away from me.

Titus signed all his parental rights away six years ago. His name wasn't on the birth certificate. He didn't want to have anything to do with Arturo then and because of his finalising decision, that meant he couldn't have anything to do with him today. Not without my explicit agreement and compliance.

Or at least that was what I was trying to tell myself but honestly, that didn't make me feel much better. Not when I knew Titus had pretty much unlimited money available at his fingertips, and all he had to do was click his fingers to get what he wanted. Or more realistically, hire someone to do all his dirty work.

I was not ignorant of the fact that people with money always got what they wanted. It was a broken system and I hated it, but I refused to be ignorant of the truth.

I had paid a pretty penny to hire a good lawyer when I received the paternity papers in the mails days after Arturo was born. The last we had been in contact was five years ago when he sorted out the paperwork for me, he wished me luck, and said to reach out if I ever needed anything again. I was grateful for all his help but sincerely helped that I would never need his services again. Unfortunately, I was wrong.

James Brunswick, my lawyer for a very brief period of time, and he reached out to me for the first time in such a long time just before my lunch break this morning. Apparently Titus' lawyer – one of the best in the professional sports business, James told me – had gotten in touch with him and James threw the signed documents at him. He said he would call again if he had an update, and I had been impatiently waiting for that call all day, but nothing. Not even a text. From anyone.

To say that I was slowly going crazy was an understatement.

Titus Reyes didn't make any sense to me at all.

First, he didn't want anything to do with my son, and then he was requested to view the paternity papers he signed years ago? And then this morning he looked at Arturo like he was the most precious whole world. I knew because that's the way I looked at my son – because he was the most precious thing in the world to me. There was just so much love and warmth in his eyes. He looked to be genuinely happy as he interacted with my son which only proved to confuse me so much more.

Why was Titus Reyes acting like a new person?

Why was he suddenly interested in Arturo? What had changed?

As soon as the clock struck five, I was out the office and heading home which was a strange thing for me on a Monday since Arturo didn't finish with his weekly baseball practice at school until six.

The kid loved his baseball which was ironic since his father – his biological father I sometimes thought of just a sperm donor – was a professional football player. They were both balls games though.

Feeling lazier than usual, I picked up Arturo from practice and allowed him to choose pizza for dinner even though both of us were a little bit lactose intolerant. The compromise was to pick up some lactaid on the way home which he wasn't happy about, but I crushed into his water when he wasn't looking. He helped me wash the dishes and then we watched Toy Story until it was time for his bath time. He ended up splashing me with his dirty bath water because he thought it was funny, so I took a shower after a read him a bedtime story and kissed my baby goodnight.