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down onto O’Malley’s chair.
    “Why did he make me break up with him in the first place? Why wasn’t I good enough?” It was a question she had on the tip of her tongue for years and now finally she was able to ask it out loud.
    “Jesus, Angel, is that what you thought?”
    “O’Malley told me so right to my face.” It only confirmed what the whole town thought of her. Even Carlos, a man she’d never met, thought she was a gold digger. In his agent’s defense, allegations were probably made against his clients everyday. How many claims did Billy himself receive—hell did he actually have other kids?
    “He didn’t mean it. He knew Billy would break your heart. Your father wanted you to walk away with your pride.”
    “Billy wouldn’t break⁠—”
    “He would have eventually. College women throwing themselves at him versus a pool hustler five hundred miles away? Not even a contest. It’s a given.”
    “I’ll never truly know, will I?” Angel folded her arms.
    Hoss flipped back the recliner and sighed. “Don’t start believing in those fairy tales you read to Gabby. Nothing has changed. Replay that video of him in the strip club. That’s the real Billy Burner not the boy who whispered promises to you in the dark. Remember that when he tries to get you into bed. Don’t think he won’t. He’s a man.”
    “And the father of my child.”
    “A sperm donor.”
    But Billy claimed to want more and by the way he melted when he looked at Gabby, she already had him wrapped around her finger.
    “When are you leaving?” Hoss got up and walked to the door.
    “Next week.”
    Hoss hesitated, and Angel thought he was about to offer up some more unwanted fatherly advice but instead asked, “Can I have the chair?”
    Angel blinked. What was she going to do with all this stuff? She doubted any of it was worth the cost of moving to New Jersey or the cost to store it once it got there. Besides she deserved a clean slate without reminders of the past. Like how much O’Malley loved that chair, joking that he’d be buried in it. Now as far as she was concerned, he could roll in his grave knowing Hoss sat on the O’Malley throne. “Consider it severance.”
    “Ha, good one. I’ll come by with a truck later.”
    Angel shut the door. Leaning against it in exhaustion, she decided to allow herself the rest of the day to brood about the past. Then tomorrow she’d start anew. Begin to pack up her life and get the hell out of town before she changed her mind. Or Billy changed his.

Chapter 7

    A fter practice Billy stood on the sidelines of the empty field, visualizing the plays for tomorrow’s game. In his head he ran every route, pictured catching each pass with ease before making his move to score a touchdown or dig for that extra yard. He’d repeat the process tonight as he fell asleep, when he woke, and one more time before he took the field. The ritual began in college when the step up from high school football had overwhelmed him. Skill wasn’t enough at that level. He realized to be a successful player he had to be prepared physically and mentally. He welcomed the challenge.
    Concentrating on football was the only thing that had kept him sane in those first few months after Angel dumped him. Billy poured his pain into practices, played like an animal in games, earning him the college scholarship his father always dreamed of.
    He breathed in the calming smell of grass and closed his eyes enjoying the peace of the moment before heading to the madness of the locker room. There was so much to do before Angel and Gabriela arrived on Wednesday. There was no room for a game ending fumble.
    Ryan Terell, the veteran tight end, slapped Billy’s shoulder pad. “Daydreaming about breaking my records, kid?”
    Billy shrugged it off. “I’m not a kid.”
    Jake Miller, the running back, slapped the other side. “So we’ve heard.”
    Billy should have known. Where there was one, the other was sure to follow. The two