When I finish packing, I sit on the edge of the bed for a moment and look around the room.
There’s something strange about being inside a life that feels so settled. So complete.
A crib down the hall. Bottles drying beside the sink. Tiny socks folded neatly in laundry baskets. Evidence of a future they built together quietly filling every corner of this house.
We’re the same age, but somehow they feel years ahead of me. It’s as though they’ve crossed into some version of adulthood that I’ve only been orbiting around. It’s not just to do with Harris—though he is a big part of it—but because they found something together and decided to build a life around it.
I swallow hard and zip my bag shut before my thoughts spiral too far.
Then I notice my phone on the vanity and reach over for it, seeing a few unread messages lighting up the screen.
Stevie:Red Alert: Ryan didn't just hug me today... he gripped my ass... Okay, fine, because you asked, I might've kissed him. This isn't going as intended ????.
Chris:Hey Honey! I hope you're doing well. Just thought I'd check in to see how you're settling in?
I stop when I see the final unread message and frown in confusion.
Jake:Important question: have you gone cliff diving again, or am I still your most reckless decision?
Jake? The cliff diving guy?It feels so long ago that I almost forgot about him.Am I still your most reckless decision?
You never were, Jake. You never were.
I flick off the message, and I immediately think about texting Zach. My thumb hovers over his name, but we haven’t spoken since Harris was born, and even though it’s only been a week, it still feels like something shifted in that time.
Before I can decide whether to text him anyway, a notification slides across my screen.
Because you were interested in Zach Evans.
Underneath is it a chopped-off news headline. Curiosity gets the better of me, and I tap it.
The first image that loads is Zach standing in front of a clock tower beside a woman I immediately recognize from all the press she gets.
Whit Marlow.
She’s stunning with long blonde hair, perfect body, cocky smile. She’s the kind of woman people stop and stare at.
Zach is standing right beside her, looking like he belongs.
Zach Evans, rookie quarterback of the moment, photographed with LPGA sensation Whit Marlow for Ascent’s winter campaign.
So not only is she gorgeous, but she’s also successful too. She’s competitive, disciplined and the kind of woman who understands Zach’s world.
The one I’ve always found hard to manage.
I scroll down the article before I can stop myself.
Big mistake.
It’s not just one picture. It’s an entire campaign.
Photo after photo of them standing too close together, in matching Ascent gear, looking polished and effortless and painfully good beside each other.
And the worst part?
They fit.
America’s new golden quarterback beside a beautiful pro athlete.
