"Smart girl."

"Madz, what’s wrong? God, your hands are like ice."

"No, it’s nothing." She let out a breath as she leaned forward.

"You’re sick, let me—"

"No, I’ve finished being sick." After a weak smile Madison swiped the sweat from her brow. "I’ll be fine in a minute."

"You look terrible. You need a doctor." Spencer sprang to her feet. "I’ll call someone." Before she could move, Madison had her hand.

"I’ve seen a doctor."

Every sort of nightmare went through Spencer’s head. In stark terror she stared at her friend. "Oh, God, Madz, how bad?"

"I’ve got seven months." As Spencer swayed, Madison caught her arm tightly.

"Good grief, Spencer, I’m pregnant, not dying."

Stunned, Spencer sank to the bench, "Pregnant!"

Shh." Quickly Madison glanced around. "I’d like to keep this quiet for a while. Damn morning sickness catches me off guard at the worst times." Letting out a shaky breath, she relaxed against the wall again. "The good news is it’s not supposed to last long."

"I don’t—Madz, I don’t know what to say."

"How about congratulations?"

Shaking her head, Spencer gripped both of Madison’s hands in hers. "Is this what you want?"

"Are you kidding?" On a half laugh, Madison leaned against Spencer’s shoulder. "I might not look too happy at the moment, but inside I’m doing cartwheels. I’ve never wanted anything so badly in my life." She sat silently for a moment, her hand still in Spencer’s. "You know, during my twenties all I could think about was being number one. It was great being there. The Wrightman Cup, Wimbledon, Dallas—all of it. I was twenty-four when I met The Dean, and still ambitious as hell. I didn’t want to get married, but I couldn’t live without him. As for kids, I thought, hell, there’s plenty of time for that. Later, always later. Well, I woke up one morning in the hospital with my leg screaming at me and I realized I was twenty-six years old. I’d won just about everything I thought I had to win, and yet something was missing. For the better part of my life I’ve floated around this old world from court to court. Team tennis, pro-am tourneys, celebrity exhibitions, you name it. Until The Dean there was nothing but tennis for me. Even after him, it was the biggest slice of the pie."