Chapter 19

The internet found out in less than ten minutes.

Of course it did.

One clip.

That was all it took.

A tiny little girl running across a WNBA court yelling “mama” at Paige Bueckers before being scooped into her arms on live television.

By the next morning, it was everywhere.

TikTok.

Instagram.

Twitter.

Sports pages.

News articles.

Edits.

Millions of views.

Millions.

You woke up to Paige sitting on the edge of the bed already scrolling through her phone with a tight expression on her face.

Which immediately worried you.

“Paige?”

She looked up instantly.

Her face softened slightly the second she saw you awake.

“Hey.”

But you knew her too well.

Something was wrong.

You sat up slowly.

“What happened?”

Paige hesitated.

Then handed you the phone.

Your stomach dropped almost immediately.

Everywhere.

The clip of Maya running onto the court had spread faster than either of you could’ve imagined.

Some headlines were harmless.

Cute.

Funny.

Others?

Invasive.

Speculating.

Digging into Paige’s private life.

You felt anxiety twist immediately in your chest.

Paige noticed.

Of course she did.

She immediately took the phone back.

“Hey.”

You looked at her quietly.

“I didn’t want this.”

Her voice cracked slightly around the words.

And suddenly you understood what was really upsetting her.

Not the media.

Not the attention.

Maya.

Paige rubbed a hand over her face tiredly.

“I wanted her to have a choice.”

Your chest tightened instantly.

Because you’d had this conversation before.

Many times.

Paige never wanted Maya growing up under a spotlight.

Not because she was ashamed.

Never that.

But because she understood exactly what public attention could do to a person.

Especially a child.

“I wanted her older first.”

Her voice stayed quiet.

“Old enough to understand what any of this means.”

Paige stared down at her phone again.

Emotion flickering visibly across her face.

“She doesn’t even know what social media is.”

You moved closer immediately.

“Paige.”

“And now everyone knows her face.”

The helplessness in her voice hurt to hear.

Because Paige could handle attention directed at herself.

She’d dealt with that for years.

But when it came to Maya?

Everything felt different.

More serious.

More personal.

More terrifying.

You gently took her hand.

“Hey.”

Paige looked up.

You squeezed her fingers softly.

“She’s okay.”

Paige swallowed hard.

Then nodded slightly.

But you could still see the worry written all over her face.

Because the truth was-

Things had changed overnight.

Now people recognized Maya too.

Even if only as “Paige Bueckers’ daughter.”

And Paige hated it.

Not Maya herself.

Never Maya.

Just the loss of privacy.

The loss of normalcy she’d worked so hard to protect.

—

Over the next few weeks, things only got more intense.

Fans started noticing Maya whenever Paige traveled with her.

Photos spread online anytime someone spotted the three of you in public.

And despite how kind most people were, it still overwhelmed you.

A lot.

One night while Maya slept upstairs, you finally admitted it quietly.

“I don’t think I can handle being public.”

Paige looked up immediately from where she sat beside you on the couch.

“What do you mean?”

You twisted nervously with the sleeve of your hoodie.

“The attention.”

Your voice stayed soft.

“I don’t want people knowing everything about me.”

Paige’s expression changed instantly.

Softening.

Understanding immediately.

“You don’t have to.”

You looked at her carefully.

“I mean it.”

Paige moved closer without hesitation.

“You never have to do anything you’re uncomfortable with.”

Emotion tightened your throat immediately.

Because there wasn’t even a second of hesitation from her.

No disappointment.

No frustration.

Just support.

Complete support.

Paige gently brushed her thumb across your hand.

“If you want privacy, you get privacy.”

Simple as that.

And Paige meant it.

After that conversation, she became even more protective than before.

No posting your face online.

No interviews mentioning your name.

No public details.

She guarded your privacy fiercely.

And Maya’s too.

Because while the world unfortunately knew Maya existed now, Paige still controlled how much access people had to her daughter.

Which meant Maya almost never appeared online.

Occasionally?

Sure.

A blurry photo holding Paige’s hand.

A quick TikTok of Maya coloring beside the couch.

Tiny glimpses.

Nothing more.

Paige refused to turn her daughter into content.

No matter how badly fans wanted more.

One night while scrolling through Instagram comments, Paige frowned suddenly.

You looked over from the kitchen.

“What?”

She tilted the phone toward you.

A comment under one of her photos.

Show Maya more!!

Paige immediately locked her phone.

“No.”

You smiled softly.

Paige looked serious though.

“People are weird.”

“They’re just curious.”

“I don’t care.”

Her answer came instantly.

Firm.

Protective.

“Maya deserves a normal childhood.”

Your chest softened immediately.

Because Paige meant that with everything she had.

She wanted playgrounds without cameras.

Birthday parties without strangers posting photos.

School concerts without social media edits afterward.

Normal.

Or at least as close to normal as she could possibly give her.

And Paige would do absolutely anything to protect that.

Anything.

Later that night, Maya wandered sleepily into the living room clutching Bunny against her chest.

Tiny voice.

“Mama?”

Paige immediately softened.

“There she is.”

Maya climbed directly into Paige’s lap without hesitation.

Like that was where she belonged.

Honestly?

It was.

Paige kissed the top of her head gently.

Then looked over at you quietly.

And in that moment you could practically see the promise sitting behind her eyes.

No matter how famous she became.

No matter how public her career got.

No matter how much attention followed her-

She would protect her family first.

Always.

Basketball mattered.

Her career mattered.

But you and Maya?

You were everything.