“I thought that was fun,” Dev said, strolling with his hands in his pockets. “They’re really the perfect couple.”
At the corner of First and 70th, we stopped, and Dev called for a car. In the darkness of the back seat, I felt safe enough to take his hand.
“Is that something you might want one day?” I asked him. “To have what they have?”
Dev laced our fingers together. “It’s all I think about. Their life is goals for me.”
Chapter Twelve
Dev
Three years later
“Hey, Brody?” I was at the dining-room table, going over our finances. Through the years, I’d kept up with the ins and outs and ups and downs of Wall Street, and I was our designated investment adviser. I enjoyed a little day trading, and keeping an eye on fluctuations in the stock market had enabled our savings to grow exponentially with bonds, treasury bills, and real estate. I wouldn’t risk the bulk of our money, though, and had it in stable income funds. I was careful as it wasn’t only my future, but Brody’s and his mother’s as well.
Long ago I’d learned never to trust anyone with my money—I’d heard too many stories of players blindly entrusting their wealth to someone and regretting it. Every year, I made Brody sit with me, and we’d discuss where and in what to invest. Once a month I crunched the numbers. My parents might think I was wasting my life playing football, but I had to think about what happened when I retired. I didn’t want to be one of those players who waited too long and limped away. I wanted to go out on top and needed a plan for when my glory days were done.
“Yeah? What’s up?”
“Wanna review your mom’s statement with me? I think it’s time to move some of her money. She’s got a lot of cash from the life insurance after Theo’s death, and I think she should invest in tax-free munis or maybe mutual funds. Take a look.”
The year before, Theo had been killed in a construction accident. Brody had stayed with her the week after he died, helping her work through her grief. With me, Brody had cried, admitting he’d been wrong in never giving Theo the chance he deserved to be a father to him, and now it was too late.
Instead of answering me, Brody stared off into space, and I knew he wasn’t thinking about bank balances. I set the money talk aside for the moment. “It still bothers you, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah. You know…” Wetness glimmered in his blue eyes when they met mine. “I never had the chance to say I was sorry for how I treated him. I couldn’t even stay past the funeral, since we were in the playoffs, and Momma insisted I needed to be with the team.”
“Baby, you’ll find the right time to talk to her.” I squeezed his hand. “But you softened a lot toward him these past few years. I saw it, and I’m sure they did too.”
He lifted a shoulder. “Maybe. Now that she’s alone, I just wish she wasn’t so far away.”
With the payment from the insurance company, Brody had set up a trust for his mother and an investment account that I managed for her. He’d again made his argument for her to move up by us, but she refused. She’d come to the city plenty of times, and enjoyed herself, as far as I could tell, but she wouldn’t stay longer than a week.
“Visiting is enough for me. I have my life to live, and you boys have yours.”
“You’re the money man. I trust you to do what’s right. After all, you made her a ton of money on that IPO, and we’re all raking it in on that real estate investment trust and the shopping centers. I think we’re doing pretty good.”
I lazed back in the chair and rolled my neck. “Damn right we are. Let’s not forget the two Super Bowl wins in three years that dumped a huge chunk of change in our pockets. Plus, think of all the good stuff we’ve done—giving to teen shelters and food banks at the cities we play in. You’ve taught me to take care of those who aren’t as fortunate as us. So, pretty good? Fucking awesome is more like it.” I spun around in my chair and scanned the pictures on the wall. Me, throwing a forty-yard TD in the last minute in our first Super Bowl win. Brody making a catch and the absolute joy on his face with the ball in his arms in the second Super Bowl victory. Our team accepting the trophy. Brody hugging his mom. The whole team celebrating on the field and at the theme park. Meeting the President at the White House.
Scenes of our life together.
And absolutely nothing from my parents. I’d done the right thing and invited them to all the divisional playoff games, offering to fly them out and put them up at hotels every step of the way. I received a “Thank you, but no thanks.” Always the optimist, Brody pointed out that at least they answered and didn’t ignore me.
It hurt, but I had Brody by my side, and that was all that mattered.
“I was thinking that even though your mom doesn’t want to live here, we should buy an apartment in your building for her. Maybe one day she’ll change her mind.”
Brody’s lips twitched. “Excuse me, you’ve known Momma for close to ten years. How many times has she changed her mind?”
I huffed out a frustrated breath. Ms. Faith was the sweetest person but stubborn as the day was long. “I know, but real estate is always a good idea.” My phone buzzed and vibrated across the table. “It’s Ezra. Hey. How’s it going?”
“Good. You have a minute? Is Brody with you?”
There was restrained excitement in his voice, and while Ezra was always a little hyper, this time it was different. My curiosity piqued, I closed my laptop so I could focus on Ezra.
“Yeah, Brody’s with me. What’s going on?”
“Okay. You know after this year’s Super Bowl win, you’re the hottest commodity. Your contract is up, and I’ve got an incredible offer. The Cocoa Beach Rockets are looking for a quarterback, and they’re willing to pay you.A lot.”
