CHAPTER 1
THEO
“You’re late,” Max said.
Theo Davenport sat on the bleachers to check the knot in his shoelace. “There was traffic.”
“You’re never late for anything,” Max told him.
“Well, it’s only basketball.” It wasn’t even real basketball. It wasn’t as though Theo and his brother played in a league, or even with other people. It was only their weekly Thursday night pickup game, and in Theo’s opinion, Max should count himself lucky that Theo made time for this at all.
But he knew it was difficult for his brother to understand the differences in their lives. As a freelance sportswriter, Max could work when he wanted to. He could set his own schedule. Taking Thursday evening off was no big deal for him.
It was different for Theo. As the owner of the Houston Stallions, he had to be constantly available to deal with emergencies and keep the club running smoothly. People might think that owning a baseball club was all fun and games, but the truth was that it was a lot of hard work.
Not that Max knew anything about hard work. Berating Theo for being late to a pickup game, as if this was the most important commitment he had!
He got to his feet, satisfied with his shoelace, and held out his hands for the ball.
Max passed it to him. “It’s not only basketball,” he said. “This is the only time you and I see one another. It’s the only time we spend together. That’s important to me, Theo.”
“It’s not like I blew it off. I’m here, aren’t I?”
“Sometimes I think you just do this because it’s the only time you get any exercise in the week.”
“That’s not true at all. I have a home gym — and you know it.” Theo made a point to get in regular workouts, if only because fitness was necessary to allow him to keep up with the rigorous demands of his work life. You couldn’t work sixteen-hour days if you were going to fall victim to fatigue.
Max rolled his eyes, as if Theo’s comment had somehow only proved his point. “Whatever, bro. You’re here now, so let’s play. Take the ball out.”
Theo did, and over the next several minutes, the two brothers fell into a companionable routine. They were a good match for one another on the court, having played one-on-one all their lives. Theo had often felt that this was the only way he had to relate to his brother. He and Max had so little in common, but they both enjoyed these pickup games.
Today, though, Max was playing unusually badly. After Theo had stolen the ball from him for the third time in a row, he stepped out of bounds, which was their way of signaling a stop in play.“There’s no point in this if your head isn’t in the game,” he told his brother.
“I’m sorry,” Max said. “It really isn’t.”
“Is everything all right?”
“Yeah, it is, I just… wanted to ask you something.”
Theo sat down on the bleachers. “Is this about the marketing job? Because it’s still available, and I think you’d be really good for it.”
“What? No, I told you I didn’t want that job,” Max said. “Why are you so adamant about trying to get me to go into marketing at the club? I’m happy with what I do.”
“Because you could earn a reliable paycheck instead of living contract to contract,” Theo said. “And you’d still be writing, you know. I know that’s what you want to be doing.”
“I would be writingad copy. That’s completely different and has nothing to do with sportswriting. And I already told you that I wasn’t interested in this job,” Max added. “You don’t need to keep offering it to me. That wasn’t what I wanted to ask you about.”
“I’m just trying to help,” Theo said. “You’re a father now.”
“And youaren’t, so please don’t assume you know more than I do about what it takes to raise children.”
That was fair, if a little harsh. Theo nodded. “Fine,” he said. “So, what was it you wanted to ask me about, then?”
“Well, itisabout the kids,” Max said, “kind of.”
“Is everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine. Everything is great.” Max drew a deep breath. “What I wanted to ask was… will you be my best man?”
