“Oh really?”
He nodded. “When I said you can get whatever you want fromme, I meant it. So, if you want my spot, it’s yours.” He walked over to me, but he didn’t sit. “But let me give you the rest of the tour first.” He reached out to me.
“Oh! I’m sorry.” I placed my hand in his and he helped me to my feet. “I thought this was where you chill when you have anybody over.”
Pulling me close so I was flush against his body, he held my gaze. “You’re not just anybody.”
My stomach fluttered. “That’s good to hear.”
After a swift kiss, he placed his hand on the small of my back. “Now here’s the real tour,” he said as he escorted me to the door that took us to a set of stairs.
When we got to the landing, I looked around in awe. “Wow.”
His home was beautiful.
As he showed me around, I couldn’t help but be impressed with the three-story townhome. The downstairs alone was almost the size of my entire apartment, and it was just a den, a bar kitchenette, a bathroom, and the garage where his other car was located. The next level had the kitchen, dining room, and the living room. The third level had his bedroom, a guest bedroom, and a sitting room. I thought we were done, but then we climbed another set of steps to a loft floor where his office and a roof deck were located. When he opened the door for us to go onto the deck, I was speechless.
Or so I thought.
“I can’t even imagine what your rent would be,” I blurted as I stared toward the skyline.
“I own it.”
My head whipped around toward him. “What?”
“It’s mine. I bought it.”
“When you said you live in a townhouse, I didn’t think you meant youownit. This is amazing.” Awestruck, I shook my head. “Are you a Gates? A Carter?” I asked jokingly.
Laughing, his brows furrowed. “A Carter?”
“Shawn and Bey,” I clarified as I peered over the railing. “Is this typical practice squad living?”
“Hell nah!” Still laughing, he shook his head. “Most people on thepractice squad live in a hotel so they can have that flexibility because we can get dropped at any time.”
“So, what made you buy?”
“I know myself well enough to know that I needed a home. A place to come back to. In the back of my mind, even if I had to go to a different team, if I got a nice enough place, I could rent it out or later on, I could sell it. But I knew it would be a good investment.”
I nodded. “And I do remember you saying you needed a home base, and you said you had a townhouse, but I didn’t expect this. I mean, this place makes sense with you being on the active roster and getting at least the league minimum. But you said practice squad gets paid weekly because you could be gone the next week. How…?” I put my hands to my face as I realized I was rambling. “It’s not my business. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be—”
“No,” he interrupted, grabbing my hand and tugging me. “You can ask me whatever you want.”
“I’m being nosy.”
He put his hands on my hips and pulled me into him. “Ask me.”
“How did you buy a home with a week-to-week job? Is that not risky? Obviously, it worked out now because you have a contract.” I let my fingers dance up his arms before resting on his shoulders. “But… how?”
“I didn’t use the money from football for this. My mom invested my dad’s life insurance, damn near tripled it, and put it in a trust that I couldn’t get until after I graduated college. By that time, it was more than enough for me to get this.”
“Your mom is smart.”
He nodded. “Yeah. So, if I did get traded or go to a different practice squad, I could do something temporary like a hotel or a month-to-month lease, and in the offseason, I’d come back home.”
Something about the way he saidhomejogged a memory for me. Reaching up, I touched his face, lightly scratching his beard. I pulled him down to me so our lips could touch before I whispered, “Did you make Baltimore your home because of your dad?”
His fingers stilled, and he just stared at me.
