The paper in front of me feels heavier now.
“You mentioned the agreement had changed?” I ask.
“Yes. Lila's team wanted to add this.” Evelyn turns one last page and slides it forward.
The heading is clear. Clinical.
NO INTIMACY CLAUSE
What the heck is this?
“For her emotional safety,” Evelyn says. “And for yours.”
I press my thumb into the edge of the table. “She thinks I’m a threat?”
“She thinks everyone is,” she states. “That’s what happens when trust becomes a liability.”
I look at my hands.
Big. Calloused. Capable of blocking hits, holding ground, catching passes under pressure.
The same hands my ex once calleddangerouswhen she needed a headline.
“This isn’t about control,” Evelyn says. “It’s about containment. Boundaries.”
Brent clears his throat. “It’s temporary.”
I picture Lila alone in some room right now. Surrounded by staff. By protection. Still afraid.
I don’t know her.
The room is silent, waiting for me.
Evelyn steps back.
Not away from the table—away fromme. She gives me space like she knows pressure would snap something instead of seal it.
“I’m not asking you to fall in love with her,” she says. Her voice is steady. Calm. “I’m asking you to understand why our team chose you.”
I scrub a hand over my face and exhale hard. “You’ve got the wrong guy. I'm not a bodyguard. I'm a messy football player. I don’t belong in her world.”
“That may be true,” Evelyn says. “But right now, you need her as much as she needs you.”
That stops me.
“The accusation against you is still unresolved,” she continues. “Your sponsors are waiting. The league is watching your behavior closely. Not only your stats—yourstability.”
Brent perks up. “That’s the word they keep using.”
I hate that word.
“A public partnership,” Brent adds quickly, “especially one that reads as grounded, supportive, domestic—changes the narrative overnight.”
I shoot him a look. “You mean it distracts.”
“It is reassuring,” he counters. “Teams don’t bench men who look settled. Sponsors don’t flee men who have a support system and no scandals.”
I look back at the papers.
