Jax kicked me under the table. “Shut up. He was your friend. You trusted him.”
“It’s a good thing I’m better at reading guys on the field,” I muttered.
I glanced down at my plate and looked up at them. “I appreciate you guys doing this.”
“We already covered this.” Jax rolled his eyes.
I nodded once and let that settle.
Around us, the cafeteria got louder. Some guys were laughing. A few were arguing over who could drink the most beer. One of them tossed a handful of fries that turned into a full-blown food fight.
I was jealous that they had the ability to sit and laugh without a care in the world.
I dragged a hand over my jaw because that used to be me. Before life got so fucking complicated.
While I loved these guys, there was a part of me that just wanted to tune them out. Go back to what mattered.
Playing football. Where the only thing that I had to worry about was the next play. Because no matter how messy things got off the field, playing ball grounded me. And after the game on Sunday, I was ready to put all this shit behind me.
I pushed the door open,and the first thing that hit my ears was the sound of laughter. This sound was different from theteam noise I’d been around all day. This was softer, lighter, and it made me smile.
I stepped inside, dropped my bag by the door, and followed the sound into the living room.
Becca and Callie were sitting on the couch. Callie was tucked into the corner, holding a glass of wine in her hand, and next to her was Becca.
She turned slightly when she heard me enter the room.
“Look who finally made it home,” Callie teased.
“Looks like you guys had a fun day,” I said, taking my coat off and draping it over the back of a chair. I placed my hands on my hips and glanced around, noticing all the shopping bags scattered on the floor. There were shoes, makeup, clothes, and God only knows what else.
“We did.” Callie grinned. “Wait until you see your credit card statement.”
I shook my head with a laugh as Becca popped off the couch. “How was practice?”
I brought her in for a kiss and held on to her. There was something about seeing her in my home after a long day that calmed the noise in my head.
“Good, but cold as fuck.”
She ran her hands through my hair. “You look tired.”
Because I was. I was exhausted in ways I didn’t think a few hours of sleep would be able to fix.
I sat down and rested my head against the cushion. “What did you guys do today other than bankrupt me?”
Callie held her nails out. “Went and got pedicures and had our nails painted in your team colors.”
“Nice.” I turned to Becca and pulled her legs over the top of mine. “Just make sure you wear the right jersey this time.”
She bit down on her bottom lip and took a sip of her drink. “Is the team ready for Sunday?”
“I hope so. If not, we’re in trouble.”
Becca eyed me carefully because she knew what was going to happen after the game on Sunday. I was going to management and loading this shit off my chest.
Brian still believed he had the upper hand. He had no idea about the shit we were digging up on him. If it weren’t for Becca thinking about every angle or my boys making calls, I’d be in a much different position.
My phone buzzed in my pocket. My new agent, Tony’s name flashed across the screen.
