I expected them to laugh, but they didn’t.
“Exactly,” Gary said, pushing to his feet and standing at the head of the table.
There were no handshakes or friendly pats on the back on my way out the door.
Just a few nods and nothing more.
Message received loud and clear. I might have been their star player, but everyone was replaceable.
CHAPTER 33
NATE
“How did your meeting go?”
The knot in my chest loosened instantly when I looked up to see Becca standing in the doorway. Her laptop bag was slung over her shoulder. Her hair was slightly messy, and her face looked tired. Still, somehow, she was the prettiest thing I’d ever seen.
“Hey,” I said, sitting up on the couch. I’d been in the same spot since I got home, staring at the muted sports channel playing silently on the television, while my meeting with management replayed in my head.
“What did they say?” she asked, closing the door and taking her coat off.
“Ask me again in a few days after the league conducts its investigation. As of right now, I’m suspended for five games.”
“Oh, Nate. I’m so sorry.”
I held my hand out. “Come here.”
I got a call from the commissioner on my drive home. I already knew what he was going to say, just like I knew I couldn’t talk my way out of it. So, I stayed calm and accepted that his decision was final.
“You’re really okay with that?” she asked, wrapping her arms around me. Christ. It scared the living daylights out of me with how much I needed her.
“Yep.”
I knew how the league worked. People lied all the time, but they still needed to set an example. I promised to cooperate while they finished collecting all the details. The chances of me facing anything more than a suspension and a fine were unlikely because I was the starting quarterback, and even the NFL had limits on how tough they could be with their star players. My name and stats protected me to a certain extent, but that sure as hell didn’t mean I was untouchable.
Honestly, my mind and body were still coming down from the emotional roller coaster I’d been on lately. I needed time to myself before I went back out there.
So, yeah, I was completely okay with it.
Becca curled deeper into my side. “I think you’re handling it pretty well.”
I shrugged. “What other choice do I have?”
It could have been worse and a lot uglier.
She exhaled against my chest. “I hate this for you.”
“I don’t like it either.”
She looked up at me. “What about your coach and the team doctor?”
My shoulders tensed. “Don’t know yet.”
I hated how much guilt sat in my chest over that, but we all played our part, and each had to suffer the consequences.
My phone pinged with an alert.
I brushed my hand up and down her leg and grabbed my phone from the coffee table.
