Defensive Line (The Unlovabulls #1)

Chapter Twenty-Three

Yo, can I get a luggage cart for all this baggage?

Lily

I’d just gotten home when I got the call from Brody.

Shit. I was nervous. Taking a deep breath, I stowed my nerves. “Hey.”

“Hey. You actually answered.” His velvety tenor soothed my nerves.

“Yeah. I was going to call you anyway when—”

“So, about CC,” he said, cutting me off. Chilly. “Can you bring her home? I’m back in Frisco, but driving isn’t easy right now.”

“What? Why?”

“My shoulder. I’m out the rest of the preseason, maybe the first couple regular games, too.” He was trying to mask it, but I could hear his frustration. Hell, I was disappointed for him. He had to be worried about his place on the team.

“Brody, I’m sorry. How’d it happen?”

“Long story.”

When he didn’t go into it, I got the hint. “Of course, I can bring her home. Consider yourself warned, she and Mack are connected at the hip. I’m afraid you might have to get another dog.” It was meant to be a joke, but he didn’t laugh. “When do you want me to bring her by? Tomorrow, or do you want a couple days to adjust?”

“Ah, I was hoping you’d drop her off tonight. It’s kinda empty here without her.”

He missed her. “No problem. Is there anything else you need since I’m coming?”

“No, I’m good. Just, miss my girls.”

Of course, he missed his girl. Wait. Girl s . Had he said girl s ? “Okay, let me get my guys fed, and I’ll be over.” I bit the inside of my lip. “Brody, I... I’d like to talk. If you’re up for it. About us.”

He sighed into the phone, sounded so tired. “Yeah, sure. Hey, can you bring me a couple of Hershey bars? I’m dying over here.”

I chuckled into the phone. “You bet. Give me an hour.”

After feeding the furries, I got a shower and changed into a band T-shirt and old cutoff shorts that fit like a glove. Forty-five minutes later, I was standing outside his door with CC in tow.

He answered the door without a shirt on, but an immobilizer brace in place. A wide band went around his waist that had a cuff attached at his bicep, and a strap went up his back flaring out into a soft pad. The pad covered the joint, then narrowed to a strap across his chest that held his lower arm in a sling.

CC darted inside, sliding all over the place as she ran from one end of the apartment to the other. “Hey, baby girl!” Brody yelled, and her legs went out from under her as she slid into a closed door while she scrambled to turn around. One-hundred-forty-pound dogs didn’t exactly stop on a dime when the floors were slick.

“She’s such a doofus.” I smiled.

“I’ve been meaning to get rugs, so she’ll stop doing that. She’s already put one hole in the door with her head.” He bent at the waist. “Who’s a good girl, huh? Who’s my best baby girl?”

“I’m the goodest girl, dad. Bestest. I like Lily, but you’re my person.” The dog dork in me leaked out of my mouth without thought.

“Yes, you are, baby girl. Who’s the prettiest girl in the world. My big sweet doggo. I missed you, too, puddin’.”

“Puddin’?” I laughed. It sooo did not fit CC’s breed, but very much fit her personality with Brody.

“Says the woman who does dog voices.” His lips curled into a smile. He had a dog dork in there, too. CC would get it all the way out someday.

“Don’t even try to act like you haven’t given her her very own voice in your head. You’ve become one of us, Brody. You’re one of those dog people .”

His dimples made an appearance.

When CC commenced with a happy dance, his smile could’ve powered the sun.

Until she poked him in the eye with her snout.

“Ah.” He reared up.

It wasn’t a hard poke. I lifted one side of my mouth, shook my head. “Big dogs have big hearts, but also cause more collateral damage.”

Kind of like her owner.

“True enough. Thanks for bringing her home. I can drive, but it’s not easy.”

I pulled her bowls out of her bag and handed her her favorite toy. Producing a six-pack of Hershey’s with almonds, I slapped them against Brody’s chest. “Here you go, big man. Sit down, eat your chocolate, and tell me about this shoulder while I get her settled so she doesn’t knock you on your ass.”

His expression was grateful. “Thank you.”

I waved him off and walked to the kitchen to fill CC’s water bowl.

“No, seriously. Look at me.”

I shut the tap off, turned to him. Brody sauntered across the kitchen, stopping only when his chest brushed my arm. This wasn’t the chilly Brody I heard on the phone.

“Thank you for taking care of my girl. When you have her, I know she’s safe, loved, and well cared for. It means a lot to me, Lil. Even when you didn’t return my calls, I knew you’d never mistreat my dog.”

My voice came out a little hoarse, a lot nervous. “Anytime. She and Mack are buds. I’m happy to keep her when you travel. You said you won’t dress for a while? What happened?”

Lines formed between his brows. “I think the team may put me on injured reserve.” He shuffled over to the couch and sat, leaning his head on the back. “I don’t get it. It doesn’t feel bad. Achy. That’s it. I don’t need this thing.” He gestured to the brace.

I slid down on the couch facing his side. He told me about practice and the accident in the gym followed by the diagnosis.

“Hmm. Acromioclavicular dislocation is the technical term. The clavicle is what dislocates, not the shoulder joint. Most of the time, it pops back in before you even knew it was out. It generally happens with an impact, so it’s not inconceivable, but it doesn’t sound like you had the right kind of impact in practice.” I noodled on the options. “It’s possible you could have had a small or partial separation during practice, then the weight bar pulled it the rest of the way out. But even after a partial, you shouldn’t have been able to do shoulder presses the same day. The pain receded quickly?”

“Yeah, it was a sharp pain when it happened. It’s still achy, but it doesn’t feel like I need this thing.”

I bit the inside of my lip, running through what I knew about shoulder injuries. “When you dislocate a shoulder, that happens at the big ball joint, here.” I put my hand on the front of his right shoulder and pushed against the joint. “Separation happens where your clavicle meets your scapula. You feel it here.” I moved my fingers to the top of his shoulder near the edge of his collarbone. “Can we take the brace off so I can poke around?”

He smirked as he slid forward to undo the Velcro. “Old habits, Lil?”

“Mmm, I enjoy this stuff. It’s all the people I don’t like. Dogs are more loyal,” I added as I moved to the table to sit in front of him.

“Loyalty is important, isn’t it.” It wasn’t a question, but I nodded as I worked my fingers along his left shoulder.

No bruising. Mild swelling. “If it were a serious separation, you’d have a bump here.” I circled the area with my finger. “Unless it snapped right back in, in which case it’s not a severe separation and wouldn’t need four to six weeks to heal.” Walking my fingers to the ligaments around the clavicle, I pushed down hard. “That hurt?”

“No. The ache is all but gone, but it was up front. Not on the top of my shoulder.”

I angled his elbow at ninety degrees tight to his body. “Make a fist.” When he did, I rotated his forearm out and away from his torso while making sure the elbow stayed tight to his side. “Any changes in pain level?”

“No.”

“Lift your arm straight in front of you, palm down.” Putting my palm on top of his hand, I told him to push against me. “Now?”

He shook his head.

“Normally, I’d err on the side of caution. I’m not a doctor, Brody, but you don’t have the classic symptoms of a separation.”

Forehead wrinkled, he clenched one fist in his other palm.

“You want me to help you put that back on?”

“Nah. I’m going to leave it off. See how it feels.”

No more stalling. It was time to do the hard stuff.

“Erica and Staci came by the training center today.” I tried for nonchalant and failed.

Surprise on his features, he slid back against the sofa.

Getting up from the table, I pulled a leg under me before sitting on the couch to face him. “You’ve got good friends in those two. I know I jumped to conclusions about them being here, Brody. I let my own crap affect how I perceived you, and the situation. I’m sorry for that, and for not taking your calls to talk.”

He turned toward me, put his elbow along the back of the couch. “I need to ask you something and I want you to be straight with me.”

“Okay?”

The way he watched me, I felt like I was under a microscope. “Are you engaged?”

“Huh? No! Why would you think that?”

“I overheard Dick talking about you and your fiancé.”

It was time to unpack some baggage for this beautiful man and hope he didn’t run screaming from the room.