Chapter 54
Josephine
Not even Kylian’s breathing or Locke’s light snores are perceptible through the dark.
With a groan, I spread my arms out, reaching for the guys. All I find are cold bed sheets.
I’m alone.
The realization carves a groove into the pit in my stomach that still festers from my confrontation with Decker.
Seeing him, seeking him out, finding him and begging him to let me in and give us what we both crave.
It was infuriating, seeing the crack in his armor when I bumped into him in the living room. I saw the tears, and my stupid heart felt the pining and sensed his longing. That’s all it took for renewed hope to take root.
Hope for what, I don’t know.
I’m a fool to hold out hope that Decker will ever come around. That he’ll allow himself to be vulnerable enough to let me back in permanently.
I roll out of bed, wincing at the pain behind my temples.
I’m hungry, and I need coffee.
I feel hungover, despite not drinking a single drop of alcohol. Emotional hangovers can be just as horrid as the real thing, but without the fun.
Padding up the stairs, I clasp the edges of the blanket at my chest. The Den is absolutely frigid. Next time we come here—if there’s a next time, seeing as how this is Decker’s place—I’ll bring my warmest, fuzziest pajamas. Maybe even a robe.
As I ascend the staircase, the arguing becomes audible. Dread percolates in my belly.
Voices are raised.
Talking over one another.
Ignoring the pounding in my head, I take the stairs two at a time. As I turn the corner to the eat-in kitchen, Decker’s voice booms above the rest.
“I thought I did have a lawyer review the contracts.” He’s standing at one end of the table, gripping the back of a chair.
Kylian is facing off directly across from him, arms crossed and looking utterly annoyed.
Kendrick is seated between them, his forehead resting on his steepled fingers.
Locke is propped up against the island, cradling a coffee mug. “I’m lost. Why does it matter what he signed or what it says? Decker’s out. He’s made that clear.”
As if he can sense my presence, Decker looks up. He locks eyes with me, and I’m instantly transported back to last night. To the moment in the living room. The breakdown in the bathroom. The palpable desperation and yearning.
They’re just as pronounced this morning, churning just below the surface. I can feel it in the way he looks at me. I can feel it in my soul, despite his silence and hurtful actions.
He’s not out.
He’s never been out.
I’m so fucking mad at him for playing the martyr, for trying to fix everything on his own, for abandoning what we share because of some twisted ideal of sacrifice and love.
He stares long enough that the others turn and follow his line of sight. The energy shifts as I step into the room.
Locke holds one arm out, and I go to him. He holds me close and brings his mug to my lips so I can take a sip.
“Hey, Hot Girl. Did you sleep okay?”
Nodding, I pull the blanket around myself tighter. “It’s cold down there.”
I nuzzle into his chest and wrap my arms around his waist. Leaning against him fully, I let him take my weight, something I haven’t done for a long time because he’s been in so much pain.
“Okay?” I ask, peeking up at him to look for signs of discomfort.
“All good,” he promises with a soft smile and a kiss on the head.
“Why is Decker here?” I ask through a yawn. “And why are we fighting before breakfast?”
“We’ve already had breakfast. We saved you some.” Kylian’s eyes are set on me, but I can’t make sense of his agitation.
I need more coffee.
As I gingerly take Locke’s mug out of his hands and bring it to my lips, Kylian continues.
“Decker was just sharing some interesting revelations about his NIL deals and upcoming commitments.”
He stops there. His tone is short. Accusatory. Kylian isn’t usually sarcastic or purposely obtuse.“Meaning?” I press.
“That’s what I want to know,” Locke mutters. “What does all of that mean for us?”
Kylian raises his brows at Decker. Decker glares back in response.
Kendrick flattens his hands on the table and clears his throat. “Cap has a multiyear contract with HiDef Enterprises, which owns several big apparel and merchandise brands. They also own SportsZone, NewsAction Now, and a national sports bar chain.”
“Is something wrong with the contract?” Locke presses.
Decker pulls the chair he was just leaning on away from the table and sinks into the seat, digging his elbows into the wooden tabletop. “The whole thing’s fucked.”
He roughs a hand down his face and scans us, wearing a hard, tortured scowl.
“Once I realized just how intrusive the SportsZone feature deal was, I hired outside counsel to review my other contracts. They’re looped.
All of them. Everything I’ve committed to over the last few years is interconnected in a way I didn’t truly understand when I signed the contracts at eighteen.
Our monthly appearances. Long-standing brand partnerships.
It’s all interlinked. If I cancel or attempt to renegotiate anything, we could lose it all. ”
Kylian speaks up this time and paces to one end of the table.
“He’s trapped. We’re trapped. Each deal is stacked in a way that affects the others.
Ending the feature coverage early was a breach of contract.
SportsZone issued a warning, like we expected they would.
But what’s at stake is so much more than we realized. ”
When he’s made it to the other end of the table, he spins on his heel and plants his feet.
“It’s not just his deals. It’s K’s. Yours.” Kylian nods at Locke. “All current revenue streams for the three of you will dry up if Decker is in breach of contract again.”
Kendrick looks to Decker, his dark eyes swimming with unease. “The girls’ tuition for next semester is due at the end of this month.”
Decker sits up, nodding solemnly. “I know.”
I’m not the most financially savvy person. The most money I’ve ever had to my name was the forty-two hundred dollars Alice left me when she died. But the guys have been doing these NIL deals and appearances for years.
“Don’t you have savings?” I ask. “Earnings from past deals you can use, or—”
Decker grunts. “We were advised—”
“By his father’s financial planner,” Kylian adds.
Decker grits his teeth, causing his temples to pulse. “We were advised,” he repeats, “to structure our contracts so we didn’t make more than we needed for spending money while we’re still in college. Most of our deals won’t pay out in full until we graduate.”
“It made sense when we signed,” Kendrick says, blowing out a breath. “We both expect to be drafted to professional teams, so we’ll hit a higher tax bracket next year regardless. At the time, the logic was sound. We just didn’t know we were being played.”
“Who owns your cars?” I ask, my focus on Decker again.
“K and I have loaners from the dealership. They’re part of a promotional deal.”
My stomach sinks. “And the house?” I ask, though I’m starting to understand the gravity of the situation.
“My dad holds the deed. I always intended to buy it, but it didn’t make sense to move on it while we were still in school.”
Beside me, Locke has gone rigid. “So you’re telling me that we’re shit out of luck and broke as hell because of Decker?”
“Not yet, we aren’t,” Kylian says.
“My plan was to cancel several NIL deals and restructure those worth salvaging. That’s why I hired my own legal team. I was trying to ensure we never have to go through something like this again.”
He swallows, his Adam’s apple working, and scans the four of us.
“The reality is that, as it stands, I won’t be free. Not anytime soon. Probably not for years. It’s best for all of us if I just accept—”
“No.”
I don’t know what he was going to say. What I do know is that his plan will be to cut himself out completely. That’s Decker’s way. To take the brunt of the attack, to shield us and sacrifice himself.
With my stomach twisted in knots, I wiggle out of Nicky’s hold and stride toward Decker.
“No,” I repeat, more resolute this time, as I stop beside him. “There has to be another way.”
That damn jaw tick of his is at it again as he surveys Kylian across the table.
He doesn’t glance my way. Like he’s scared. Like he physically can’t. He doesn’t even look at me when I touch his shoulder.
“Time-out,” I whisper.
That word finally snags his attention. Those onyx eyes find mine and hold. He doesn’t blink. Doesn’t agree. But he doesn’t outright argue, either.
Bolder, I look to each of the other guys, one at a time, pausing until they meet my gaze. “I call a time-out. We’re here for at least one more night, right?” I look at Kylian for confirmation.
He glances up from his phone, shoots daggers at Decker, then turns his attention to me.
His expression softens a fraction. “At least one, maybe two. All campus activities are canceled this weekend, including the game. The storm has passed Lake Chapel, but there’s still a good amount of cleanup.
No sense rushing back since we don’t have a home to go to. ”
“It’s decided, then.” I seek out Decker again.
He doesn’t argue or glare or huff. His expression is almost blank, his mouth set in a straight line. Either he agrees with me for once, or, more likely, he’s out of fight.
“Today is a time-out. We can all think about the best course of action, then come back together to discuss it tomorrow.”
Three of my guys nod.
I know better than to take Decker’s silence as assent.
Shucking the blanket still wrapped around my body, I unceremoniously plop into his lap. The move startles him, causing him to sit up and catch me around the hips.
“Time-out,” I whisper. I keep my chin tipped up and my eyes locked on his so he knows it’s not a request. “No one is making any decisions today, Decker. Tell me you understand. Tell me, after everything you’ve put me through, that you can give me this.”
Instead of agreeing, he closes his eyes and leans against the seat back, as if he’s trying to distance himself physically.
Finally, he swallows and nods.
Over his shoulder, I catch sight of Locke. With a frown, he shrugs.
If that’s all he can give right now, then I can accept that.
“Time-out,” I repeat once more. Then I rise to my feet and go in search of my own cup of coffee.