Chapter 24
twenty-four
. . .
Lincoln
We’d spent the last hour talking about football and boxing, and I was fairly certain the dude was telling the truth. He didn’t want anything from me, other than to meet me and deliver this fucking letter.
I’d shot a text to my mom, and she’d verified that the information he’d shared about my father was true, and she said last she’d heard from him, he was living in Magnolia Falls with his wife and two kids.
So, I had a fucking brother and sister.
And the dude was kind of a cool cat, and we definitely shared the same distaste when it came to meeting new people.
But Brinkley had asked him no less than four thousand intrusive fucking questions, and he’d answered every single one of them.
I could see that he was a straight shooter, and he didn’t appear to be a bullshitter.
He’d shared that his father, a.k.a. my sperm donor, had battled with drugs and alcohol when Romeo and Tia were young, but he’d turned his life around over a decade ago, minus a few falls off the wagon.
His mom was a strong woman who’d stuck by the man through all the ups and downs.
They’d struggled financially, and his father had stepped up these last few years.
He’d worked at a boxing gym for as long as he could remember, and the man had eventually become a partner in the place.
Romeo basically grew up at the gym, as they didn’t have much money, and fighting became a way he could make some side money.
He and his father had bonded over the sport over the years, and he was his coach when Romeo decided to take his career to the next level.
He’d won a big fight a few months ago against a dude who’d been a pro for a long time, and the win had bumped him to a professional boxer status.
He hadn’t fought again since his last fight when his father had dropped to the ground during the third round, and he didn’t know if he’d ever fight again.
“I’m sure it was very traumatic to witness that,” Brinkley said as she refilled our glasses of sun tea and set out some more grapes, crackers, and cheese.
“It’s fine. Shit happens. Right now, I’m running the gym. Doing what I can to keep the lights on. My dad’s partner, Rocco, is in his early eighties, so he’s not there all that often.”
He and I were devouring the platter of snacks.
“I see we both have healthy appetites,” I said, changing the subject because this was a lot to unpack.
“Yeah. My mom complains about how much I eat. But spending all that time in the gym will get your appetite going. I guess I don’t need to tell you that.”
“Well, how about we grab some food and head back to my place? There’s more room there.”
Brinkley smiled before reaching for her glass.
“You don’t need to feed me, dude.”
“Take it easy. It’s a meal. And you came a long way.
” I scrubbed a hand down my face. “I’m not ready to take the letter just yet.
So how about you do me a solid and come back to my house and spend the night there so my girl can continue grilling you?
We can eat some good food, and I’ll think about reading the fucking letter. ”
He smirked. “I can do that.”
“Do you like ribs?” she asked him. “My brother has a restaurant in town, and we can swing by and grab dinner.”
“Sure. That sounds good.” He reached for his wallet. Clearly, he wanted to make sure I knew he didn’t want anything from me.
She held up her hand. “Not necessary. It’s on the house. Perks of my brother owning the best restaurant in town.”
He cleared his throat, noticeably uncomfortable with the gesture, but he nodded.
I gave Romeo the address, and he agreed to meet us at the house in half an hour. He said he needed to go fill his tank with gas, and a part of me wondered if he’d just take off and never look back.
I pulled up to Reynolds’ and insisted on running in to pick up the food, so I could tell Brandy to ring it up. Hugh didn’t need to be comping my meals.
Apparently, my new brother and I had a thing or two in common.
Hugh wasn’t there tonight, so I knew I could get away with it.
Brinkley was on the phone with her mother when I got in the car, and she ended the call.
“You know, if you want to talk about this, I’m here to listen,” she said.
I barked out a laugh. “Did you just ask your therapist mother how to talk to me about this?”
“Well, you know I prefer to just press you for information. My mom said I should offer to open the lines of communication but let you go at your own speed. It’s a lot, Captain. But I’ve got to say, he’s got your grumpy, guarded demeanor. It must be genetic.”
“Is that supposed to be a compliment?”
“If you like grumpy, guarded people, it is. I happen to be a fan.” She smirked. “For real, though, is it hard to hear that your father is gone?”
“I think if I’d had any intent on finding him as an adult, it probably would be. But I made peace with the fact that I didn’t have a father years ago. But I’m not going to lie—it’s hard to hear that I have two siblings I’ve never met.”
“Maybe this is just how it was supposed to happen. After your father was gone,” she said as I pulled into the garage. His bike wasn’t out front. “Do you think he’ll even show up?”
“I don’t know. I mean, he came here to deliver a letter to me, and he seems like the kind of guy who follows through with his plans. Plus, we lightened up these last few hours. I think he’ll show up.”
“I think he will, too.”
“And he’s clearly got skills being a professional boxer at such a young age.”
“Your father obviously had athletic genes. He has two sons that are professional athletes. One being the GOAT,” she said. I pushed out of the car and grabbed the food before walking around to open her door.
“I’m sure seeing your parent drop to the ground in front of you during a fight has got to do some damage, huh?”
“I imagine it would be pretty traumatic.”
We both turned as we heard the rumble of an engine coming down the street. He drove up the driveway and turned off his bike before pulling off his helmet and placing it on the seat. He walked toward us with his backpack slung over his shoulder.
“This is your house?” he asked as he followed us inside.
“No. It’s my agent’s house.”
We ate dinner, and the conversation felt more relaxed. Brinkley opened a bottle of wine, pouring us each a glass. It definitely took the edge off. Romeo’s phone rang several times, and he glanced down before looking back up at me.
“Listen, this is Tia. She wants to FaceTime and say hello. Are you cool with that? If not, she’ll never stop calling.”
I dropped the last rib bone onto my plate and reached for my napkin, nodding slowly as Brinkley shot me a look. We communicated well without needing to speak lately. This was a familiar look—one she’d graced me with often.
Be nice, Asshole.
“Yeah. Answer the damn phone.” I chuckled.
He held the phone in front of his face. “For fuck’s sake, Tia. You’re relentless.”
“I got your text that you found him. What is he like?”
“Well, seeing as he’s sitting here listening, it would be hard to talk shit about him. But his girlfriend is cool as hell.” He winked at Brinkley, and I rolled my eyes.
Like I said, the dude was a cool cat.
“So, tell me about him and his girlfriend,” Tia whisper-shouted, as if we all couldn’t hear her. I barked out a laugh.
“Why don’t you see for yourself,” Romeo said, flipping his phone so the camera was facing me and Brinkley. “This is Lincoln. He’s a bit of a dickhead, but he’s growing on me. And this is his better half, Brinkley Reynolds.”
“He’s dating the reporter?”
“Them dating is still a secret, and they trusted me with that info, so don’t make them think I’m a traitor, all right?
And you know` they can hear you, right? You’re on FaceTime,” he said, and there was a lightness about him when he spoke to his sister.
He passed me his phone so that Brinkley and I could see her.
“Oh, hey, guys. Sorry about that. I’m just excited.
And of course, mum’s the word on the secret romance.
Who would I even tell?” She shrugged. She looked like Romeo, but she had green eyes that appeared to be very similar to mine.
My mother’s eyes were blue, and she’d always told me I had the same gaze as my father.
“It’s so nice to meet you, Tia,” Brinkley said, leaning her head on my shoulder.
“I see this brother is not a big talker either. I have to pull teeth to get Romeo to talk most of the time. It must be genetic. Thank God I have Mom’s genes.” She tucked her dark hair behind her ear.
“It’s nice to meet you. It’s just a lot to process,” I said.
“Oh, really?” She rolled her eyes and chuckled. “I just lost my father and found out I have a brother that I didn’t know about—that’s a lot to process. You scored. Romeo and I are the best. You’re a lucky bastard.”
Brinkley fell back in her chair in a fit of laughter. “I already like you, Tia.”
“I like you, too. When do I get to meet you guys?”
I let out a long breath. I wasn’t sure where any of this was going, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to get to know them better. I’d been ditched, and they’d been lied to, so no one here was at fault.
“I head back to training camp at the end of July. Would you want to come visit before then? Or do you prefer I come there?”
Brinkley’s gaze was so tender when she glanced at me it made my chest squeeze. This was a lot, but I wasn’t going to run from it. I was handling it.
Hell, I was practically embracing it.
I’d already invited Romeo to stay the night.
That was an olive branch I never saw coming.
“Well, since you’re the big-time football player, and I’m an eighteen-year-old, jobless senior in high school, I’d say it would be better if you come here. My brother used every spare penny he had to make the trip there.”
“Fuck, Tia. Shut the hell up. It’s hardly every penny I have. You don’t know what’s in my bank account.” Romeo turned the phone and looked pissed off as he glared at the screen.