Chapter 3 #2
“Give me my son.” Wyatt stepped forward and took Jayden from my hands.
Landon walked by me but not before smacking me on the back of the head.
“Asshole,” I muttered.
“Girls! Want to get something to eat?” Lydia called out to Kai and Wrenley. The two had given up running and were now sitting on the grass, blabbing away about something. At the mention of food, they perked up.
“Still on for dinner at your place tonight, right?” Josie asked.
“Yeah, just use the key to get in if I’m not home. I promised Coach I’d stay behind and go over some plays,” I said.
“Sounds good. We need to get the kiddos something to eat and then nap time.” Right on cue, Kai let out a yawn. Running around the field for the last hour took it out of them.
“I need a nap, too.” I offered an exaggerated yawn that made Kai giggle.
One by one, the kids were corralled, only a few whines about wanting to stay, before we slowly made our way toward the exit that led to the parking lot.
A yell came from behind me. “BYE, WYATT!"
I pinched the bridge of my nose at Perry. It was embarrassing how obsessed he was with my brother. Thank god Trevor and Bryton weren’t here because Perry’s excitement could be a lot worse.
Wyatt chuckled as he sent a wave over his shoulder to my teammate. Here I thought having Wyatt come to practice would help ease Perry’s weird obsession. Instead, it seemed to have grown.
On the way out the door, I grabbed the two diaper bags Josie and Lydia brought. Who knew kids needed so much when they were out and about. I even had one in my own closet for whenever they came to visit.
With three sleepy, hungry children, our goodbyes were quick. I stood off to the side as the kids were strapped into car seats, Jayden asking for goldfish before the door was shut.
My heart twisted in my chest. I lifted a hand to wave as they drove out of the parking lot. I would see them tonight, but with the season fast approaching, more time would push in between each visit. It didn't help that every time I saw Kai, Wrenley, and Jayden, they grew a foot taller.
With a soft sigh, I turned on my heel and headed back into the practice facility. It was time to see the physical therapist before meeting with Coach.
“We can put Perry on this side.” With a marker in hand, I drew a line upward along the white board as I spoke. “He can then jut across the field here.”
For the last hour, I’d been in one of the conference rooms with Coach Reggie and our two defensive and offensive coaches going over plays. Seeing what could work and what wouldn’t.
One thing fans didn’t realize when it came to football was the amount of hours that went into prepping for the season. How many plays we had to memorize, especially as the quarterback. I steered the ship on the field.
“That could work,” our offensive coach, Bernie, mused, pen pressed to his lip as he stared at what I drew.
Coach gave a nod, he only reaction we got from the man, and said, “Add it to the practice plays and try it.”
Everyday, I was grateful the Titans picked me in the first round. Aside from the fact it was a great team and it was close to my family, it was this that made them the best fit for me. Ever since I stepped foot in this place, all the coaches asked for my opinions. They valued my input.
There weren’t many teams that let their quarterback have a say in the plays they ran.
Most often, the coaches came up with them, and the players were expected to run them with no questions asked.
Here, they understood that I was the one on the field.
I was the one who had two-hundred-pound men barreling toward me while having only a split second to make a decision.
It meant a lot that I had a say in meetings like these.
“Let’s call it a day. I have plans with my daughter that I don’t want to be late for,” Coach said, snapping his notebook shut.
Didn’t have to tell me twice. With a few see you tomorrows, the other two coaches slipped out of the room while I grabbed my gym bag.
“Good job today, Boone. Make sure to ice that shoulder over the weekend, and I’ll see you Monday morning,” Coach remarked, sending me a nod.
“You got it, Coach.” I gave him a dip of my head in return. With that, I turned on my heel and left the conference room.
Like everyone, after a play meeting with the coaches, my mind was in overdrive. Thinking of all we had yet to run, and if they’d work. We still had a month until preseason started, so we had plenty of time, but I couldn’t stop the feeling growing in me that everything had to be perfect.
I was so stuck in my head that I turned the corner in the hallway a little too tightly and stumbled into a body.
At six-two and two hundred and twenty pounds, I didn’t budge, but the other person did.
The sound of a bag hitting the floor was muffled by the carpet, but since the hallway was empty, it seemed loud.
I caught sight of red hair before the person dropped to their knees to pick up the scattered items on the floor. Guilt filled me as I squatted down, placing my gym back next to me, and picked up a tube of lipstick.
“I’m sorry,” I started to apologize. “I wasn’t looking where I was going.”
“Yeah, clearly,” the girl in front of me muttered. She lifted her head, and it felt like a sucker punch to the stomach.
Bright green eyes framed by long lashes met mine. A dusting of freckles dotted her nose and cheeks, my eyes tracing them for a split second before moving down to her lips. Lips that were set in a straight line.
“You.” Her tone had my focus darting back up to her eyes.
Kneeling in front of me was the same girl I ran into yesterday outside of Alessandro’s. Her vibrant hair was pulled into a ponytail, the long strands falling down her back.
“You,” I repeated. The way her emerald eyes narrowed with heat had my lips pulling up into a smile. “We meet again.”
“Is running into women your MO or something?” Her words held a bit of bite to them.
“Only pretty girls.” The words slipped free before I could stop them. Inwardly, I winced. That didn’t come out right. “I mean, not young girls because that would be weird and inappropriate. I mean, women.” My words tripped over each other, and I was helpless to stop them.
What the fuck?
“Okay.” She raised an eyebrow at me. I couldn’t tell if she was amused or pissed off. Both of us slowly got back to our feet, my hand still holding the tube of lipstick. “Well, not nice running into you again.”
“Mateo.”
“Yeah, I didn’t ask.” The beautiful redhead stepped to the right, but I found myself sliding in front of her so she couldn’t get past.
“What’s your name?” I asked.
“Not happening.” She stepped to the left, but I mirrored her.
“That’s a beautiful name. It really fits you.” For some reason, I wanted to see her smile. Did she have a dimple? Was her smile as blinding as I thought it would be?
“I told you mine. It’s only fair for you to give me yours,” I pointed out.
“Well, good thing I don’t play fair.” She crossed her arms. I took a second to fully take her in.
She was short—maybe five-three, if that—and her head barely came to my chest. I liked that she had to crane her neck to see my face. Unlike yesterday, she was wearing a pair of light-washed jeans and a cropped T-shirt, a peek of pale skin showing when she crossed her arms.
“I can’t even get a hint?” I asked, plastering on my best innocent look that always worked with Josie, Tasha, Lydia, and Mila.
“Uh, no.” This time when she moved to step around me, I let her.
Something sparked underneath my skin. Something I couldn’t name but was curious about. Who was she? She must have been someone to the organization or she wouldn’t be allowed in the building. Maybe she was part of the media team? They kept hiring new people. It was hard to keep track of.
Before she could make it too far away, I stopped her one last time.
“Hey.” A sigh came from her before she turned her body to look at me. The over-it look on her face made my lips twitch. “This is yours.” I extended the lipstick tube.
When she reached out to grab it, the tips of her fingers grazed the top of mine. It was just a touch, yet I felt it down to my toes. Again, what the fuck?
All I got was a nod before she turned on her heel again and started down the hall. Unable to help myself, I called out to her.
“I’m going to find out your name!”
“Good luck!” she yelled over her shoulder, not breaking stride.
“I do love a challenge.” I smirked at her receding figure.
I didn’t know who she was, but I was going to find out.