Chapter 24
CHAPTER 24
RHETT
There was a loud knock at the door. I scrambled off the couch when the knock turned into a bang.
I yanked the door open to find Beau Landers in a suit so wrinkled it looked like he just walked through an automated car wash. I don’t think I’d ever seen him look so disheveled or angry in my life.
“Sir?” I said, feeling my heart skip a beat at the sight of him.
He was breathing heavily and seemed visually upset. “Are you going to invite me in?”
“Is everything okay?” I looked over my shoulder, feeling a growing pit in my stomach.
I didn’t know what to expect, but my guess was that he wasn’t here to give me a raise or talk about plays and touchdowns.
He ignored my question and pushed past me.
Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!
He knew.
“Is my coffee ready yet?” Natalie called from around the corner. The pads of her bare feet hitting the floor. She stopped short when she saw her uncle standing in the middle of our living room.
Beau’s eyes widened when he spotted Natalie in nothing but my jersey. The one I had her wear when I fucked her for the fifth time last night.
“Well, it looks like the rumors are true.” His eyes challenged mine, but I didn’t dare move. “You’ve both been lying to me.”
There were so many things I planned on saying. I spent hours practicing a speech that I hoped would be good enough, but somehow, all thoughts and words died on my tongue.
“Uncle Beau.” Natalie’s voice was barely above a whisper as she moved toward him. “This is not how we wanted you to find out. Please let us explain.”
“I think this explains it all.” He pushed an iPad in front of me. I glanced at the screen. There was an article from a tabloid with a bold headline.
NFL Star Marries Team Owner’s Niece in Secret Vegas Wedding, Keeps Marriage Hidden .
My pulse immediately quickened while I silently read the words.
Rhett Daniels, the star tight end for the Atlanta Arrows and son of Senator Clayton Daniels, recently married Natalie Evans, the niece of Beau Landers, the team’s owner, in a drive-thru chapel off the Vegas Strip. While Daniels is well-liked for his charismatic personality, his secret marriage has caused a stir among fans and the NFL community. Not only did he keep the marriage under wraps, but reports suggest that Miss Evans was in a relationship with Levi James, the Center for the Fenway Falcons, at the time of her marriage to Daniels .
The drama doesn’t end there, as James confronted the newlyweds at a friend’s wedding, alleging that Daniels assaulted him in an unprovoked attack. James intends to press charges. Despite this, there has been no response from Daniels or the Arrows, leaving many wondering what the future holds for the NFL’s newest controversial figure.
“What the hell?” My eyes darted to Natalie and then back to the pictures. There were endless photos of the two of us standing at the altar at the chapel in Vegas, kissing and smiling from different angles. My stomach felt like it bottomed out.
That motherfucker! I should have kicked his ass when I had the chance.
“Good news travels fast, huh?” Beau’s hand trembled at his side. “Did you honestly think you could keep this from me?”
I ran a hand through my hair, trying to figure out how those pictures got leaked. My lawyer and agent were supposed to take care of it, so how the hell did Levi get his hands on them? Somebody was getting fucking fired.
“Beau.” I shook my head, feeling stupid for turning my damn phone off. “We were planning on telling you. You were not supposed to find out like this.”
“How convenient.” He stepped forward. “How long has this been going on?”
Beau Landers was a good man. He was a forgiving man, but he was also a man you didn’t fuck with. He was not someone you lied to.
“Sir, let me explain, please.”
He looked at his watch. “I’ve got all fucking day, Rhett, so start talking.”
“Okay, let’s sit down.” I started moving toward the couch, preparing for what I knew would be an uncomfortable conversation.
When I turned, Beau stood in the same spot with his arms crossed over his chest. “I’d prefer to stand. I’d also like an explanation, so let’s cut right through the bullshit. How did this happen?”
I glanced at Natalie, who looked absolutely terrified, before settling my gaze back on the man who had the ability to end my entire career in a single heartbeat.
I couldn’t shake the feeling of dread that settled in my gut. “Natalie and I met in Vegas. Neither of us knew who the other was. We didn’t realize the connection before…” I swallowed, feeling my breath lodge in the back of my throat. “Until it was too late. I swear to you. I had no idea she was your niece.”
His eyes were hard. “As angry as I am for being blindsided and publicly humiliated, I am more disappointed in both of you more than anything.”
I swallowed down a big ball of regret for letting this go on for so long. “I understand, and for what it’s worth, I’m really sorry that you had to find out like that.”
“You’re sorry?” His hands went to his hips, and he leaned forward. “You’re only sorry you got caught.”
I shook my head. “That’s not true.” As bad as this sucked, I was relieved that he finally knew. I’ve been carrying this secret around for weeks. I knew it would eventually blow up, but at the same time, I didn’t care.
“Do you have any idea what kind of mess this will cause? You can apologize and explain all you want, but you lied to me, you destroyed my trust. You went behind my back, married my niece, kept it from me, and instead of coming to me the second you both realized what you had done, you tried to cover it up. I had to find out like this?”
He pointed to Natalie in nothing but my jersey. I cringed and wished I could sink into the floor. I wanted to justify things by pointing out that Natalie was my wife and what we did was none of his damn business, but I was smart enough to know that would only make the situation worse.
Natalie approached him carefully. “Please don’t be mad at Rhett. He wanted to tell you, but I asked him to wait.”
“Tell me what exactly?” His eyes sharpened. “Because from reading this article, it looks like two drunken fools made a stupid, impulsive decision to get married. It doesn’t get more ‘Vegas’ than that.”
I hung my head. I’ve spent years building a relationship with the man, and I’d like to think we’d formed a level of trust and respect. It was painful to think it was destroyed all in one night. Clearly, I underestimated the situation.
“Beau, if you’re going to take your anger out on someone, take it out on me, not her.”
I couldn’t let Natalie take the blame for this mess. Hell, I couldn’t even blame Levi. This was all my own doing.
His spine straightened. “You think you can tell me what to say to my niece now?”
Her hands shook as she pulled on the hem of my jersey. “Uncle Beau. We didn’t want to keep this a secret from you, but we were afraid of how you would react.” She was trying her best to reason with him, but I think we were past that point.
“Natalie, what you both did was wrong. I would expect something like this from him, not you,” he snapped.
“Sir.” I clenched and unclenched my fists at my side, trying to break up the tension I had building up inside. “I’m going to ask you one more time to please not speak to her like that.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” He unbuttoned his jacket like he was getting ready to use me as a punching bag. The guy was older, so he didn’t physically stand a chance against me, and I really hoped it didn’t come to that. “But you are not in control of this situation right now, young man.”
“She’s my wife.”
“You’re not good enough for her.”
I stared at him. Every muscle in my body tensed. “With all due respect, that’s not for you to decide.”
“We are going to have to agree to disagree, my friend.” He spun around to face Natalie. His entire face was pulled tight in frustration. “What in the ever-loving hell were you thinking, child?”
Natalie’s chin wobbled. Silent tears streaked along her cheeks. “I know this is a shock, and this marriage might not have started out under the best of circumstances, but since then, we’ve developed real feelings for each other.”
He turned his angry eyes to me. “How could you do this, Rhett? And before you start, don’t insult me by feeding me some cock and bull story. Commitment has never been your strong suit when it comes to women, and while you may care for her, I will never accept this.”
Talk about a hit to my ego.
“Look, Beau. No one is disputing that it was wrong to keep this from you. Natalie and I have lived with the guilt for the past six weeks. But I’m not walking away from her.”
He moved forward, forcing me to retreat. “She’s pregnant, isn’t she?”
My eyes widened. “No.”
Even if she was, it shouldn’t matter.
He scrubbed an angry hand down his face. “What a fucking mess. Do you two have any idea what kind of position I am in? You didn’t even warn me. There is no way we can get in front of this now. This is a PR nightmare. ”
“Beau, I swear to God, we were planning on telling you when you got back from Africa,” I said, struggling to find the right words. I knew winning him over would be tough, if not impossible, but I was determined to prove to be good enough for her.
He looked up at the ceiling and then leveled his gaze on Natalie. “I’ve done nothing but look out for you since your mother passed away. You don’t lie to the people you love. I deserved better, and I expected more from you.”
She squeezed her eyes shut as more tears spilled down her cheeks. I walked over and put my arm around her shoulders. I could see how much his words were tearing her apart.
“Listen, Rhett. You’re not a bad guy, you just make shitty decisions. You are a talented athlete with a lot of playing time left in your career, but you won’t be playing on my team. You’ve proven that you can’t be trusted, and that is everything. You need to start looking at trade options, because I’m cutting you loose.”
Natalie gasped. “You can’t do that.”
“I can and I fucking will,” he shouted.
His words hit me harder than being tackled by a three-hundred-pound linebacker. After all the blood, sweat, and tears I’ve put into his organization, he was just going to cast me aside. My heart started racing at the thought of playing for another team.
“Beau, I know this is a shock, but you can’t mean that,” I managed to choke out, even though I knew he was dead serious. He didn’t use scare tactics and threaten for no good reason. He didn’t have to. “I’m one of your best players. I’ve worked my ass off. I’m at the top of my game.” My words came tumbling out in a rush.
He held his hand out, cutting me off. “This isn’t just about you, Rhett. This is about your teammates, your fans, and everyone who ever believed in you. The last thing we need coming off a championship is a distraction to the team. It’s one we can’t afford, nor will I tolerate.”
My stomach roiled, and I felt like I was going to puke. “What the hell am I supposed to do now? The teams already have their rosters lined up for next season. Do you have any idea how hard it will be for me to try to find someone who will take me at the last minute?”
Beau’s expression softened. There was a hint of sympathy in his eyes. “Call your agent. Take some time to regroup. I’m sure you will have no trouble finding another team to give you a chance.”
I hung my head, feeling absolutely fucking crushed. After all the years of giving it my all, sacrificing everything, and spending years trying to prove myself, I was being kicked to the curb like yesterday’s trash.
“Uncle Beau.” Natalie’s voice trembled. “What if we get a divorce?”
My head whipped to hers. “Natalie, we are not ending this marriage.”
I fought for her and fell in love, knowing the consequences. I was not giving her up. Not now. Not ever.
Beau sighed heavily. “It’s too late for that, everyone knows.”
“Okay.” She rubbed her hands nervously. “What if I quit?”
Beau scrubbed a hand over his chin. “Natalie, this scandal has nothing to do with your job. It’s about who you are and the integrity of my football organization.”
“Beau, is there anything I can do to change your mind?” I asked, pulling on the back of my neck. I was freaking the fuck out. This was an absolute nightmare.
“Rhett, as much as it pains me to say this, I don’t see this working out. As far as I’m concerned, what you did was unforgivable, and I don’t give second chances.”
My heart raced at the thought of being traded and sent away from my teammates and the only woman I had ever loved. Our life was just starting. I didn’t want to move away. I didn’t want to play for anyone else. I didn’t want any of this.
Everything I worked hard to achieve just went up in fucking smoke.
“Uncle Beau, can you please give us some time to talk through this?” Natalie’s eyes were on mine while I stared blankly across the room.
Beau ran his hand through his wavy white hair and glanced at me. “Rhett, I am sorry that it came to this. I spent my entire life building this team. My reputation is what made me millions. But more importantly, Natalie is family. It’s my job to look out for her. She deserves better than this. Deep down, you know that’s true. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to call my legal team.”
With that, he blew past us and stormed out the door.
I slumped down on the edge of my sofa, staring at the wall.
“Rhett.” Natalie kneeled in front of me. “I am so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault.” I knew she was only trying to make me feel better, but there wasn’t anything she could say or do to make me okay with this.
“What can I do?” she asked softly, sitting down beside me and placing a gentle hand on my back.
“Nothing.” I offered her a weak smile. “I just need a minute or two to process this. I knew this could potentially happen, but I honestly never thought it would get this far.”
Never in my life did I ever recall being more frustrated or scared shitless at the same time .
I just fucked up my relationship with Beau. My teammates were going to be upset. My family was going to be disappointed, and my fans were going to feel let down.
Her hand rubbed small circles on my back. “We’ll get through this, okay? I’ll talk to him. Maybe I can convince him to change his mind.”
While I was grateful for her being here, I couldn’t shake the disappointment that settled deep inside me.
I stood up. “I need to call my agent. I need to know what my options are.”
“I hate this.” She cried and started pacing the room. “And I hate Levi for doing this “
I blew out a breath. “As much as I hate the guy, we can’t lay all the blame at his feet. Do I want to hunt his ass down and finish what I started? Absolutely. But that doesn’t change the fact that I’ll probably have to leave the only home I’ve ever known. And I can’t even think about what that’s going to mean for us. We were just starting to get our shit together, and now we have to face long-distance. I mean, I know it’s not the end of the world, and people do it all the time, but it just sucks. Everything fucking sucks.”
Her eyes were filled with tears. I wanted to comfort her, but I had other important things to do.
Like finding a new team and a city to play for.