Chapter 11
COLE
MAGGIE: Um. Excuse me. Is there something you need to tell me?
ME: No. Why?
MAGGIE: Liar.
MAGGIE: *Picture attached of Cole and Ryder at the game.*
MAGGIE: Who is she?
MAGGIE: Cole, I’ll hire a PI if you don’t give me the goods.
MAGGIE: NOW!
ME: Calm down. She’s a friend. JUST a friend.
MAGGIE: A friend, my ass. Since when do you have GIRL friends?
MAGGIE: I want details. I’ll expect her at Thanksgiving because you and I both know there is nothing FRIENDLY going on. She was at your GAME! In the FAMILY area!
ME: It’s a friends and family area.
ME: I can’t make Thanksgiving. I have a game.
MAGGIE: Bye week. We’ll have it then.
MAGGIE: I hope you’re never hauled in for questioning. I’ll make sure to smuggle in some sudoku to help pass the time while your ass sits behind bars.
______
I glance out the rear window. “Are you sure this is a good idea?” I face forward as Ryder makes another right turn.
“Why? Are you nervous?” There’s a hint of amusement in her tone, and in ordinary circumstances, whatever that is these days, I’d like it. Probably more than I should.
“Hell, yes, I’m nervous.”
She laughs, barely, but I caught it. Ryder Jones can laugh. I wonder what it would sound like if it were the real deal—the hold your belly kind. I want to hear her laugh like that.
I glance over my shoulder again. “How long do we have to do this?”
We’ve been in the car for fifteen minutes, driving in circles to ensure no one is tracking us.
“Just keep your panties on. We’ll be there in a few.”
Great.
I don’t know why I agreed to this. Maybe it’s because letting Ryder see how sad and pathetic my life really is might be worse than having dinner with Tracker and his wife.
We spent all day in the apartment. I rested, icing my bruised ribs while Ryder worked out and spent hours in her room. I imagine she researched because that seems to be what she does.
I rub my jaw, hoping to loosen it. “And he’s like your. . .dad?”
She side-eyes me as we finally hit a straightaway. Her voice is soft. “I moved in with them when I was thirteen.”
I keep my gaze on the road ahead, playing it so damn cool. She just gave me something. Something personal.
“Just you, then?” I ask, treading very lightly.
She rolls her lips, and I suspect it’s to hide a smile.
“No. Jamie, Vanessa, Lyla, and Jos. And we’ve kind of taken in TJ. He was like a lost wildebeest in need of taming.”
I twist in my seat. “Hold on. They’ll all be there.”
She told me this was a small dinner for Tracker and Hope’s anniversary.
“It’ll be fine. They’ll interrogate you but be sly about it. You’re used to being in the spotlight.”
She thinks this is funny, but she’s not wrong. I’m an expert at non-answers.
“You might have to protect me from TJ. I’m pretty sure he hates my guts.”
“He hates everyone. Well, except for Jos, maybe.”
I drop the questions, preparing to enter a house full of people who probably only know me as Ryder’s latest case.
“Matthews, you’re a freaking professional athlete. You play in the NFL. You need to stand tall, be confident, and not let guys like TJ intimidate you.”
I’m not intimidated by TJ. Even more so now that I know he’s not Ryder’s boyfriend. That could’ve been a bit awkward, given the world now thinks she and I are together.
“I’m not worried about TJ.”
She glances at me as if assessing whether or not to believe me. “He’ll only growl and grumble tonight. Tracker won’t let him go too far. You’re paying us, remember.” She bites her lip. “Besides, Jos has a little crush, so she won’t let him near you.”
I catch her slight smirk. Ryder is beautiful, but when I get a glimpse of what I believe might be her true self, she’s stunning.
Now and then, I see her let down her guard just an inch, and it feels like this isn’t as much of a job for her, but like we might actually be friends.
I like it, and I want her to do it more often.
“Wait, I thought you were supposed to protect me?” I can’t help but see how far I can take this.
“Matthews, in this house, I’m taking a siesta,” she huffs. “Dealing with you and your calm, quiet regimen. . . It’s exhausting as hell.” She can barely say it without laughing.
“Ha. You’re lucky I’m not some playboy.”
Her head swivels in my direction and then back toward the road.
“So, are you all siblings?”
She shakes her head but doesn’t answer, and I’m not surprised.
Although after a moment, she surprises me again.
“We’re. . .a mishmash pinned together. They’re like my sisters, though. We share a townhouse.”
I think about my siblings, whose mom left them when my dad got sick, and decided being a mother was no longer for her. Maggie gave up everything to care for them, and when she married Shane, our family expanded.
Shane grew up in foster care and has two guys he claims as his brothers from their time in a group home. With all of us, our family is huge. It sounds like something Ryder and I have in common.
“I have four younger siblings,” I offer into the silence.
Ryder’s head snaps in my direction. “What?”
“My sister, Maggie, and her husband are raising them.”
Her brows pinched together. “How old are they?”
“Hank is eighteen and just moved to Europe. He was picked up by a pro soccer league. Garrett is fourteen, Teddy is twelve, and Liv is nine. Maggie and Shane also have two of their own. Aiden is two, and my niece, Quinn, is only a couple of months old.”
Her attention returns to the road. “Are you close?” Her tone is tentative.
“Yeah. I miss them like crazy.”
“Did you tell them about—”
I shake my head. “I told Maggie that she and Shane needed to make sure they were being extra careful with the kids.” I pause. “They’re diligent about keeping them out of the media. It’s what my dad wanted. I only told her I’d received some threats.”
Ryder doesn’t say anything.
I don’t know if she’s thinking or if I blew her mind, but I decide to push a little. “Tell me about your sisters.”
She stiffens at the mention of them, and I’m afraid the thick shield she wears will slip back into place.
I was shocked when she asked if we could have dinner with Tracker and his wife, but she’s getting an inside look at every detail of my life. Tonight, I’m getting a chance to see part of hers.
With the little bit I’ve learned about Ryder, this has to be damn important for her to bring me to dinner with her family. Something warmed deep inside my chest that she was trusting me with this.
“Jamie runs a coffee shop and does all the baking. Vanessa is beyond brilliant and owns a tech security company. Lyla. . . You’ve probably seen her. She’s an influencer and model. And Jos is in training.”
Training.
I wonder if that’s the same kind of training Ryder endured.
“And they’re all aware I’m—”
“It’s kind of a family business. They understand the rules and the risks. You don’t need to worry.”
I don’t get a chance to ask clarifying questions when we pull onto a gravel drive leading to a large ranch-style home.
We park next to a BMW and an F-150. Ryder hops out, while I wonder what kind of friendly fire waits inside.
“Hold on.” I jump out, and Ryder stops. “Shouldn’t we have brought a gift or something?”
“We went in on one together. Van has it.” She stares at me, and that almost smirk appears again. “Come on, Matthews.”
She heads inside, and I don’t waste time catching up.
We enter a living room with a sectional and a flat screen hanging on the wall. Ryder marches through to a large, bright kitchen with a massive island and a group of women surrounding it. They all stare as if they weren’t expecting us.
Ryder holds up her hand, stretching between them to grab a carrot stick off a tray, utterly unaffected by their wide gazes. “We needed some air, and we weren’t followed.”
Her gaze flicks to mine as she chews. “Track, TJ. You guys have met.”
The two men stand in the corner holding beers, one eyeing me like I’m his number one enemy.
“The rest of you. . . ” Five pairs of feminine eyes run over me. “First, quit being weird and gawking like you haven’t been internet stalking him.”
Smiles and smirks break free.
“This is Cole. Cole, this is Hope.” She points to a woman with short, light brown hair stirring a pot on the stove.
She gestures to the women sitting on stools. “These drama queens are Vanessa, Jos, Jamie, and Lyla.”
I recognize Lyla, but we’ve never met. I’ve seen her at different events, but I’m shocked to see her here.
Hope breaks the silence. “Well, come on in. Don’t be shy. None of these yahoos are.”
Ryder pulls out a stool and sits. She looks at me, waiting for me to do the same, so I drop onto the seat beside her.
“So, Cole,” Lyla leans forward to see me. “Is Ryder making your life a living hell with all her rules?”
“This guy lives by rules and a strict regimen,” Ryder shoots back, eyeing me as she bites into a cracker. “You’ll have to leave the clean diet behind tonight, Hotshot.”
I stare at her surprising playfulness.
“Nice win last night.” Tracker rests his elbows on the far end of the island. “Those boys weren’t doing a whole lot to help you out.”
If he only knew.
“Yes, sir. We’ve got serious work to do to keep it up, but our defense isn’t really interested in the serious part.”
I would have never said that out loud before. I’m finding I care less about defending a group of guys who likely don’t intend to do the same for me.
“Well, you keep playing like that, and it won’t matter.”
His words jar something deep inside me. They sound similar to what my dad would have said.
“Ry, how was your first NFL game?” Vanessa asks.
Her brown hair is slicked back in a tight ponytail, and she sits stiffly at the end of the island.
“I sat between two drunk guys covered in body paint who reeked of BO.”
“You didn’t tell me that,” I say, wondering why she didn’t say something.
She shrugs. “There wasn’t much you could do about it while you were out there stomping your foot and tossing a ball around.” She shoves another cracker in her mouth.
We’ve been watching games while we eat dinner, and she knows damn well there’s a hell of a lot more happening than throwing the ball. She’s giving me shit. It means she’s comfortable here, and I like it. A lot.
“You didn’t kick their ass,” TJ grumbles, but his gaze remains on me.
She waves a hand. “Nah. They were harmless. I might have had to if they got near Cole, though. They would’ve smothered him.”
“When do I get to go to a game?” Jos asks. “It’s not fair. Ry doesn’t even like football.”
I lean back, almost correcting that statement because I’d like to think that’s not true anymore.
“When you’re old enough to handle sweaty men whose only vocabulary consists of four-letter words.” Ryder dips a slice of pepper in hummus.
“Isn’t that exactly what she does every day?” Jamie chimes in as she stands to help Hope pull food out of the oven.
Everyone laughs. The inside jokes and the close connections make me miss my family.
“Maybe I’ll take you next time.” Ryder glances at me. “You can help me not look like a loser who has no friends.”
“She won’t help with that,” TJ adds.
Ryder points at him. “Watch yourself before you and I head out to the yard. I need to talk to you.”
“No one is taking anyone out to the yard,” Tracker states. “Yet.”
“Ryder can’t show up to every game looking sad and alone,” Jos counters. “That will begin to look suspicious.”
“You all can slow down.” Tracker stops the planning. “Let’s see if anything comes out of this game first.”
“Fine.” Jos puts a small gift bag on the counter in front of Hope.
“What’s this?” Hope smiles, reaching for it.
“We all went in on it.” Jamie moves closer to watch her open it. “We wanted to get you guys something special for your anniversary.”
Tracker slides behind his wife as she reaches into the tissue paper and pulls out an envelope. She opens it and shows Tracker.
“We thought you guys could use a little time away since you never get it,” Ryder says.
“A week away. Are you for real? Can we leave right now?” Hope’s eyes fill with tears.
“Wait. You expect us to leave you all in charge for a week?” Tracker puts his arm around Hope, tugging her against him.
A flash of my mom and dad zips through my mind.
“Jos and I will watch The Oasis,” TJ says.
“Shit. Will there be anything left when we get back?” Tracker asks, but it’s with a smile, the first I’ve seen from him.
“I’ll hang out with Candace to man the storefront and update your security system while I’m there,” Vanessa adds. “Plus, keep an eye on these two.” She wags a finger between TJ and Jos.
“I’ll check in at The O as much as I can while this one is training,” Ryder says, throwing a thumb in my direction. “It’ll all be fine. You guys need to get out of here for a bit.”
A tear rolls down Hope’s cheek. “You guys, this is. . . ”
“Oh, shit,” Tracker says, holding her a little tighter. “You all made her cry, and now. . . ”
There’s another sniff and then another. Jamie and Lyla wipe their eyes.
“Seriously,” TJ groans.
“Oh, piss off.” Jos punches him softly in the shoulder. “You know, maybe if you were a little more sensitive, someone with feelings might actually want to hang out with your cold, stoic ass.”
Hope hugs each of the girls while they all carry on.
Tracker’s eyes meet mine. “I think maybe I should leave you in charge.”
I laugh, watching and listening. Breath moves in and out of my lungs in a way I haven’t felt in so long.
I think Ryder was right. I needed some air. I needed to step away from my life for a bit and remember there’s a whole world outside of the game.
As I watch them interact, joke, and jab, I long to see my family.
Ryder peeks at me as the room grows loud again, as if she’s checking to make sure I’m still here.
I am. I’m soaking it all in before we return to the monotony and seclusion that has become my life. I miss this. The way my life used to be and having people who see and know me. The ones who’ll stick around even when it has nothing to do with football, my name, or that status tied to it.
I want that back. I’m just not sure how to make that happen.