Chapter 18
COLE
“Hey, man.” I open the door, slap his hand, and hug my best friend. With everything going on, it’s nice to see someone who’s like family.
“Hey.” He slings his thick, tattooed arm around me, hugging me back.
Nick is quiet but goes into full bear mode when something strikes a nerve. He doesn’t have a lot of friends and keeps a low profile, but what I’ve learned about him over the years has shown me he’s one of the best men I’ll probably ever know.
He drops his suitcase inside the door and laughs. “It looks exactly the same as the last time I was here. Glad to see those shitheads you call teammates haven’t changed your excessively anal tendencies.”
If he only knew.
I see the moment Ryder’s thumping on the treadmill registers.
“What’s that? You have company?”
The agitation that’s loitered since yesterday, when I got off the bus, and T-Bone took aim at Ryder, rises to the surface. My skin grows tight again.
“Uh. . .yeah. I have someone staying with me.”
His brows tip in. Nick is a big dude. He’s a defensive end and one of the best in the league. I’m six feet, three inches, and he’s taller than me with shoulders twice as broad. The man is a tank.
“You have someone staying with you? Who?” His skeptical eyes narrow.
Nick knows I don’t mess around with women. He’ll jump to every conclusion when he finds out that Ryder is living here. The same ones my family has from a few pictures.
I shove it out because I’ve got nothing else. “Her name is Ryder.”
Both eyebrows shoot up. “Her?”
I’m not sure if it’s a question or a statement. “Yes. She’s staying here for a while. I’ve had some—”
“Hold on.” He raises his hands. “You’re living with a woman? When the hell did this happen?” He scratches his scruffy jaw, a small smirk tugging at his lips. “Is she the chick in the pictures? I was certain she was just some fan caught at a good angle.”
I run a hand through my hair. Ryder isn’t some chick. “Yeah.”
“Shit, Matthews. Are you saying you actually have a girlfriend?”
“I. . .uh. . . ”
Like she’s doing her job of protecting my ass, Ryder comes down the stairs. Her music is loud enough in her earbuds that I can hear it. I know exactly what it is. It’s the same Bruno Mars song she always listens to.
Nick’s astonished gaze drifts to her.
She taps her phone, and the music stops. “Sorry, I didn’t know. . .”
I watch her absorb Nick’s presence, and I withhold a smile.
“Ryder, this is Nick.”
“Hey,” Nick says.
Ryder’s hair is pulled back in a tight ponytail, her tank is soaked but only with sweat this time, and she’s wearing those black leggings that hug her long, toned legs.
“Hey.” She has that stony expression as she tips her chin in his direction and then moves to the refrigerator, grabbing a bottle of water.
The large wound on her shoulder is still bright red and looks painful, but it’s healed.
I have no doubt Nick sees it, but he doesn’t say anything. I want to know who or what hurt her, but something deep in my gut warns me that maybe it’s better if I don’t. A flash of her coming through the door with blood splattered across her chest zips through my mind as she turns around.
“I’m. . . I’ve got to check in and do some stuff.” She scans Nick again, probably making sure she’s taken in every detail, and then those eyes move back to me. A turquoise blue that reminds me of the ocean.
Her gaze holds mine, checking in and ensuring everything is ok.
I’m not sure what she sees, but after a moment, I recognize what might be a hint of a smirk. Just anyone wouldn’t be able to tell, but I’ve learned, and it’s definitely a smirk.
I glare at her, which only makes that one side of her mouth curl a little higher.
Then, just like that, it’s gone.
“Remember the rules, Matthews.” She takes a drink of her water and then heads to her room.
I hear the click of the door.
“Rules?” Nick’s eyes widen in amusement.
Ryder is going to pay for that.
Nick runs a hand over his thick scruff. “I get it now.”
“Get what?”
“Your sister sent a message telling me I could not miss Thanksgiving.” His mouth creeps into a shit-eating grin, and I want to punch it off his face. “Cole Matthews finally has a girlfriend. I feel like a proud papa bear. It’s about damn time, man.”
My shoulders fall, but the pressure in my chest doesn’t go anywhere. “Maggie texted you?”
He strolls to the glass door, pulling the curtain aside to check out the ocean. “Shit, man. What do you think? Your sister wanted to know if I had information.”
I fall onto the couch. This just keeps getting better.
“Ryder isn’t my girlfriend.” His disbelieving eyes zero in on me. “She’s my protection agent. Apparently, someone wants me to quit, or they’ll end me.”
He blinks a few times slowly, sorting through what I said. If he even comes at me with some statement about Ryder being a woman, all my pent-up irritation might actually explode through my fists.
“You have a bodyguard? And she’s living with you?”
I feel only a small amount of relief that he didn’t go there. “Yes.”
“It must be serious.”
I run a hand over my face. “They started out subtle. The latest one took aim at Ryder.”
“What the hell, man? What do they want?”
I shrug, sinking into the couch a little further. “I don’t know. None of it makes any sense. This stays between us. I haven’t even said much to Maggie. She’ll. . . ” I pause, and he nods, understanding Maggie’s overprotective tendencies. “There’s an asshole on the team—”
“Bonnard?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ve been wanting to kick his ass for years.” Nick’s hands round into fists.
Nick doesn’t mess around when someone pisses him off, and it would be a good idea to never have him in the same room as T-Bone.
“He took it too far when we got off the bus last night. He made comments about Ryder.”
Nick’s shoulders roll back, some kind of understanding moving across his face I choose to ignore. “What are you doing about it?”
“I’m meeting with Greg, but you know how contracts work. I doubt they’ll bench him, but they have to see that he and his gang are a large part of what’s standing between us and winning.”
“That’s for damn sure. They need to trade his useless ass and half of the others.”
I exhale. “I don’t care what they do. He won’t say one more word about Ryder.”
“Maybe it’s time you kick his ass.”
His words pull forth Ryder’s comment about T-Bone wanting to see how far he can push me.
“You think he’s behind this?” Nick asks.
“Ryder says he’s too loud. The person behind these threats wants to remain hidden.”
Nick nods, his hand moving over his buzzed, light hair. “Huh.” His lips curl into a smug grin. “Never thought I’d see the day you’d live with a woman. Better be careful. You might find you like it.”
He’s lucky I am careful of my hands. If I weren’t, I’d wipe that look off his face.
“You’re an asshole,” I joke, and he laughs, but dammit, I think his warning might be a little too late.
He moves to the couch, sitting in Ryder’s spot, and kicks his feet out in front of him, crossing his ankles. “I’m glad she’s here. You shouldn’t have to be alone all the time. I know why you are, but. . .I hate that for you.”
It’s been a long time since I’ve had something to look forward to outside the game, but having Ryder here has been nice.
I have to remember it’s temporary. This is a job for her.
I am only a job. Soon, I’ll go back to sitting in my room, watching tape, and preparing for the next game.
The idea causes the area around my lungs to constrict.
I need to move the focus off of me and hopefully deflate some of the pressure building in my chest. “So, how are things in New York? Are you still hoping for a trade? We’re approaching the deadline.”
“Yeah. I’m tired of the city. It never shuts up. I miss Denver, where it was quiet.”
Me too.
“I want a house in the woods where I don’t have to see people for days if I don’t want to.”
I laugh. “Are you going to be one of those people who live off the grid? Maybe you should try Alaska. It’d probably suit you.”
“It’s too far.” His voice turns softer as he stares into the distance. “But if I had a choice, you’re not wrong.”
I have no doubt Nick would get lost if he could. I understand the desire.
“How’s working with the kids?”
Nick works with intercity youth from the most dangerous neighborhoods in New York City.
He mentors throughout the season and coaches in the off-season.
These kids and teenagers come from low-income families and have difficulty accessing and affording sports programs. Nick’s goal is to give them structure outside of school and their circumstances.
The organization provides a safe place off the streets and away from the gangs trying to entice them.
“Difficult as hell, and they think they know everything.” He chuckles. “Same problems as always. Trying to keep them in and the drugs and guns out. We started handing out condoms.” He runs a hand over his face.
I grin. “I’d pay a million dollars to see you explaining contraception to a bunch of teens. How do I get this recorded?”
He flips me off. I laugh, and it feels really good.
His head rolls in my direction. “If I’d known I’d be a third wheel at this event, I would have avoided the crowds and kept my ass home.”
“I’m sorry, man. Time got away from me, and all this stuff happened so fast.”
Nick stretches out even further, making himself comfortable. “Well, what game are we watching, and who are we going to figure out how to screw with? If I’m here, we might as well make it useful.”
I laugh, and the mammoth squatting on my chest finally finds somewhere else to sit. I grab the control and turn on a game, needing to get lost in football for a while, just like we used to.
______
MAGGIE: Thanksgiving in three weeks during your bye week. Your ass better be here, and you better bring your lady “friend.”
MAGGIE: Or. . .we’ll come to you. So make room. *Smiling face emoji*