Chapter 50
NASH
“Amazing news, Nash,” Colson says when I answer his call.
“What’s up, Colson?”
“We got you that deal.”
I frown, momentarily confused. “Deal?”
There’s a beat of silence on Colson’s end. “Uh, the sponsorship deal you’ve been hounding me about? The only thing we’ve been talking about for the last couple months? That deal?”
Shit. Ever since I dropped all pretenses with Piper, I haven’t thought about that once. It’s been entirely out of my mind.
I bring my arm up to rub the back of my neck, embarrassed. “Yeah, uh, about that …”
“About that?” Colson’s voice is chilly through the phone.
“I kind of don’t need it anymore.”
There’s a small noise from his end, like he’s about to say something but stops himself short. Then another long stretch of silence. I keep rubbing my neck, because it’s growing tenser with embarrassment.
“You kind of don’t need it anymore.” Colson repeats my words back to me in a way that makes me wince. I can’t blame him for not being happy. I rode his ass about finding me a deal, and then when he finally does, this is what I have to say.
But I really don’t need it anymore. All those years of me saying I didn’t want to deal with the bullshit of sponsorships for the extra money, I was telling the truth. I still don’t, and since I don’t have to fool Piper anymore, I don’t need to now.
“Well, the thing is—”
Colson cuts me off sharply. “Nash, do you have any idea how hard I worked finding this deal for you? Because every single time we talked, you spoke about it as if it were our top priority?”
“I—”
“Damn hard, that’s how hard. Do you know how much time I spent prospecting different companies? How many people I talked to? How hard I sold you?”
“I’m sure you worked hard Colson, I don’t—”
“Damn right I worked hard! And I finally found you a big-money sponsorship, just like you wanted—and trust me, this is big money—and guess what? I’m your agent.
I get a cut of the deals I broker for you.
And I’m damn sure not missing out on my commission for this one, knowing how hard I worked for it. ”
I take a deep breath, my own guilt rendering an inarguable judgment against me. Colson’s right. It’s gonna be a pain in the ass going through with all the shit I’m going to have to do, but I can’t back out now.
I sigh. “You’re right, Colson. I’m sorry.” I try to summon some enthusiasm. “Alright, talk to me about this deal.”
“It’s a highly visible endorsement deal.”
An eyebrow rises. Something inside me doesn’t like the sound of it. “Highly visible?”
“Billboards and a major social media ad campaign.”
“Well, what am I endorsing?”
I can almost hear Colson’s smile through the phone. “You’re gonna love this …”
Hoots and whistles from my teammates greet me when I approach them on the runway. We’re about to board our flight to the next away game.
“Turn around and let us get a look at that world-famous ass,” Hayden catcalls.
I glare at him and mutter under my breath, “Damn it, Colson.”
“I can’t believe they let that billboard go up on the highway,” Adriano piles on. “It’s guaranteed to cause some crashes by distracted drivers.”
“I won’t lie,” Cooper says. “You made those jeans look so good I bought myself a pair.”
“I thought I was the only one,” Noah joins in.
Vaughn would normally at least roll his eyes and grunt at everyone else’s ridiculousness, but he’s so distracted right now that he just stands apart, staring into blank space. I can’t imagine what’s been going through his mind the last couple weeks.
Having a five-year-old son you never even knew about, and the mother breaking the news at the exact same time she tells you she’s giving him up and he’s all yours to take care of now. I mean, fuck. No one blames him for how badly he’s played since that day.
Reflecting on it makes me forget my own problems for a moment.
But just for a moment, because when I take my first step up the stairway that leads to the jet, Adriano whistles behind me.
“Now there’s the butt that’s been seen by all of Austin.”
“All of the world,” Hayden adds, holding out his phone to show everyone the Instagram ad that just popped up on his feed.
I scowl as I’m confronted with a high-definition close-up photo of my own backside clad in a pair of Country Way blue jeans.
Country Way is a newly established clothing company trying to get a foothold in the market, and they’ve been advertising aggressively for the last couple years. They’re the company Colson landed me an endorsement deal with. And this is how they’re using me.
I can’t escape pictures of my ass in those jeans. On the internet, in print media around the city, on a giant billboard that dominates the highway. At least they’re not doing broadcast commercials.
And at least every time Piper sees them, she gets a little frisky.
If I were the kind of guy who finds it natural to call a glass half full, I’d focus on that aspect of it. But for now, having my ass plastered everywhere for the entire city to feast their eyes on still makes my stomach curl with embarrassment.
On the plane, I take a seat next to Vaughn. He’s still lost in thought, his gaze blunt and distant as he doesn’t even stare out the window, but into the backrest of the seat in front of him.
“How’s the new nanny working out?” I ask him.
When Vaughn told the team about Aiden, management immediately went to work hiring a nanny for him, on the team payroll.
The first one didn’t work out, because she ignored her phone too often and Vaughn couldn’t contact them at will. Fair enough. The guy’s a new dad and he’s freaking out.
Now we’re onto the second one. And by the look on Vaughn’s face as he shakes his head, I think we’ll be onto the third pretty soon.
“Not great.” His voice sounds so exhausted.
“Aiden told me she doesn’t really do anything with him all day.
She just lets him watch YouTube Shorts on her iPad.
So, he just sits there and doesn’t talk or interact with anyone when he’s with her.
” He scrubs his hand over his face. “That’s exactly what I’m trying to get him to stop doing.
The boy hardly talks. Barely even to the child therapist.”
I try to lighten the mood with a little joke. “Don’t want it to be like father, like son, huh?”
Vaughn’s eyes expand, and he lets out a sharp breath. “Fuck, no. I don’t.”
There’s gravity in Vaughn’s voice, like he’s taking his responsibility as a parent seriously. Like he wants to make sure his son ends up as well-adjusted as possible, despite whatever he’s gone through.
With that mindset and determination, I’m confident he’ll succeed. I truly believe Vaughn and Aiden will get through this adjustment period and thrive. But it probably won’t be an easy journey to get there. How could it be?
I try to chat a bit more with Vaughn to get his mind off his worries, but his grunts and monosyllabic answers tell me he’s even less in the mood to talk than he normally is.
I settle into my seat and relax. With my eyes closed, an idea forms in my head, influenced by thinking about Vaughn and his son.
Me, Piper, and kids of our own.
An easy smile warms my face. I let the fantasy play out, visualizing the possible futures that Piper and I might have together.
No matter what kind of future we end up with, as long as we end up with it, as long as it’s me and Piper together, I’ll be happy.