13. Wilder
13
WILDER
TEN YEARS AGO
“I can’t freaking believe it.” My buddy Andrew shook his head. “When did you find out?”
“A week ago.”
“Didn’t you use protection?”
I raked a hand through my hair. “We did at first. But we weren’t seeing anyone else, and she’s on the pill.”
“Isn’t that thing supposed to be like ninety-nine percent effective?”
I blew out two cheeks full of air. “I’ve always been an overachiever.”
“What are you going to do? You’re leaving for England in a few months.”
“Not anymore.”
Andrew’s eyes bulged. “ What? It’s all you’ve talked about since we were kids. Playing for England is your dream.”
“I’ll postpone. Or I’ll play here in the US. It’s not too late to qualify for next year’s draft in the MLR.”
“You know that’s not the same thing. Rugby here is shit. You might as well play professional Ping-Pong.”
I frowned. “It’s growing fast.”
He shook his head. “Name one player here who has a seven-figure endorsement.”
Of course I couldn’t. Not here anyway. England? New Zealand? South Africa? Definitely. But the sport didn’t make household names and faces in the US. “You know I don’t need the money.”
“I know. But don’t you want to play against the best? In a stadium full of eighty thousand people?”
That’s what hurt the most. I didn’t mind not making money. My father had enough to last generations. But I wanted to be the best, and in order to be the best, you had to play against the best. There wasn’t a player from the United States ranked in the top fifty. It sucked. But what the hell was I going to do? My girlfriend was pregnant. I couldn’t move to another country right before she was about to give birth.
Andrew sighed. “Do you love her at least?”
“I haven’t been with anyone else in four months.”
He frowned. “That’s not a yes. That could mean she’s a great lay.”
I pointed. “Watch it.”
“Seriously, Wilder. This is a big fucking deal—changing your entire life for someone. Do you love her or not?”
“I’m content.”
“I’m content when I sit on my grandmother’s couch and she makes me her homemade gnocchi. Doesn’t mean I want her to have my baby and uproot my entire life.”
I raked a hand through my hair. “Doesn’t matter what I want now. Because it’s happening. We’re having a kid.”