Chapter 23
A couple of weeks later…
Acrisp November breeze washed over the court.
Jude’s basketball echoed as it bounced against the pavement while he scanned for an opening.
Another Sunday and they were once again outmatched.
The trio he, Anton, and Roan were playing covered them with ease, making it near impossible to retain control of the ball.
They were being trounced, and the game was only halfway finished.
No way were they winning this one, but he wasn’t in the mood to fail. Luckily Anton and Roan didn’t seem ready to be go down without a fight, either. Roan spun away from his guard, and Jude passed him the ball. He roared with delight when Roan made the lay-up.
After a round of high-fives with his teammates, they dug in to make another attempt. Sadly, that was the highlight of their game.
They ultimately lost 9-21.
The loss hit Jude harder than it should have. He hurled his ball against the chain-link fence enclosure and roared with anger. Jude bent over, gripping his knees as another chill breeze caused him to shiver.
“It’s okay, man,” Anton murmured before they turned to shake their competitors’ hands.
The other team eyed him warily and hedged away when he offered a palm and an acerbic “good game.”
He, Roan, and Anton walked to the side and packed up their belongings in the silence of their defeat. Jude felt Anton and Roan’s stares on him, but he ignored them.
“So when’s Mia finally popping that baby out?” Anton asked Roan, breaking the awkward silence.
“She’s losing it,” Roan said. “One minute she’s nesting, the next, she’s throwing me on the bed because her ob. told her sex can help cause labor.” He winced. “They say it won’t hurt the baby, but as far along as she is, it worries me.”
“I think you’re giving your Johnson a little too much credit,” Anton said, grinning.
“Fuck you,” Roan said, tossing his sweaty towel at Anton.
Anton ducked, and it sailed over his head and landed on a pile of orange and yellow leaves.
“See, if it was me, I’d give your kid brain damage,” Anton said. “But you’ve got nothing to worry about.”
“Stop,” Jude said, chuckling and trying to hide a smile. “He’s anxious enough as it is.”
“There he is,” Anton said. “I was wondering if you were going to pout all day.”
“I’m tired of losing.” Jude looked at Roan. “If the doc said go for it, go for it.” He hooked a thumb toward Anton. “Ignore his stupid ass.”
“Stupid ass?” Anton asked, while dramatically sighing. “And I thought you loved me?”
Roan chuckled.
“I can both love your dumb ass and tell you to lay up on Roan at the same time. I contain multitudes.”
“What’s that mean?” Roan asked, lifting a brow.
“We can have contradictory beliefs, ideas, and emotions,” Anton answered. “Or in the case of Jude, he’s just a cranky asshole who likes to pretend it’s because he’s complicated when we both know he’s not.”
“I’m not complicated,” Jude corrected. “Life is.”
“True that,” Roan said.
Jude drained his water bottle and stood, backpack in hand. “We still on for next Sunday or no?”
The holiday was around the corner and Anton was leaving with his family to visit his sister way out in the middle of the country. He couldn’t remember all the particulars of when they were headed out.
“We’re not flying out until next Monday evening,” Anton said. “I’ll be up for this Sunday but maybe not the next. That’ll depend on the procrastination level involved in my packing process.”
“I can’t say for certain. It depends on the baby, but I have every intention of playing,” Roan said before he eyed Anton. “Wisconsin again this year?”
“Alena always gets her way,” Anton grumbled, chucking his towel into his duffel.
Alena was a couple of years older than Anton, but the baby of all five sisters.
Mothers weren’t supposed to have favorites, but Anton’s mother sure had one.
Alena could do nothing wrong. The ultimate city girl had shocked everyone and gotten married to a dairy farmer.
She’d moved out to the middle of nowhere to play trad wife.
Last Jude knew, she was trying to be a social media influencer using the ‘duck out of water’ bit, sharing all of the things she was learning how to do on the farm.
Jude had followed her for a while, but it had gotten a bit too traditional for his taste.
She’d started to get that Stepford Wife vibe.
Anton rolled his eyes. “Tell me how it makes sense that fifteen people fly to Wisconsin instead of a family of two and a half flying here.”
“It doesn’t,” Roan said.
Anton waved a hand at Roan, signaling agreement.
“You aren’t being forced to go,” Jude said.
“Last year, they’d almost convinced Mom to move out there with them,” Anton said. “We all know Alena wants a built-in babysitter so she can do more of her Instagram bullshit and Mom won’t make it two months outside of the city.”
“Well, I can kind of see why they want you to go there. It’s not like Alena’s husband can leave the farm that easily,” Roan said. “He’s got all of those animals to take care of.”
“Jeff’s younger brother offered to watch over the farm so they could get away for a while,” Anton said.
“Alena’s the one who said no. She doesn’t want to expose her baby girl to the toxic air here.
Toxic air? I remember when she’d pop someone for talking shit about Jersey, but now that she’s gone, you’d think she’d once lived in a radioactive garbage dump. ”
“There are places in this state that could be labeled a radioactive garbage dump,” Jude said, grinning.
“Speaking of toxic air,” Roan said, sliding his duffel over one shoulder. “I forgot to tell you that I signed us up next Sunday at the community center. I’m freezing my balls off out here.”
“And we’ll have to play the old dudes,” Anton grumbled, frowning.
“At least we have a chance of winning against them,” Jude said.
“Exactly,” Roan said.
Anton scoffed. “The young ones keep us on our toes.”
“The young ones have been beating our asses. I’m with Jude. I’m tired of losing every week,” Roan said. “An occasional win helps my ego.”
“If you two would’ve concentrated, we’d have done better today,” Anton said. He glared at Roan. “You were on your phone more than the court.”
“Mia’s past due! I had to check my phone every so often.” Roan snapped. He eyed Jude. “What’s your excuse?”
Jude’s gaze flashed to Anton’s for a second before he shrugged, focusing on Roan. “I’m tired.”
“Lame,” Roan said. He play-punched Anton’s bicep. “At least I had a good excuse. Blame Jude for this mess, not me.”
“You know how the shop gets this time of the year,” Jude said.
Roan’s smile fell. “Hey, ah, Jude… that reminds me. Since Anton’s going out of town again… did you want to come over to Mia’s folks with us? I’m sure Bev would make a spot for you.”
Jude had run into Mia’s mom a few times since high school, and she usually acted like she didn’t see him. No way was she making him a spot. “I’m usually exhausted by Thanksgiving and not great company,” Jude said. “I’ll just order some Chinese and veg out on the couch.”
“It’s not too late to come with us,” Anton said.
“You’re flying out four days before Thanksgiving,” Jude said. “I can’t leave the shop the week before a major holiday.”
“And as I suggested before, you can get a last-minute flight out Wednesday,” Anton said. “I can pick you up in the airport. Might be in a tractor, for all I know, but I’ll be there.”
“And with the weather up that way, I’d rather not end up stuck in an airport when I could be napping on my couch. Let me rest while I can. We’re going to be slammed most of December.”
“What if I bring you a plate from Mia’s mother’s house on our way home?”
“Jesus Christ, can you both please stop?!”
Anton and Roan’s eyes widened. A few heads turned from the other courts, too.
Jude blew out a long, slow breath to calm himself. “It feels like you guys don’t trust me to be alone. If I haven’t proven I’m good by now, will I ever?”
“We trust you,” Anton said, frowning.
“Really? Because it doesn’t feel like it.”
“We don’t want you to be alone on a holiday,” Roan said. “We’re your family now. We’re supposed to be together for this kind of shit.”
Jude sighed, guilt slamming into him for yelling. “Yeah, and just like family, you two can be pains in my ass.”
Both Anton and Roan snorted.
“In all honesty, I wanted you to come to Wisconsin for me. It’ll be a house full of women—and me and Jeff.
He’s going to talk my ear off the entire time.
The guy doesn’t shut up about those cows.
It was interesting for the first fifteen minutes—and that’s being generous.
” Anton scoffed. “Hell, the cows can’t shut up either.
Have you heard the sound a thousand cows make?
Day in and day out. Moo-moo here. Moo-moo there.
By the third day, I was so tempted to round up his entire herd and send them to you for slaughter. ”
“Yeah, but who’s going to keep Jeff warm at night if you do that?” Jude asked, grinning.
Anton chuckled. “Sure as hell isn’t my ice princess sister.”
Jude turned to Roan and found him frowning as he scanned the screen of his phone.
“Hey, sorry, I need to go,” Roan said.
“Is it the baby?” Anton asked, rising.
“Oh no, sorry,” Roan said as he backed away. “Mia’s got a craving for del Fagioli’s and if I don’t get pick her up something within the craving window, she’ll be grumpy all afternoon.”
“The craving window?” Jude asked.
“I’ve got about thirty to forty-five minutes after she announces a craving to make it materialize. If I take much longer, I’ll get the waterworks with her telling me I don’t love her anymore.”
“Oh that sounds like fun,” Anton said.
“Hey, she’s nine and a half months pregnant and exhausted. She’s allowed to be a little emotional and grumpy. A little—I can deal with. The waterworks? No, thank you.” Roan grinned before running toward his car, yelling over his shoulder, “See ya next Sunday… maybe.”
Jude and Anton waved as Roan pulled away.