Chapter 22 #2
“Tucker, oh thank God, where the hell are you? Why haven't you answered?” Cami asks, sounding harassed.
“No cell reception at Sebastian’s house. It’s worse than out in the country, apparently,” I say, sending him a side-eyed look.
“Are you on your way home?” she asks, her voice tight with frustration.
“Yeah, Sebastian’s driving me out right now. We should be there in about thirty minutes. Are you okay? I want you to stay close to Rowan and Hayden.” I don't want her alone or freaking out any more than she needs to be.
“I’m fine, just pissed as all hell. I can’t get these damn people to leave, and they’re on my last nerve with their questions. I’m about to go country on their asses and pull the shotgun out to ask them to kindly remove themselves from the property,” she snaps.
“If that’s what you gotta do, then you do it, but try not to do anything that’ll get you arrested.
I don't need to bail you out of jail today on top of everything else,” I say, rubbing my temples.
“What exactly are they asking about?” I’m not sure I actually want the answers, but it’s better to know what we’re walking into.
“You and Sebastian are the talk of the town. Everyone wants to know about the Hydras’ team captain and the dog trainer the team’s partnered with this season, and how this came to be. It’s pretty innocent right now, but I can see this taking a nasty turn if the media decides to spin it negatively.”
“And you think they’ll see me as some opportunist taking advantage of the partnership to get close to a player for personal gain,” I say, filling in where she was being diplomatic.
“What the hell? That’s not at all what’s going on here,” Sebastian says, cutting in after quietly listening to my side of the conversation. “I pursued you!”
I look over at him and wish I had his optimism.
Instead, I’m a realist looking at a situation like anyone on the outside would.
He’s a multimillionaire professional athlete with an exploding career, a single dad who could be seen as lonely or a target for someone like me, a poor, at least by his standards, blue-collar guy looking for a handout.
People don't look past the obvious once they’ve put you in a box, as unfair as that is.
No one wants to spend the time getting to know who you are as a person if they can make snap judgments based on what it looks like from the outside.
“Thank you for handling things for me online. Just hang in there. I’ll be home soon to deal with this.
Bye, Cam,” I say before ending the call abruptly.
She’s used to my obnoxious phone habits.
“I’m sorry I’ve dragged you into this mess,” I say immediately, knowing I have to do damage control before Sebastian decides I’m not worth the trouble I’m bringing to his door.
“What? Tucker, no. You didn’t do anything.
” He reaches over and grabs my hand, lacing our fingers together on the center console.
“You can’t take responsibility for what people decide to post about online.
If anything, I should be apologizing to you.
They’re only interested in us because I’m a professional athlete, and they think that makes me worth caring about for some reason. ”
“Well, shit’s hit the fan and we’re both covered in it, no matter what reason we want to go with for how it got up there in the first place,” I say. “So all we can do is clean it up.”
“That’s the craziest fucking saying I’ve ever heard. Is that something you say out where you’re from, Country Boy?” he teases, squeezing my hand, trying to make the heavy situation a little lighter.
I squeeze back, grateful for his willingness to look for the tiny spot of sunshine in what could otherwise be a monsoon.
When we get to my house, no less than fifteen cars are lining the dirt driveway and parked in front of my house in the makeshift parking area.
Sebastian has to park behind my truck, blocking me in since there’s no room otherwise.
A few people are standing on my walkway holding cameras, and I don't like the looks of them.
“You should stay here,” I warn as I get out of the car.
I’m walking toward the strangers when I hear a car door open and shut, and I know he’s following me. Fucking hell, he can't even listen to me when I know exactly what his presence is going to do. The people by my house turn and start taking photos immediately.
“You need to leave right now,” I say evenly.
“You’re on private property. You’ll have to go back to the main road if you want to loiter on a public roadway.
You don’t have permission to take my photo or use it in any way.
Now that you know you’ve taken it on private property, please do yourselves a favor and dispose of those images before you find yourselves on the wrong side of a lawsuit.
” I have my police officer voice on, speaking with clear authority and a calmness I don't feel.
“Mr. Montenegro, how long have you two been together?” one of the guys calls over my shoulder, ignoring me completely.
“Sebastian, is Tucker your boyfriend, and how have people reacted to the news of you being with a man after being married to a woman?”
“Did you meet through the team, or did he get the partnership because of you?” a woman calls from beside us.
Ouch. That one hurts more than I thought it would.
“Monty, are you going to make a public statement about your sexuality? How did your son take the news?” I hear shouted from behind us, more people having exited the vehicles lining the driveway and rushing over when we arrived.
“How has the Hydras organization reacted to your relationship with someone they’re partnering with?” another calls. My head spins as the questions come from all sides.
I stand rooted in place, a new layer of fear edging into my awareness with this latest query.
Fuck, it hadn’t occurred to me that the Hydras might cut off this partnership if they found out about me and Sebastian.
This is bad. We’ve just gotten started for the season, and I hired another trainer last week.
Now that I’ve gotten on board with the plan, I know I won't be able to afford to keep this place running without the money the partnership is bringing in this year.
Sebastian is frozen, looking around at the group of people converging on us with a ton of intrusive questions about his sexuality, his kid, and what people think of us.
My heart sinks. For all his talk of claiming me publicly and wanting to be with me, he’s having a hard time putting those words into practice now.
He’s not even touching me after being unable to keep his hands off since we woke up.
My shoulders slump as reality sets in. I should have known it was all too good to be true.
My stupid, soft whore heart decided to believe another straight man with pretty words despite every former experience.
I had plenty of proof of what would inevitably happen in the light of day, after the high of getting his dick sucked and a great fuck wore off, when real life set in.
This is par for the course. My heart races as I realize that I’ve put my partnership with the Hydras on the line to be with him, and he’s not even man enough to stand close enough to touch me now.
I’m not losing everything for a man who won’t even stand up for me when it counts.
I swallow down the bile rising in my throat, knowing what I have to do. Time for damage control, so I can start picking up the pieces of my life and maybe salvage what’s left of the Hydras partnership and my reputation in order to not lose my business along with it.
I step in front of Sebastian, blocking him from the prying eyes of the strangers on my property who want some kind of statement.
I turn to him and speak quietly. “Get back in the car. Just go. I’ll handle this since you don't want to.” I turn back to the crowd.
“We’re just friends, and he was kind enough to help me out when I was having a bad night.
That’s all there is to it. Now leave before the Sheriff escorts you off my property.
” I look down the lane at the cruiser making its way toward us.
Cami must have called Dwight down at the station to clear out the assholes who are giving us more trouble than we know what to do with. About time she did, too. I don't think these people were satisfied with my answer.
“Tucker, what the hell?” Sebastian says quietly at my side.
Sheriff Cooper gets out of his car and lumbers toward us. The crowd begins to slowly disperse with uneasy grumblings in the presence of law enforcement.
“Don't, Sebastian. You’ve said enough by not saying anything at all. I have shit to deal with now, and you have to get to practice. You should just leave.” My tone is gruff and even despite the earthquake taking place in my soul as my heart riots against my rational brain.
I know I’m doing the right thing in protecting myself, or what’s left to protect at this point, after letting my guard down and giving him everything.
I can't believe I fell for his pretty words like a fucking chump.
Stupid Tucker and his whore heart love a straight man who wants to experiment but doesn't actually want to be seen with him in public, as usual.
“It’s not like that,” he says, following me as I walk toward the Sheriff.
“You're going to be late if you stay. I’m sure that’ll go over well with your coach. Best be on your way and not let me fuck up your life any more than I already have,” I mumble, hating every word coming out of my mouth.
“Why are you being like this?” he snaps, pulling on my arm to stop me.
I spin on him. “Why am I being like this? How about asking yourself why you couldn't answer those people with any of the pretty lines you fed me last night. Of claiming me to everyone, of wanting to be mine. Then maybe you’ll know why I’m being like this.
Every word out of your mouth was bullshit, and I don't know why I even believed a minute of it when I told you I’ve been through this and know how it ends.
You just proved me right, and I fucking hate it.
I wanted to be wrong so fucking bad.” My voice betrays me by breaking, and I have to look away. “Why couldn't you have been different?”
I shake my head when he stands there gaping at me, unable to answer for his crimes, knowing he fucked up and there’s no going back now to redo it.
“This isn’t done, Tucker,” Sebastian says, a furious undercurrent in the quiet words.
“Oh, I’m pretty sure it is. There’s not much left for us now if you can’t man up when it counts.”
I turn with determination and continue walking toward Sheriff Cooper, even though a part of me wants to stay rooted in place next to Sebastian.
I hear Sebastian’s steps crunching on the gravel as he turns the other way and goes back to his car.
Each step is a grenade blowing up the foundation of our relationship, if you can call it that.
Every quiet moment we spent together obliterated by the space stretching between us.
“I appreciate you taking the time to come out this morning, Sheriff,” I say, all business despite the polite words. My mind is split, half-focused on the man retreating behind me that’s taking my heart with him, the other trying to clean up the mess that came with catching feelings for him.
“It’s been a while, Tucker. Your sister said there’s a crowd causing some trouble? What are we dealing with?” the Sheriff asks.
“Just some trespassers from the media who thought that they could come onto my property because I do business here,” I say, thumbing over my shoulder toward the cars and group of people.
“I got caught up in some social media thing by accident, and they came out here looking for a story they’re not gonna get. ”
I hear Sebastian’s car start, and my gut churns. I told him to leave. I shouldn't care.
But I do.
When he drives by, I try not to look to see if he’s looking at me, but my traitorous heart does it for me, scanning his windows and catching the tight set of his shoulders, hands strangling the steering wheel as he stares straight ahead, face an inscrutable mask.
“Whelp, let’s get these people off your property,” Sheriff Cooper says, his Southern twang thick as he tucks his thumbs in his gun belt and rocks back on his heels.
“Kinda thought a big officer of the Atlanta Police Department like yourself could handle a few trespassers on his own, but I guess you city departments aren’t always better than us county folks, eh? ”
“Former officer,” I correct him. I feel even less like a police officer now than I ever did.
I don't have the edge, the steel spine required to do the job anymore. I’m too fragile, ready to break over the slightest embarrassment, now.
Like watching my boyfriend freeze when asked about our brand-new relationship, and realizing he didn't mean any of the lies he’d fed me. “I just train dogs now.”