Chapter 33
NATE
“How did your meeting go?”
The knot in my chest loosened instantly when I looked up to see Becca standing in the doorway. Her laptop bag was slung over her shoulder. Her hair was slightly messy, and her face looked tired. Still, somehow, she was the prettiest thing I’d ever seen.
“Hey,” I said, sitting up on the couch. I’d been in the same spot since I got home, staring at the muted sports channel playing silently on the television, while my meeting with management replayed in my head.
“What did they say?” she asked, closing the door and taking her coat off.
“Ask me again in a few days after the league conducts its investigation. As of right now, I’m suspended for five games.”
“Oh, Nate. I’m so sorry.”
I held my hand out. “Come here.”
I got a call from the commissioner on my drive home. I already knew what he was going to say, just like I knew I couldn’t talk my way out of it. So, I stayed calm and accepted that his decision was final.
“You’re really okay with that?” she asked, wrapping her arms around me. Christ. It scared the living daylights out of me with how much I needed her.
“Yep.”
I knew how the league worked. People lied all the time, but they still needed to set an example.
I promised to cooperate while they finished collecting all the details.
The chances of me facing anything more than a suspension and a fine were unlikely because I was the starting quarterback, and even the NFL had limits on how tough they could be with their star players.
My name and stats protected me to a certain extent, but that sure as hell didn’t mean I was untouchable.
Honestly, my mind and body were still coming down from the emotional roller coaster I’d been on lately. I needed time to myself before I went back out there.
So, yeah, I was completely okay with it.
Becca curled deeper into my side. “I think you’re handling it pretty well.”
I shrugged. “What other choice do I have?”
It could have been worse and a lot uglier.
She exhaled against my chest. “I hate this for you.”
“I don’t like it either.”
She looked up at me. “What about your coach and the team doctor?”
My shoulders tensed. “Don’t know yet.”
I hated how much guilt sat in my chest over that, but we all played our part, and each had to suffer the consequences.
My phone pinged with an alert.
I brushed my hand up and down her leg and grabbed my phone from the coffee table.
I unlocked the screen and pulled up the article. “My PR team just sent this out.”
Becca’s eyes scanned over the headline
Nate Sandler confirms relationship with team reporter.
In a statement released this morning, Nate Sandler confirmed his relationship with sports reporter Becca Hendrix from Pressbox Media.
Sandler, who has long kept his private life out of the spotlight, decided to go public after rumors of their relationship started to intensify.
“I want to make one thing very clear. In all the years Becca Hendrix has covered our team, her work was never compromised. No rules were broken. At the end of the day, this is not a scandal. Becca and I were just two people who got to know each other and fell in love. She deserves all the professional respect she has earned in this industry with her insightful reporting. She is incredibly good at her job, and dating me shouldn’t change that. ”
She looked up at me with watery eyes. “I can’t believe you said all that about me.”
It was no secret that I hated talking about my private life, but this statement was more about protecting her. Brian had already taken enough from me. I wouldn’t let him take from her too.
“I meant every word.” I brushed a tear from her cheek as her eyes continued poring over the rest of the article.
I wouldn’t let people think I was hiding her. She was one of the best things that had ever happened to me. I refused to let anyone make her feel like she was some dirty secret.
She blinked through her watery lashes. “Even the part where you said you love me?”
“Yes.” I brushed my thumb across her cheek. “I love you with everything I have.”
My entire world felt upside down. The only thing that made sense was her.
No one has ever gone to bat for me before the way she did. Becca put her career on the line. Made me remember what it felt like to have someone stand beside me.
I brushed my hand slowly up and down her back. “You know, I was ready to walk if it came to that. If they told me that I was done. I would have been happy starting over and making a life with you.”
“Nate, you don’t mean that. Football is your life.”
I tightened my arms around her. “Becca, you’re my life. Football is what I do, not who I am.”
She placed her head against my chest and peered up at me. “Good. Because I’m hopelessly in love with the man, not the player, and I need you to know something. If everything went away tomorrow, you’d still be enough for me.”
My hands slid into her hair. “You know, I wasn’t scared for myself. I was more concerned about what it would do to you. I can handle people coming after me. I’ve dealt with it my whole career. But when Brian started coming after you, it scared the hell out of me.”
“Nate…”
“Let me finish.” I shifted her onto my lap so she was fully facing me. “You are one of the strongest people I have ever known. And I’m around a lot of strong people.” I brushed a loose strand of hair back from her face. “You risked your own career for me. I don’t know how I will ever repay you.”
“All I did was tell the truth.”
I shook my head. “You protected me. You gave women a voice. You spoke up for people who were too scared to. That matters. I’ve never been prouder of anyone in my life.”
Her hands slid up my chest. “I’m really proud of you, too. You stood up and took responsibility when it would have been easier not to. I know today wasn’t easy for you, and I admire the way you handled it. I don’t think I could love you anymore if I tried.”
Her words nearly ended me.
I spent so much of my life surrounded by people whose loyalty came with strings or ulterior motives.
Agents who cared more about themselves than others.
Management that only cared about winning.
Sponsors who cared about image.
And fans who only loved you when you won.
Having her support and belief in me was something I’d never take for granted.
My phone started buzzing like crazy with text messages and social media notifications.
“You really know how to set the internet on fire.” She laughed while wiping at her watery eyes.
“Wait until tomorrow when they find out about my suspension.”
Becca groaned. “You realize Ember is going to give you shit, right? She had a whole media post with dates and timelines.”
I tucked her into my side tightly. “What can I say? I’m impulsive.”
She laughed despite herself, and I pulled her into my chest. I just wanted to hold on to her a little while longer.
“This is insane.” She sighed.
I kissed the top of her head. “You want to talk about insane? Once the news about Brian hits, it’s going to be a shit show. I’m kind of relieved that I won’t be playing the next few games. I don’t think I’d be able to focus.”
Becca laughed at my phone, which would not stop buzzing. “I’m just glad our side of the story was told before he had a chance to spin it.”
“We just need to do one more thing.”
I clicked on the camera icon, held my phone out, and snapped our picture.
“Oh, my God. I look terrible. You cannot post that.”
“You’re beautiful. Besides, if we’re going to sell them something real, might as well look the part.”
She ran her hand along my arm. “What’s the caption going to be?”
I typed it out.
In case there was any confusion.
Then I hit post and turned my phone off.