Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
Dominic
“Look, I just need to order three dozen roses,” I mutter at my phone, frustrated, as the page buffers for the hundredth time. I hold the device up in the air, hoping and praying that maybe the slight elevation will change the locker room’s awful service.
“You played like fire tonight,” Marcus huffs, plopping down beside me. “I was so impressed. Must be because you’re in your home territory… Or maybe it’s because of dog girl.” He wiggles his eyebrows at me.
I ignore him, keeping my attention on the screen of my phone. Please, just process my payment. I don’t even care if it triple-charges my card at this point. I want Nicole to know that I’m thinking of her while I’m at my away game.
“Your fam is waiting outside for you.” Jayden gives me a nod. “I think they might come bursting in here if you don’t get it together and get out there.”
“Yeah, I know,” I grumble, my brow furrowing as the page once again stalls out. I shut my eyes and let out a sharp breath.
“Dude, what are you even trying to do?” Marcus starts laughing, tipping his head back to look at my screen.
“It’s just… It’s…” Ugh. “Flowers,” I groan. “For Nicole.” I don’t miss the looks Marcus and Jayden exchange.
“Lovesick,” Jayden snickers, shaking his head at me. “You could just send her a text like the rest of us do. I’m pretty sure women don’t even dig grand stuff like that. They just want the thought of it or whatever.”
“And that’s why you can’t keep a girlfriend,” Marcus says flatly. “You have to put in some effort. Though,” he pauses, looking over at me. “I don’t know that it’s worth this much effort. Texas might be overdoing it.”
“Just a hair,” Jayden snorts.
“Shut up,” I shoot back at them, giving up and standing to my feet. “I just want her to know that she matters to me. She matters a lot.”
“Ooh,” Marcus coos. “Think you might be in love, Texas?”
I ignore him and sling my bag over my shoulder. “I’ll see you guys on the flight home. I’ll probably spend the evening with my family.”
“Have fun,” Jayden calls after me as I exit the guest locker room at the stadium. “And don’t forget to check on those flowers, Loverboy.”
“Uh huh,” I call back, while the two of them burst into a fit of obnoxious laughter. However, my annoyance shifts to dread as soon as I catch sight of my agent, Edward, who I haven’t seen in person since the trade, standing with my parents and brother.
Something about the looks on everyone’s faces has my stomach somersaulting. I approach slowly, straightening my shoulders before I finally make it to them.
“Hey,” I choke out, sounding like I haven’t spoken in hours.
“Honey!” My mom spins around, her darkish gray hair bouncing against her shoulders. “I’m so proud of you. You played like a superstar out there.”
“Thanks, but I’m pretty sure you’re biased, considering you used to tell me that in second grade.” I chuckle and embrace her. I give her a tight squeeze, the familiar scent of her filling my nostrils and reminding me of how much I missed her.
“Good game, bud.” My dad lightly pats my shoulder. “I’m proud of how far you’ve come.”
I shake his hand as I straighten up and let my mom go.
My brother stands a few feet away, a smirk on his face, as Edward turns to me.
My agent has been in the game for a long time, and it shows in his painfully receding hairline and the wrinkles around his eyes.
But despite that, his suit is crisp and ironed.
“Good news,” he says, giving me a nod. “I know that you were on the fence about Los Angeles, and after your game tonight, you’ve officially caught the eye of your dream team.”
My heart stutters in my chest. “You mean the guys we just beat?”
“I mean, you might not have beaten them if you’d been on their side.” Edward smirks, and I’m not sure what to think about it.
“Just think,” my mom interjects. “You could be right here in Texas with us. You would only have to be a couple of hours from home.”
“I mean…” I don’t know why the words die in my throat. I don’t know why I don’t feel a morsel of excitement over the conversation.
“You could be home for the holidays,” my dad chimes in, furthering the guilt starting to build beneath the surface.
“And you could see Mia grow up.” My brother’s mention of my niece makes my stomach shift from knots to just a pure ache. “It would be awesome to have you around. I know how much you felt out of place in LA.”
“I just needed to settle in,” I mumble, and I realize they’re barely coherent as my eyes bounce from person to person in the circle. “I just… I don’t know…”
Edward clears his throat. “We can talk about it later. I’ll let you guys catch up.
” He steps toward me and then places his hand on my shoulder, leaning in, his voice dropping to a near whisper so that none of my family can hear him.
“This could turn into a real conversation between front offices. I need to know how hard you want me to push back—or if you want me to listen for now.”
I give him a nod, unable to come up with any other response. “Okay.”
Edward slips away from us, heading toward the exit, leaving me with my parents and brother, who are looking at me with varying levels of confusion.
“You wanna go grab something to eat?” my dad asks, giving me a ghost of a smile. “You must be starving.”
“Yeah,” I hum, plastering on a fake smile. “Lead the way. I’ll ride with y’all.”
I follow my family out of the stadium toward the VIP parking. Most of the fans have all cleared out, leaving just a few stragglers. Honestly, it was a good game, and the whole team was really jiving, and…
And it felt like I fit.
But still, Texas was my childhood dream.
I rake my fingers through my damp hair, my mind replaying all the NBA games I attended as a kid—and the way I always wanted to be able to rep my home state if I went pro. I should be jumping up and down with joy that I’ve caught their eye, but…
Nicole. That’s the problem.
My phone buzzes as I pop the back passenger door of my dad’s truck. I toss my bag into the middle seat and then pull my phone out of my pocket.
Nicole: I watched the game! You guys totally killed it. Should we celebrate when you get back?
My heart skips a few beats. I want to celebrate with her, but suddenly, I feel stuck between a rock and a hard place.
“Who ya talking to?” Mom asks, spinning around in the seat in front of me as the truck pulls away. “Your brother said you have a girlfriend.”
My jaw drops, and I look over at my brother. “Are you serious? I don’t have a girlfriend.” Not officially, anyway.
“She might as well be,” Derrick snorts, buckling his seatbelt.
I don’t know how long it’s been since I’ve ridden in the backseat of my parents’ vehicle with my brother, but I suddenly have the all-too-familiar urge to sock him in the shoulder, just like I’m ten years old again.
“So, who is she?” Dad meets my eye in the rearview as he turns onto the highway. “Seems like it would take someone special to interrupt your career.”
Oh boy, here we go.
“I don’t think anyone is gonna interrupt my career.” I deadpan. “Actually, Nicole has helped me settle into the city and find my routine. She makes life way better. Tonight is the best I’ve played in a long time.”
“It’s true,” Mom jumps in, siding with me and playfully poking my father in the shoulder. “This is the best he’s played. I think it’s good that he’s considering settling down. He’s not getting any younger.”
“Hey, I’m twenty-six, not anywhere close to senior citizen status.”
“Close enough,” Derrick quips. “You’re practically thirty.”
“Actually, thirty is the new twenty, according to someone I know.” I keep the reference to Nicole out of it. I don’t need to be given that hard time. “It’s all good. When I find the right person, I’ll settle down.”
I can feel my entire family’s eyes on me, and heat creeps into my face. I’ve never talked about meeting the right one. I never talk about meeting anyone. And they know it.
“She’s it.” Derrick bursts into laughter. “She has to be the one.”
“Maybe she could move to Texas, too.” Mom perks up, her eyes growing wide. “Then all the grandkids would be close.”
Grandkids?
I scoff. “Are you already planning my kids right now?”
“Look.” Derrick pulls out his phone, scrolls, and then hands it to my mother. “This is his girl.”
“Oh my gosh!” My mother’s volume level jars me into bumping my elbow on the window. “She is…” Her voice trails off as she scrolls through all the pictures on Nicole’s social media, and I brace myself for her reaction.
“She’s what?” I think about the Glow Girl thing that Nicole likes to worry about and wonder if my mother has any idea…
“She’s gorgeous!”
Okay, she has no idea. Or maybe my mom just doesn’t care about something trivial like that.
“She has the cutest dog, too,” Mom continues, still scrolling through all the posts. “Hang on.” She hands my brother’s phone back to him and then picks up her purse from the floorboard. She jostles around through the contents until she finds her own phone. “What’s her username again?”
“Mom…” I begin.
“NicoleandCocoa25,” Derrick answers.
“Mom,” I say more firmly, as I watch my mother’s little fingers go back to tapping on the screen. “What are you doing?”
“Well, I’m following her, silly.” She gives a final tap and then drops her phone into her purse and peers back at me. “Why wouldn’t I follow her?”
My eyes grow wide, panic surging in my chest. “Wait, why? She doesn’t even know you. You haven’t even met her. We’re not even official!”
I have to text Nicole. I have to warn her that my mother just followed her. She’s never going to talk to me again. She’s going to think my family is nuts.
Mom waves me off. “Oh stop, Dom, honey. It’s just social media. She has tons of followers. I don’t think she’ll even notice that I followed her. It’s just what people do. I saw she’s kind of famous. The last name sounds familiar.”
“She’s that tech billionaire Nikko Farrarah’s daughter,” Derrick answers proudly. “And her dog is absolutely unhinged, too. He peed all over Dom’s shoes the first day of practice.”
“Could you just stop?” I turn to my brother, glaring at him. “You’re embarrassing me.”
“You embarrass yourself enough that I don’t think it matters,” he jabs back playfully. “And seriously, be proud. Nicole sounds like a down-to-earth, genuine person. I think that’s a rarity in your world.”
I can’t argue with that. It’s true. Nicole is a rarity, but for so many more reasons than just the one that my brother gave.
And she’s totally worth all the giddy smirks my family is giving me right now.
And the explanation I’ll have to give her about my mom.
And the eighteen orders of flowers I just got an email confirmation for.