Chapter 59 They’re kissing
CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE
They’re kissing
Ryker
Today was the day. All those years of early starts, late nights, perfecting plays, and putting in the hard yards had led to this – the NFL Draft.
I’d slept terribly last night, if at all, tossing and turning in the unfamiliar bed.
It didn’t help that my family’s flight was cancelled yesterday afternoon.
For a moment, Mum’s dramatics had me worried they wouldn’t make it at all – until Cherie called five minutes later to say she’d managed to rebook everyone for first thing this morning.
They were due at the hotel any minute, but so was my driver to take me to the function centre where the Draft was being held. I hoped I’d be able to catch everyone before I had to leave – especially Ruby.
We’d only exchanged two measly texts over the past few days. One where she’d said we’d talk once this weekend was over, and my pathetic reply of a thumbs up.
We’d never sent each other a thumbs up before, yet here we were... twice in one week.
I assumed she was still coming, but honestly, I wasn’t entirely convinced. Mum had mentioned she’d met Noah for coffee while I’d been gone – and I’d also heard about the sighting from countless nosy sources – so fuck knew where her head was at.
It hadn’t been easy giving her space, not after the way we’d left things. But Ruby knew how I felt. Hell, I’d dropped the L-bomb. I couldn’t get more honest than that.
If she felt the same? Fan-fucking-tastic. If she didn’t? I couldn’t force it. She either wanted me, or she didn’t. The next move was up to her.
“Your mum just called,” Dad said, stepping into the elevator beside me. “They’re pulling up now.”
“They?”
“Everyone.”
Did that include Ruby? The anticipation was killing me – more so than waiting to hear my name called out today.
It hadn’t even been a full week, and I already missed her so fucking much. I was used to not seeing her each day, but not talking at all was fucking brutal.
I’d lost count of the times I’d almost caved, unlocking my phone to message or call her. But if she still wasn’t sure about what she wanted, pushing her wouldn’t help. If anything, she’d label me as stage-five and never speak to me again.
“You ready?” Dad checked.
Meeting his eye in the elevator mirror, I managed a nod. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
I’d opted for a simple grey suit, tailored to fit me perfectly. Though as comfortable as it was, I was already itching to take it off. The tie felt like a noose, and I had no doubt the sensation would worsen once my nerves really set in.
Dad placed his hand on my shoulder, squeezing firmly. “Whatever happens today, your mother and I are proud of you, son.”
“Thanks, Dad.” I exhaled slowly. “Let’s do this.”
The elevator opened on my crazy family, who’d completely taken over the lobby.
Mum and Stefan were helping my sister and brother-in-law wrangle the twins, Brady and Tori were checking-in with Brady’s parents, Cherie and Doug had found the bar, and then there was Ruby – patiently waiting amongst the chaos.
She was standing beside her familiar suitcase, the one I’d come to love seeing beside my dresser at Phil-U.
My bedroom had always looked better with her things in it.
It smelt better with her perfume lingering in the air.
My bed was comfier when she was lying beside me.
And throwing socks at my ceiling fan was a thousand times more enjoyable when she was there to throw them back.
Every aspect of my life was better with her in it.
I watched the relief wash across her face when she spotted me. It would’ve mirrored my expression. With her close by, I finally felt at home for the first time since landing in Las Vegas. No matter where we stood, seeing her would always lift my mood.
Perhaps I’d made a mistake telling her how I truly felt. If I’d just left things as they were, she would still be by my side today – even if we had to hide it from our parents.
I’d depended on her my entire life, and today was no exception. I needed her – to calm me, to keep me grounded, to make me happy – more than she knew.
I guess that’s what love fucking did.
Mum squealed, startling me. “There he is. My gorgeous son!”
She rushed over and wrapped me up in a warm hug. Then it was Stefan’s turn. And then my sister’s. Then Brady’s. And on and on it went until Ruby was the last person in line.
Standing face-to-face, she peered up at me, her eyes gentle yet wary behind her glasses. “Hey, Wheels.”
I set aside our last conversation for a moment and pulled her close. And just like that, she was back where she belonged.
I held on tightly, my nose brushing against her neck as I breathed in her familiar perfume. If anybody else noticed this hug was longer than all the rest, they kept quiet.
“I wasn’t sure if you’d come,” I whispered so only she could hear.
“Our parents would have thought it was weird if I didn’t.”
I edged back, studying her. “Is that the only reason you’re here?”
“No. I...” She trailed off, peering around the busy lobby. “I don’t want to make this day about me, but do we have time to talk?”
Before I could respond, my driver tapped my shoulder. I felt like a conceited dick admitting I had one, but he’d told me his sole purpose this week was to get me to and from the hotel for Draft events – I wasn’t about to ignore him and make his job harder.
“It’s time to go,” he said.
Ruby frowned. “Already?”
“I have to be there early,” I explained. “There’s a schedule of things beforehand.”
“Oh.” She dejectedly stepped back. “Okay.”
“We’ll talk after. I promise.”
Her lip tugged up, but her smile didn’t reach her eyes. “When you’re a big NFL star.”
“I–”
“Mr Richardson?” the driver prompted.
Ruby put more effort into her smile as she waved me away. “Get out of here, Wheels.”
*
This morning had dragged, but now that I was here, it was passing by so fast. Soon it would all be decided – the city I’d be moving to, the players that would become my teammates, and the coach I’d play under.
A producer guided the top fifteen prospects into a large, staged room – the place where I would learn my fate. It had been divided into sections, giving each player their own space with their families.
They’d brought us through here earlier in the week to explain how today would play out. As a quarterback, I prided myself on absorbing information – plays, instructions, tactics and code words – but off the field, keeping up with today’s details was another story.
I was relieved I wasn’t the number one pick. Somebody else had to figure it out first – where to walk, when to pause for a photo, whose hand to shake.
I recognised the majority of the other prospects in the room, not only from spending the past few days together, but also from having played against them at some stage in either high school or college.
The quarterback who’d eliminated Phil-U from the national championship was set up in the section next to mine.
He was currently projected to go after me, which, I’ll admit, made me feel a little smug.
It was almost as satisfying as watching him lose the championship game.
.. not that I was carrying any grudges or anything.
Each section had three velvet lounges, all facing a large screen like we were in our living rooms at home. But no matter what they tried to manufacture, I couldn’t forget the fact there were thousands of people in this building, not to mention millions more watching the broadcast.
It was almost go-time, and honestly, I was ready to get it over with.
Right on schedule, the doors opened for the family members to enter. I heard mine before I saw them. Mum and Cherie were gossiping about someone they’d just passed – something about the ex-wife of the current husband of a billionaire who starred in a reality TV show they loved.
Ruby was a few steps behind them, awe plain across her face as she took it all in. We’d watched the Draft every year since we were kids, but seeing it in person was on a whole other level. The sheer scale of it was daunting – the screens, the set-up, the building.
She was dressed in loose white pants, paired with a matching buttoned top, looking beautiful as always. I wished I could tell her that... I wished I could tell her a lot of things.
“Damn, Ryker,” Tori whistled, her hand locked with Brady’s. “Vibin’ the suit. It’s fire.”
I feigned a sigh of relief. “The seal of approval I’d been waiting for.”
Dad, Doug and my uncle were huddled closely together, seeming starstruck by the former NFL legacies hanging around the room. These past few days, I’d met so many players I’d grown up watching, and the fact that so many of them knew my name was surreal.
No matter where my career took me, I would never forget this past week – the last few days before everything changed. I doubted it would ever stop feeling like I was living out someone else’s dream.
“This is fancy,” Mum said, dropping onto one of the plush couches and pulling Cherie beside her. “Charles, take a photo of us. I’m going to caption it, ‘My son got drafted today – what did yours do?’”
I instinctively glanced Ruby’s way, catching her gaze and rolling my eyes playfully. She mirrored my amusement, shaking her head with a subtle chuckle. Our mothers were relentless. At least they made for a great distraction.
Ruby slowly continued towards me, her expression a mixture of shock and disbelief. “How are we here already, Wheels? It feels like all those afternoons in your backyard, watching you practice your passes, were just yesterday.”
I exhaled slowly, equally as stunned. “Tell me about it.”
She started to reach for my hand, but pulled back at the last second. Maybe after spotting the many cameras around the room, or maybe to avoid our mothers’ eyes – which missed nothing – or maybe because holding hands wasn’t something we did anymore.