Chapter 34
Chapter Thirty-Four
~AUGUST~
Iwake up the next morning, lying in her bed. She’s in my arms and I lean over, kissing the top of her head.
Today is the day.
Drew and I will be heading back in to talk to Dad today. Although it’ll be at the Blaze headquarters. I think it’s for the best because we’re going to try and make him see that what I built here is important. And that he needs to give Drew the same opportunity.
“I can practically hear you thinking over there, inside your head.” Hendrix breaks the silence, her voice thick with sleep. “What is going on? Are you worried about the meeting with your dad today?”
I sigh and give her a squeeze. “Yeah, I think so. Drew will be there and he knows that I’m not going to be giving you up, Hendrix. I meant what I said. I know that this is going to be a tough road for us, especially when the team finds out. But I promise you that I’m here for the long haul.”
“Thank you,” she says, rolling up onto her stomach so that she can look me in the eye.
“I’m sure they won’t be happy about it. But I feel like they see us all hanging out, so maybe they won’t be so pissed off.
Just expect that everyone in the Blaze who is single is looking at date someone who also works for the Blaze. ”
I know she means it as a tease, but it makes me stiffen a bit. “Do you think that’s why I should be heading to the basketball team? So that it’s easier on you and me?”
“Nope, not in the slightest. I think it might sound selfish, but you leaving for another team will most certainly not make it easier on either one of us. We will never see each other. And I don’t think I could handle that.” She stares at me, biting her lip. “Are you having second thoughts?”
I grin at her and shake my head. “No, I’m not. I just want to make sure that I’m not hurting you unnecessarily by staying.”
“Nope, only if you leave,” she admits.
I nod. “Okay.” I glance over at the clock and sees that it’s after seven in the morning. “I gotta get going. I need to shower and get ready to meet my dad. Do you wanna get together later after your practice?”
She grins at me. “Yeah, let’s do that. It should be fun. Just text me later and let me know what you are thinking. And let me know how the meeting with your dad goes.”
I lean in and kiss her gently. “I sure will, baby. I will miss you in the meantime.”
Later that morning, I find myself in the office, waiting for Drew and Maxwell to show up so that we can have this conversation. I have a few surprises planned for my father. One in particular that I am sure that he will not like.
As if on cue Cindy comes into my office, waving the press release I sent her moments ago. “Are you sure you want to have this press conference? Your father did not approve a press conference,” she reminds me.
“Since when I need my father’s approval to hold a press conference?” I ask her.
“Well, you don’t. But you are saying that you’re staying with the Blaze. I wasn’t aware that that had been decided. And you know how angry your father will be if you force his hand.”
I shake my head. “I’m not forcing his hand. Drew will be coming over later and convincing my dad that he would make a better owner of the new team than I would because he’s very excited for the opportunity. I’m still enjoying my current opportunity. Relax, it will be fine.”
She just stares at me like a deer in headlights.
“Cindy, please, you do work for me, do you not?” I ask her.
She nods.
“Well, alright then,” I say, dismissing her.
“She’s right, you know. Dad is going to lose his flipping mind when he hears about this,” Drew says, entering my office.
I shake my head, “I don’t care. He’ll get the point and it’ll be fine.”
“I just hope you are right. Where are we doing this? I noticed the normal press room that you set up is not ready to go,” Drew says, shifting nervously.
I look down and straighten my tie. “Remember that nice balcony that overlooks the practice field off the main conference room? I thought it would be better to do it there. Makes for a nice setting and all.”
“And Hendrix might be able to catch the show?” he asks me, grinning. “Don’t think that I didn’t notice that she’s out there practicing.”
“Happy accident?” I ask him, shrugging. “Relax, it is going to be fine. By the time Dad gets here, the announcement and the press conference will basically be over. So, it’ll be just fine.
We just have to sit him down and tell him what we have decided.
And how we think this is the best possible solution.
You said yourself that he’s up your ass with all the things that he thinks you should be doing with the Marlins.
So, this is his way of getting to do those things and everyone is happy. ”
I remind him that I love him and I need him to be courageous when it comes to our father, or this is never going to work.
“I got you, Drew. It’s going to work,” I say, patting him on the back and heading out of my office. “Now we gotta get there so that this can go off without a hitch.”
We walk briskly down the hallway to the elevators and head down two floors, where the outdoor space is ready and hopefully has waiting members of the press.
It’s truly a beautiful place that we don’t use enough.
There is a wrought iron railing that goes all the way around the patio, defining the perimeter with antique elegance.
Normally, there are a few tables and chairs out there should someone wish to have lunch with a breathtaking view of the field.
But today there is a podium with chairs set up in front of it for the press.
It has the most perfect backdrop because right now the girls are out there practicing.
And they will be for another hour or so.
I made sure to have press here right in the middle of practice.
I let Watts know ahead of time what was happening so that the girls were not distracted from practice by whatever it is the Blaze is announcing.
“I hope you are right about this,” Drew says as I pull open the door that leads to the balcony.
We step into the Tampa Bay sun and I grin at him. “I am—of course, I am right about this.”
“August, August!” I hear members of the press calling out to me. I just smile and wave.
“Cindy will get us started here in just a few moments,” I tell them all, turning my attention to Cindy and nodding.
She shuffles some papers into her planner and steps up to the podium.
She smooths her hair and looks at me nervously.
I nod. She turns to the press and begins speaking.
“Good afternoon, everyone,” she says into the microphone.
I may have had some amps set up so that it could be heard on the practice field, just in case any of the girls would like to listen.
“August Cromwell has a statement that he will be reading and then we will open it up for questions. August?” she says, gesturing towards me.
I step up to the podium and clear my throat.
“Good afternoon, thank you all for coming out here to this press conference. It’s a beautiful day for soccer.
And we have the team practicing behind us.
The team that I have come to think of as my family, which is why I felt that it would be fitting to do this in front of them.
It has been said that I am taking on the new WNBA team that my father is creating right here in Tampa.
And while I would love the opportunity to work in women’s sports building something from the ground up, that is exactly what we are doing right here.
I wanted to let you know that this team is my family and my home.
I will not be leaving the Tampa Bay Blaze to build the Tampa Lightning.
That is something that we are hoping that my brother Drew will be doing.
“I think that it’s going to be a great playoff season for the Blaze and I’m excited with what we are building here. I can’t imagine leaving it. I’ll take any questions that you all may have now.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I spot my father standing in the doorway. He heard the whole thing. Just like he was supposed to. And while I know he’s angry right now, he’s a smart businessman who will not be confronting me in front of the press. He’ll wait until they leave.
I field a few questions about the new team, most of which I just say “no comment” to because I truly have no comment. I will not be building the team, so how can I comment on it? I want to make sure that Drew has as much time as he needs to really think through some of these questions, not me.
Once the press has been dismissed, I notice that a few of them use the opportunity to take a few shots of the girl practicing in the background before packing it up and leaving.
That’s when Maxwell pounces.
“Just what did you think you were doing with this little dog and pony show? You know you are going to have to write a retraction, right?” Dad steps into the space behind the podium by me and Drew. “Nice touch, though, doing it out here. I like it.”
I just nod and say, “Thank you.”
Drew clears his throat, turning to our dad.
“Dad, we would like to talk to you about an alternative for the new team. I would really like the chance to run a new team. I think that I could do it. I think I would be the natural first choice for it. Not August. No offense to August, but he’s got a team that he’s working on.
I want to be able to build rosters and handle the new sponsorships.
You got to build the Marlins and then you handed them to me when you thought I was ready.
Why don’t you take back the team that is in good working order, and I’ll start something from the ground up.
Besides, the Blaze family really likes August. He should be staying here with them,” he adds for good measure.
It’s my turn to say my part and help him see this is a solid business move.
“Dad, no one wanted to hurt you by doing this. We just wanted to calm some nerves that some of the players are feeling about you saying that I am leaving. This is a critical time for this team, like it or not. The playoffs are here in two weeks. We need them focused, not scared about what is going to change or who is going to take over. That is why I did this. To give them,” I gesture over to where the girls are still practicing, “some closure. So that we can be focused on the right thing.”
“And you wanted to make sure that your little girlfriend, Hendrix, that goalkeeper that you can’t seem to keep your hands off of, was content in knowing that you were not leaving her. Isn’t that right, August?” he bellows.
Fuck. I’m pretty sure the whole team just heard that. Because of course the microphone was not turned off, and it echoed all over the place.
“She has nothing to do with this. This is about me,” I say stabbing myself in the chest with my finger for emphasis. “And what I want for a change. And yes, I want Hendrix and I want to stay with this team.”
I look over and see practice is no longer happening on the field beside me. Instead, everyone is looking over here at us. I want to search for Hendrix and see how she’s doing but I can’t. I have to keep my eyes focused on my father.
“Dad, please. Will you just hear us out?” Drew asks, motioning for Maxwell to follow him into the conference room. “I think that I would be good at this, Dad.”
I can hear the pleading in his voice, and I hope that this turns out the way it should.
He sighs and looks over at Drew. “You never showed interest in building new teams the way that August did.”
He says it like it explains everything.
“Well, I’ve wanted to,” Drew says, shrugging.
“And this may not have been your preferred way to do this, but I think it was needed. Like August said, we were just trying to make sure that the girls felt secure going into playoffs. And we’re not little boys anymore, Dad.
You can’t just give us teams and then take them away.
The lawyers shouldn’t be letting you do business that way. ”
Dad just sighs and struts into the conference room. I know that means that we’ve caught him. And that we might have won this round.