Chapter 35 – QUINN #2
She flips her phone around, and it’s a text in our group chat from Roman.
Roman: Quinn, you are so grounded. *Video attached*
I read the headline before we click on the video: Star Wide Receiver Goes on the Record About Girlfriend.
Bile climbs up the back of my throat, and my ears feel hot. “I don’t think I want to see this.”
Braelyn clicks the video but holds up her phone so we can listen and watch with the volume low.
The image comes in with Russel in the locker room with reporters around him. “Russel, do you feel the team is ready for tomorrow after last week’s loss?” a reporter questions.
“Absolutely! We practiced hard all week and are just getting into our flow. Kansas is a tough opponent, but we’re ready.”
“Your reputation has improved since you’ve returned to Boston. Can you tell us the reason behind the drastic change?”
Russel chuckles ruefully. “I did a lot of soul-searching during the off-season. I believe the move from Dallas back to Boston was exactly what I needed to get myself realigned. I came to realize that being a winner means being on a winning team but also being part of that team, not solely as an individual player or contributor. I’ve been selfish in the past. It’s taken someone very special to me to teach me that lesson, and it’s not one I take for granted anymore. ”
“Are you referring to Dr. Quinn Reyes? Do you care to make a formal statement about your relationship with her?”
“Quinn’s an amazing woman, and I care deeply about her. We care deeply about each other. We’re still figuring things out, but she’s special and worth everything to me.”
The video cuts out, and we look up, our eyes locking.
“Party’s over,” Skylar states.
Yeah, I guess it is.
An hour and a half later, after a literal truck delivered all the presents to Skylar and Aston’s house, we’re all sitting around her family room, having drinks, eating more food none of us are hungry for, opening presents, and discussing my latest drama.
Zoey, Aston’s daughter, was picked up by her grandparents for a sleepover so it’s just us.
“Sweetheart, what on earth is this?” Aston asks, holding up a box. There is a mountain of wrapping paper in the corner and presents and boxes everywhere.
Skylar makes a disgusted noise while Micha chokes out a laugh. “I can’t believe someone bought you that.”
Skylar sighs. “I can. I bet it was one of my bitchy nurses who swoons over my husband.”
“They don’t swoon over me,” Aston defends, but we all give him a look because we know that they do.
“Aston, I love you. You’re my brother-in-law and my best friend, but shut the fuck up.”
Braelyn high-fives Micha.
“Anyway, it’s a pacifier with red lips over it,” Skylar explains. “So when the baby sucks on it, it’ll look like she has porn star lips.”
“What every father wants for his daughter,” Aston deadpans. “I’m putting this in the donation bin.”
“Please,” she agrees, then sighs heavily as she takes in the mountain of gifts around her. “We’ll never get through this. Pass the pizza.” She takes a giant bite of hers and talks through her mouthful. “Forest, you’re not eating.”
“Sorry, Mom,” he teases and holds out his hand. Skylar drops a piece of pepperoni in it, and he takes a bite before he tosses it on a nearby empty plate. “There I ate.”
“You don’t have to do this,” I tell him, sitting on the floor with an untouched slice of pizza in front of me. “I’m sure it’ll all work itself out.”
I haven’t talked to Rhett. Or my brothers. Or even Russel. They’re all at the stadium till six today. No one here other than Sky and Brae knows about Rhett, and I need to keep it that way because the guys won’t hold that secret from Crew, and I’d never ask them to.
I don’t understand what Russel is doing.
Forest is convinced he’s doing this for a reason beyond love—which I can’t help but agree with—so he’s digging around.
What he expects to find, I have no clue.
But Forest doesn’t like unknown entities, and he really doesn’t like it when people mess with his people.
A text comes in.
Crew: Where are you?
Me: Sky’s.
Crew: On my way. And what the ever-loving fuck, Quinn?
Me: I have no clue, but I’ll talk to him. Again.
“Crew’s on his way,” I announce. And because of this, I covertly text Rhett.
Me: What’s going on with him?
Rhett responds almost immediately.
Rhett: I don’t know. He seems jumpy. He dropped three passes at the walk-through, which isn’t like him. I tried talking to him first as a coach and then as a dad, and he’s not having either.
My gut sinks, and I frown. I don’t like how Russel keeps pushing Rhett out. It breaks my heart for him.
Me: I’m sorry.
Rhett: Don’t be. This isn’t on you. It’s on him. But something doesn’t feel right to me.
Me: Same. I have a friend looking into some stuff.
Rhett: What friend and what stuff?
Me: *Shrugging emoji*
Rhett: Fine. You won’t tell me. The problem is, he’s adamant that something is happening between the two of you.
That hits me strangely.
Me: It’s not. You know it’s not. Why is he saying this?
Rhett: I don’t know.
He leaves it at that, and a strange sense of foreboding washes over me. Something is really off.
“Hey, Forest?”
He glances up at me. “Yeah?”
“You can keep digging.”