Chapter 26 #2
“So that’s why you’re here,” Ava says, her usually bright voice dulled.
“It was a last-minute thing, sweetheart,” Deirdre reassures her. “I would have visited anyway. Right, Keith?”
My phone rings loudly, startling us all and earning annoyed looks from nearby diners. I slip it out of my pocket to silence it. As Mark’s name flashes on the screen, my heart thumps heavily against my sternum. Deep breaths. He told me he’d call when he had an update after the meeting.
“You can take the call if you need, babe,” Maya says, nodding at my phone. “I know you had to cancel on him to be here.”
I shake my head. “I’ll find out what he needs after—”
The damn device vibrates again, this time in my hand.
Maya laughs softly. “It’s fine. If he’s calling you twice, it’s got to be important.”
With a quick kiss to her temple, I excuse myself from the table. The only benefit of this pretentious restaurant is that there are multiple private rooms in the back. I flag down a server, who confirms the last one is empty, and duck inside before calling Mark back.
It rings twice before he answers. “Devils want you. They’re willing to trade the Bobcats Peter Knight and Lyle Cunningham plus two draft picks.”
Lungs seizing, I fall into a chair. “Wow. Okay. You really waste no time, do you?”
“You don’t pay me to shoot the shit,” he replies with a chuckle. “Anyway, the Bobcats obviously wanted first-round draft, and…”
He launches into the nitty-gritty details of the meeting, each one making my head pound harder.
Although the trade would be after the season is over, other moves happening around the trade deadline will factor into the way the final deal looks.
Right now, thirty general managers are working to make the best moves and trades for their respective clubs.
It’s a bunch of grown men working on the same puzzle—yet not knowing what the puzzle looks like—and all the while, they think they’re playing Monopoly.
So it’s hard to wrap one’s head around. And considering I’m a large part of why the Bobcats consistently win, year after year, the Devils will have to come up with a good incentive in order to make it happen.
Angling forward with my elbow on my knee and the phone to my ear, I run my free hand through my hair. “So it’d be a three-way trade, pending the Bobcats acquiring the rights to a forward prospect from the Titans, who they can then trade to the Devils along with me.”
“More or less,” Mark confirms. “But things are looking good.”
I shift on the surprisingly uncomfortable chair and force a deep breath. “Let me know if there are any other updates, okay?”
“Yep.”
I end the call and, pressing the corner of my phone to my forehead, blow out a series of short breaths to gain control of my rapidly beating heart.
Why is my body reacting like I’ve just received bad news instead of good?
My home team, the team Nate and I grew up worshipping, wants me to play for them.
Badly. I shouldn’t have to convince myself that this is what I want. It is what I want.
Right?
A noise from the doorway has my head snapping up, and when the identity of the man leaning against the doorframe of the private dining room registers, my heart drops.
I sink into the seat, feeling completely fucked. “How much of that did you hear?”
Elliott, hands in his suit pocket, scrutinizes me, his gaze like an iron brand. “Enough to know you’re being traded.”
“Possibly,” I correct him. “Nothing’s confirmed.”
He lifts a brow. “The trade deadline’s in a few days, Cole. We’ll know soon enough.”
I sigh and rest my elbows on my thighs. “It’d be a post trade deadline; they want Rogers for the playoffs. After that, he’ll retire. But regardless, there are still a lot of logistics to be worked out.”
He nods and stares at a spot above my shoulder, as if he’s processing the implications. “If moving teams is what you want, she wouldn’t resent you for making the choice. She’d want you to be happy.”
If I wasn’t already sitting, that would’ve knocked me on my ass. Because it’s the goddamn truth, and that makes it all the harder to leave.
“Maya and I are in a really good place. I don’t want to ruin that by bringing up such a life-altering decision if it’s not set in stone.
” A sharp pain lances my chest, forcing me to sit up and rub at the spot.
“Given how hard she fought against us in the first place, I don’t think bringing up the idea of a long-distance relationship will go over well. ”
Elliott crosses his arms over his chest. “Honesty is huge for Maya, and the trust she has for you? Don’t take that lightly, man.”
“I don’t,” I promise, praying he can see how earnest I am. “I never want to hurt her, which is why I’m asking you to not say anything to her yet. Give me some time to figure this out.”
Elliott studies me for a long moment, his expression unyielding.
Heart in my throat, I tap my fingers against my thighs. It’s a huge request. I’m asking him to keep a big secret from his sister, but he has to know my intentions aren’t malicious.
Finally, he puffs out a deep breath. “You love her.”
Relief floods me, pulling a chuckle from deep in my chest. “Is it that obvious?”
“To everyone but her,” he says with the merest trace of a smile on his lips. “I’ll keep my lips sealed for now. But figure out your shit sooner rather than later.”
The plastic band choking my nerves snaps, every muscle relaxing a fraction. “I will. Promise.”
“You’re good for her. It’s like she’s finally living in one of her romance books. And she deserves that.”
“She deserves the world.”
With a light knock on the doorframe, he straightens. “I’m headed to my bathroom, which was my initial destination, just in case you thought I was stalking you.” He gives me a wry smile. “I’ll see you back at the table.”
As I weave my way through the tightly packed tables in the main dining room, I’m relieved to discover no one shouting, screaming, or crying at ours. The instant I’m seated, my hand reaches toward Maya’s back of its own accord. “What did I miss?”
“I asked the waiter whether they serve lobotomies, but he didn’t catch on to my sarcasm, so he’s asking the chef and getting back to me. How was the call? Everything good?”
Chuckling, I tilt closer and lightly press my lips against hers. “Everything’s great, baby. It always is with you.”