Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
WYATT
FEbrUARY
I’m sorting through piles of laundry trying to find my favorite pants—the ones that are athletic but look nice—when my phone rings. I have to dig through another mountain of junk on my bed to find it. Ma’s photo beams at me from the screen and I swipe to answer. “Hello?”
“Hello? Wyatt?” Her heavy Wisconsin accent makes it sound like ‘yellow’. She always has to ask if it’s me since she calls from the only land line left in North America.
“Yeah, Ma. It’s me,” I assure her.
“Oh, good. I was just calling to check in on you.” She keeps her voice light, but I know she’s worried about me. This is the third “check-in” this week.
“I’m fine, Ma.” Not that it’s the truth because at the end of the day, how can I tell her that I got to know my childhood hero, the Hall of Fame quarterback of the Green Bay Butchers, and he was an absolute nightmare human being?
He was my childhood hero, at least before he put his hands on me, he was.
But he’s still the savior of the entire state of Wisconsin, who led their beloved Butchers to their last Super Bowl win fifteen years ago.
Or how do I even admit that maybe I don’t technically even have a job right now?
Those aren’t her worries, though, so I keep those things to myself.
“I’m sure you are,” she pauses, giving me a chance to pipe up with what’s really going on. When I don’t say anything, she continues, “What are you boys up to tonight?”
“Jaden, Noah, and I are going to Nash’s first home game.” I shove one leg in its hole, balancing the phone against my shoulder. They’ve played two away games already, so I’m sure they’re super psyched for this.
“How exciting! You tell Nashville I say good luck. What a fine young lady.” That last comment is strictly for my benefit.
“I will, Ma.” I don’t mean to sound like I’m placating her, but I told her all this two days ago.
“Who are you bringing to Henry’s wedding?
” she says it in a way that’s supposed to sound nonchalant.
Like she could be checking out her nails at the same time, admiring her manicure—if she was that kind of woman, which she’s not.
“Now that your brother is settling down, it wouldn’t be a bad thing for you to take it more seriously.
That’s why I spoke to Mrs. Patty and we thought it would be a great idea if you went with her daughter. You remember Kayla?”
“You set me up?” Ma has always been involved in my life, but she’s never butt in like this before.
“You need a date, don’t you?”
And fuck, I might have been flattened by one too many offensive linemen and lost my mind because I open my mouth and say, “I have a date.”
“Oh, I didn’t realize. You never mentioned a date.”
“I didn’t think I had to say anything since Nash and I are living together already.” I’m really digging myself in deep right now. Sure, why not? Nash is my date to Henry’s wedding and I’m the king of fucking England.
Ma’s voice perks up at this. “Nash?”
Might as well put the final nail in the coffin. “Yeah, of course. She’s my date.”
“How wonderful! I’m so glad,” I can practically hear her hands clapping with glee on the other side of the line. “It’s wonderful you two are finally together.”
“Haha…yeah.” This hole is now so deep that I can’t even see out of the top anymore, but I need to end this conversation. “Please don’t be all weird and crazy around her. You’ll freak her out. This is still the same old Nash.”
“I know, sweetie, but I want grandchildren.”
“Jumping the gun a bit there, Ma. Besides, I’m sure Henry has plans to give you grandchildren.” I don’t even know if I want kids. I’m basically still a kid.
“Well, one can hope for these things, ya know. I’m assuming she’ll be staying at the farmhouse with us?”
“Of course.” Why the hell not?
She obviously got what she called for and is ready to get on with the rest of her evening.
“I won’t keep you too long. Like I said, I just wanted to check in on you.
” Now that Henry is about to legally be Hazel’s problem, all of Ma’s focus is shifting to me.
Ever since I left Vandergriff Farm for college, it’s meant way too many phone calls.
“I’ll see you at the wedding, but if I can come visit before then, I’ll call.
” Fully dressed now, I search for the keys to my truck.
I’ve still got to pick up Jaden and Noah and get to the stadium.
It’s a fucking haul—though I’ve discovered that everything in Houston is.
Probably doesn’t help that the PVF had to go way out of the city to find a stadium to play in.
“I’ve got to get on the road, Ma. I’ll talk to you later. Tell everyone I say hi.”
“Will do, honey. Bye.”
Adding Ma to the list of people I’m lying to is a horrible feeling, but hell if I was getting set up on a date with anyone who wasn’t Nash.
I wouldn’t say I’m a super recognizable guy.
Not many people pay attention to the defensive line.
Football players who aren’t dating international superstars don’t get that much camera time on average.
Still, this is Nash’s big moment, and I would never do anything to take away from that.
The plan is to go in, cheer on the Moons, get a few brewskis in with the boys, and get out undetected.
Jaden elbows me, beer in hand. “You think Nash will introduce me to number fifteen? She’s smokin’.” I follow his gaze to the court where the Moons are warming up and a woman with dark eyes and beads in her braids, whom I recognize as Temi, is running a blocking drill.
I shrug, “I dunno. Maybe. She and Nash are pretty close. They played together in Italy.” Spending hours upon hours at practice and traveling for games will do that to you.
“I’m going to ask her on our way home.”
I chuckle. “You go for it.” Nothing I could say would stop him anyway. Jaden is indomitable once he’s set his mind to something.
Noah plops in the seat next to us and sets a humongous tub of popcorn down at his feet. I hand him his beer and we settle in.
Pretty soon the music starts bumping. It’s been a long time since I was a spectator at a sporting event and not down on the field.
It’s kind of nice. Though, the nerves are still there.
I know Nash wants this team to work so bad.
This is my first chance to see her play here.
It’s her first true home game since her college days.
I only got to see her play in Italy once.
We took a family vacation and made sure to catch a game in Rome, but since I had my whole family in tow, Nash and I didn’t get to spend that much time together besides dinner after the game.
“Where are the cheerleaders?” Jaden asks.
“Why would there be cheerleaders here?” I look at him like he grew a second head.
He gestures broadly around us. “Um, it’s a sporting event, i.e.
, cheerleaders should be here.” He looks across my shoulders at Noah like get a load of this guy.
“I never get to see them. Coach is always like ‘keep your eyes on the ball’ and I do, but not today. I want to see some skirts and pom-poms.”
“Yes, today.” I snap. “We are here to support Nash and her team. So you’d better keep your eyes on that volleyball.”
“As long as number fifteen keeps swinging like that, it won’t be a problem, my man.” He pats me on the shoulder, and I shoot daggers at him with my eyes.
The announcer comes over the loudspeaker, letting us know that the game is about to begin and to please rise for the singing of the national anthem.
I’ve done this hundreds of times in my life, from high school football to now, and it never fails to make my blood run faster through my veins.
It’s like my body knows that this is the signal for go-time.
As my blood starts buzzing, I have to remind myself that tonight we’re in the stands and I am only here to watch.
Our plan to lay low only lasts until about halfway through the second set.
There’s not a ton of people in the stands tonight, and there are only so many bodies for the camera man to pick on.
I guess I really shouldn’t be surprised that he quickly found us.
Not only are we three big dudes (well, two…
Jaden isn’t that tall) crammed into these little seats, but we’re making tons of noise.
It probably took someone running audio or video about ten seconds to clock us as Hurricanes players.
The next time a team calls a timeout, we show up on the big screen with a navy blue and white border around us and Houston Hurricanes in huge red letters. Jaden waves, eating this shit up.
He leans over to me. “Nice of them to get our team colors up there.”
Things devolve quickly after this. Several people from our section turn around to look at us.
We wave politely at them trying to discourage them from coming up.
I promised myself that I wouldn’t take anything away from Nash, and getting what little crowd there is in our section turned away from the court to stand in line for a picture is definitely taking attention away from the Moons.
The second an older lady with a Hurricanes shirt on starts coming up the concrete stairs, Noah takes control of the situation. He turns to me. “I’ve got this. You watch the game.”
There’s not much time left in the timeout, but for the remainder of it I watch Noah as he intercepts the lady—and anyone else—who had been coming toward us.
“Are you Noah Fox?” she asks, obviously starstruck.
“That would be me.”
“And who is that behind you?” She’s trying to see around Noah to get a look at me and Jaden. Jaden can join in if he wants, but I’m here for one person only.
Noah, smart as he is, turns her attention back on him. “Would you like a photo?”
Her eyes light up at his offer. “Oh, yes. That would be amazing.”
As the woman gets her phone out, I turn back to the game where the teams are taking their places on the court once more.
Nothing, and no one, will take my focus off of Nash tonight.