Chapter 13
”My job is not boring with you,” Elliott said, eyes wide, taking in all that was happening in my backyard.
Football players and their plus-ones filled my normally quiet backyard. The guys all talked loudly and laughed at random shit, but their camaraderie was infectious as they playfully shoved each other around.
T.J. even attempted a backflip but didn”t stick the landing. Everyone still clapped, though, because we weren”t total dicks.
Elliott didn”t seem impressed. ”Guy is going to break his fucking wrist.”
”I didn”t know they were doing this,” I assured.
”I knew they were doing this.” Finn stood with all the self-assuredness of a quarterback who”d just thrown for three hundred yards and three touchdowns. His grin was so wide, it could”ve spanned the length of the field. With hands nonchalantly tucked into pockets, he exuded an icy cool that could put a Denver snowstorm to shame.
”You were brainstorming ideas with Darius?” I asked, but also confirmed.
Finn nodded. ”Hell yes. He was only going to have one kind of ribs. And who do you think suggested a damn ice sculpture?”
Well, now I knew what he”d been doing on his phone the entire way back from Vegas.
”I might”ve heard some rumblings,” Coach McIntosh said, his gruff tone softening slightly. ”Didn”t think they”d execute this play so quickly. Should”ve known better than to underestimate these boys when there”s chow involved.”
”You”ve got to have more faith in us, Coach,” Finn said. Then he jerked his thumb toward the buffet. ”But since there”s barbecue, I”m gonna…” He trailed off, already making his way toward the spread.
I closed my eyes, preparing to get reamed for the party. ”I didn”t know this party was happening; I would”ve told them to stop?—”
”Look, kid, if poor decisions won games, then you”d be in the Hall of Fame with the way you single-handedly got ZipZing to pull all their cash.” Coach had no problem interrupting me.
With a deep breath, I straightened my posture and put on a confident smile. ”Fucked up on that one, I admit.”
There was an unmistakable twinkle hidden beneath Coach”s gruff exterior. ”Management loves that you latched on a ball and chain, so people are talking about that instead of the motherfucking sugar content. You might be some sort of gridiron genius if you can actually execute this publicity play and secure that contract extension.” He paused dramatically before adding with a dry chuckle, ”Now, my job is to ensure your head stays on the field, and you didn”t leave it in some Vegas wedding chapel.”
”Marriage won”t affect my game,” I assured. What the hell am I gonna do if I can”t play the game?
”This is your Hail Mary pass in the last quarter,” Elliott said.
”I”ve got this,” I said with more confidence than I felt.
”Have you seen what they”re calling the two of you?” Elliott asked. ”Your official ”super couple” name?”
”Sloan and Maya?” I countered because that”s what I”d expected they”d call us.
”Slaya.” Elliott let that set in.
Honestly, I liked it. ”I can live with that.”
”You know, I thought this was stupid. But this marriage charade might be the breakthrough you need to get some good press for a change,” Elliott continued, his voice low, as if sharing a secret. ”But it could also be your downfall if you fuck it up.”
”It”s not a charade,” I declared firmly, meeting his gaze head on.
He raised an eyebrow in warning, a silent reminder of the delicate balance I treaded.
As I made my way over to the buffet table, Finn greeted me with a plate piled high with ribs and brisket.
”Come on, dig in,” he urged, his eyes glinting mischievously.
I took my plate and glanced around to find Maya. Where was Maya?
”Did anyone see where my wife went?” I asked the question that a day ago, I never thought I”d be asking. Honestly, it tasted odd, but in a good way.
I found her sitting with Darius and his long-term girlfriend Nisha. T.J. had parked his ass with them, too.
Maya caught my eye and flashed a radiant smile that made me want to slide my hand in hers and steal her away to some place where it”d be just the two of us.
But I didn”t.
Instead, I took a seat beside her, and my hand found hers all on its own. Chemistry was doing its natural thing, lighting a fire on muscle memory.
”You gonna move down to the city or keep Maya here all to yourself?” Darius asked, shoveling in the barbecue.
Well, this was my spot. My backyard was the place I came with a beer or a cup of coffee while I waited for the deer to come through.
Still, I took a moment to consider Darius” question before replying, my eyes wandering over the landscape beyond the backyard. The flow of the water and the occasional rustle of leaves gave me a peace I didn”t find anywhere else.
”Not leaving this place,” I admitted, letting go of Maya”s hand so I could eat. ”But Maya and I will figure things out together. We”re still new, you know?”
I loved this property. It wasn”t the smaller house I grew up in down the way. This was the house Dad always meant to build but never got to.
Pictures of my parents flickered through my mind like they always did if I let it happen. They had always been my biggest support from the sidelines since the first time I ever stepped on the field. But their voices went silent right before I got drafted into the national league. The single-most stable thing in my life was gone in an instant. One second, they were planning their dream home; the next, a totally avoidable car accident robbed them of seeing their only kid”s dream of playing pro happen.
Eventually, the Stallions became my surrogate family.
”I don”t really do outside,” Maya said, wrinkling her nose. ”I mean, it”s stunning here, but I”m a city girl.”
”What do you mean, you don”t do outside?” I asked.
”I prefer air conditioning and heat and filtered water.”
”You never camp?” I asked. ”Hike?”
”God, no. Why would I sleep outside when there”s so many more comfortable places inside?” she asked, grimacing. ”Or walk where there”re no bathrooms?”
”I know I couldn”t do the mountains,” Nisha agreed. ”Not with all the bugs and stuff.” She shivered.
”There are rabbits and birds and squirrels,” T.J. said, glancing around. ”They”re cute.”
”Ladies love shit like that,” Darius added.
”What do you know about what ladies love?” Nisha asked, poking Darius in the ribs.
”Oh, I think I”ve got a good idea,” he said, lifting his eyebrows.
”Nope. Those cute little things get eaten by bigger things,” Nisha said, pointing her fork in T.J.”s direction.
Maya”s smile faltered slightly, her gaze flicking toward the dense tree line. ”I mean… Denver”s not that far if we found a place there. It”s closer to the team.”
T.J. opened his mouth and started to say, ”Oh, he”s got?—”
”It”s safe up here. We”ve got bug spray for the tiny stuff and nothing big comes near the house.” I reached for her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
”Usually,” Darius so unhelpfully added. ”It”s safe, usually.”
”Stay inside to be sure,” Nisha advised.
I wanted to keep the mood light, to ease the tension obviously building in Maya.
”We have deer over at the creek.” I pointed to the direction where the deer came through. ”It”s peaceful to watch them in the early morning when the sun”s rising over that ridge right there.”
”I don”t really do early,” Maya said. ”I”m more of a late-at-night kind of person.”
”Do not go outside at night,” Nisha said, shaking her head.
”You don”t do early?” I asked. ”Some of the best things happen when everything”s fresh.”
”Uh… no.” Maya shook her head. ”Those things can happen while I sleep.”
”Do you two even know each other?” Darius asked because he wanted to piss me off.
”I”ll introduce you to the deer. You”ll love them,” I assured Maya while side-eyeing Darius.
”Okay, Cinderella,” Darius said with a laugh.
I willed Darius to close his mouth. Dude gave a great party, but he didn”t know when to stop talking. ”I am not fucking Cinderella. I ended up with property that runs along a deer trail. I like it, and the deer don”t seem to mind, either.” I turned to Maya. ”It”ll grow on you. Promise.”
”Girl, don”t let him fool you. Where there is prey, there are predators.” Nisha pointed two fingers at her eyes, then at Maya. ”You get me?”
As if on cue, a rustling in the bushes nearby caught our attention. Maya seemed to naturally move in as she clutched my arm.
Finn emerged from the other side of the bushes, and Maya made a small meep noise.
”That is just your friendly neighborhood player,” I said, pointing toward him. ”That”s the only thing you have to worry about around here.”
”Trust me,” Darius added, laughing. ”He”s not wrong.”