Chapter 18
Luke
I laid my head back against the pillow as I closed my eyes, counting down the minutes until I was off this plane and in my bed, cuddling with Hollis. It had been a long ass week and I missed the fuck outta my wife.
The Badgers were still successfully undefeated and I was in a good ass mood. Only my wife’s body on mine could increase this high I was riding.
“What the fuck!” I heard Shep bark. That had me opening my eyes to see his nasty ass glare turned toward me, which had me frowning in confusion.
“Nigga, what the fuck your wife on right now? This the type of bullshit y’all got going on, huh?” he whispered harshly since we were next to each other.
At him mentioning Hollis, I sat up quick, prepared for anything when it came to her.
“I don’t know what you talking about, but that tone you using when referring to my wife ain’t gon’ make it too far beyond that sentence.
I advise you to try again with me and tell me like a grown man what you talking ’bout.
” He snorted then chuckled humorously as he tossed me his phone.
I read the message that his wife Angie sent about Hollis writing a piece on her and their son’s father, even mentioning Hollis recording the conversation.
“Fuck,” I grumbled as I grabbed the back of my neck, rubbing the tension out the best I could.
That fast, my good ass mood was shot.
“Yo, I don’t know what this is, but I’ma handle it,” I said, passing his phone back.
“Yeah, you better. I would hate for me and my wife to sue yours for defamation of character.”
“Nigga, threats to mine ain’t gon’ make it either.
Let’s keep it cool now, aight. And defamation only works if the shit isn’t true and you and I both know the facts.
Now is it fucked up? Absolutely, but that’s how far y’all make it.
I advise you to sit back and relax and enjoy the rest of this flight,” I said, re-closing my eyes and putting my head back on the pillow, now thinking about how to approach this whole job shit with Hollis.
She’d just brought up the magazine, but hadn’t yet made a decision to quit Caught Live.
And truthfully speaking, I was fine with whatever she did.
But it was official, we needed rules for who she discussed.
Facts or not, we didn’t air our people’s shit to the public without their consent, and damn sure not for money.
By the time we got off the flight, Shep collected his bags and rushed out the door, with me behind him. We had never had a problem like this and I didn’t need it carrying over to our friendship or on the field. The team worked because we all respected each other.
“Ey, Shep, wait up,” I called out to him. He turned to face me with the same angry expression he had on the plane.
I wasn’t upset with how he was moving about his wife, because as a man I would do the same for Hollis.
“On some real shit, I didn’t know shit about the piece, but I can assure you it won’t make it to Caught Live. Well at least not by Hollis stamped as the author. We brothers and don’t move like that.”
“Nigga, what is really tripping me is how you never told me that Hollis worked for Caught Live all this time. But it makes sense with you reading that bullshit over the years. Huh. But as long as I have your word, then I trust you to handle this.”
He held out his hand for a shake. “My word, nigga. And oh yeah, everything I do is for her, good and bad.”
“Got it, bad ass nigga. Go fix shit with yours while I go calm mine down. Angie ain’t stopped texting me since I turned on the—" He paused, pulling out his ringing phone with the contact “my universe” calling. I smirked, nodding I understood.
“I’ll see you at practice, fool.”
We slapped hands before he answered his phone then walked into the parking deck for his car with me doing the same. I clocked the time and noticed it was late so I knew Hollis was asleep. I decided to wake her up once I got home.