Chapter 32
CHAPTER
THIRTY-TWO
Liam
Everything seems louder when your head isn’t right. Whistles feel sharper. Corrections seem personal. Mistakes amplified.
And today? I’m one bad play away from snapping.
“Let’s go again!” Coach shouts.
I jog back to the line, sweat dripping from my face, trying to force my breathing into something controlled.
We’re running red zone drills. Short field. Tight windows. No margin for error.
This is where I usually thrive. Precision. Timing. Execution. Leadership.
But right now, my head is in New York. To Alie’s voice, telling me she loves me. To Sera’s soft voice, telling me about her day.
Then to picturing Aaron’s smirk when he thinks he has Alie where he wants her.
I clap my hands once. “Trips right, X slant.”
Brody lines up wide left, bouncing on his toes.
I snap the ball and drop back, but the pocket collapses faster than I anticipated, so I rush the throw, making it high. Too high.
Brody leaps for the ball, but it grazes his fingertips and hits the turf.
“Fuck!” I shout, frustrated with myself.
Coach blows the whistle. “Pitz! Set your feet.”
“Yes, Coach,” I snap more sharply than I intended.
Aston meets my gaze across the line of scrimmage, eyes narrowing.
We reset. I overcorrect and hold on too long. Sacked.
By Aston.
Coach throws his clipboard down. “What the fuck, Pitz? What’s going on with you today?”
Nothing. Everything.
I shake my head. “Sorry, Coach. I’ve got it.”
But maybe I don’t.
When Aston helps me up, he knows it too.
After practice, I rip off my pads harder than necessary. And yeah, I know it’s not a good look for me as a leader.
Aston watches me from his locker.
“You gonna tell me what’s going on?” he asks casually, like we’re talking about the weather. “You’ve been off pretty much the entire time we’ve been here.”
“Nothing,” I snap.
He snorts. “That’s cute. You forget that I’ve known you for a long time.”
I ignore him.
He doesn’t stop though.
“Seriously, what’s going on?”
“I’m fine. Leave it alone.”
“You just threw two balls like you’ve never held one before.”
My jaw tightens. “Back off, Griff.”
He stands slowly, not aggressive, but not backing down. And if it were anyone else, I’d probably be more pissed that they were butting into my business.
“This isn’t about football.”
I glare at him. “You think I didn’t notice?” he continues. “You’re distracted. And when you get distracted, it trickles down. You know how this works.”
I step closer. “Leave it, okay?”
“I’m just sayin’,” he says evenly, “that whatever’s goin’ on off the field needs to get handled. Because you don’t get to spiral and drag the rest of us with you.”
The truth in what he’s saying stings.
I shove my hands through my hair, pacing a few steps before turning back. My pulse is loud in my ears.
“It’s Alie. Aaron talked to her.”
Aston’s expression shifts. “Muldoon?”
“Yeah.”
His whole posture changes. The casual lean disappears. He straightens slowly, hands settling on his hips as his brows knit together. “And? What’s that have to do with you?”
I exhale hard through my nose.“He’s the reason I didn’t know about Seraphina. And he’s trying to convince her that I’m lying to her when it’s really him lying.”
Aston’s face darkens. His hand curls into a fist at his side, knuckles whitening.“Motherfucker.”
“Yeah.” I huff a laugh.
“And you can’t leave.”
“Exactly.”
He exhales slowly.
“I get it, but you can’t be snappin’ at Coach like you did today.”
“I know.” I sigh. He’s right. I know better than to bring my shit onto the field.
“You keep that up, and they’re gonna start questioning your focus. And once that happens, the media smells blood. You know how this works.”
“I know. I get it.”
I close my eyes briefly because that’s something we haven’t discussed yet either. How we’re going to handle this with the media.
“This is exactly what that fucker wants,” Aston says, leaning in closer to me. “You lose your edge. Look unstable. You become the bad bet.”
I glare at him. “You don’t think I know all this?”
“Then start acting like you fucking do. Don’t let him win. Get control of yourself. Be the better man. Show her and your daughter that you’re the better man.”
The words land hard. Because as much as it sucks to hear them, he’s right.
So, after a good night's sleep and a few texts with Alie this morning, I’m ready to reset this whole experience at camp.
Today is hot, and I’m exhausted after endless reps. And by the time we’re on the last sprint, my legs are burning.
Brody false starts next to me, and Coach blows his whistle.
“Reset!”
Brody mutters something under his breath.
I look over at him and snap, “Lock in, Vaughn!”
He looks stunned. “Oh, now you want to join us?”
“I’m ready. Let’s go!”
He glares at me.
I see Coach watch us out of the corner of my eye. He’s watching us closely to see what we’ll do.
Saint steps between us subtly. “All right, everyone,” he says firmly, “breathe.”
I step back, hands up.
Coach studies me.
“Get it together, Pitz and Vaughn.”
“Yes, Coach,” we say together.
But I don’t miss the assessment. And I can’t afford that. Not now.
After we finish running our drills, I’m in the cold tub when Presley walks in. I’m not surprised she strolls in here as if there aren’t men in various states of undress at every bay.
“Hey, Presley,” I say, feeling slightly awkward.
“Hey.” She props a hip against the tub.
“Make yourself at home.”
She rolls her eyes. “Oh, please. I see you guys naked all the time.”
“I’m not naked.”
“It wouldn’t matter to me if you were.” She lifts a brow.
Okay, then.
She crosses her arms. “So, I talked to Alie.”
“I know. She told me. Thank you.”
She nods slowly, studying me. “You know, Sera said something while we were on the phone.”
I sit up, listening.
“She said she misses you.”
My heart thumps. “I know. Alie told me.”
“That kid,” Presley murmurs. “She cuts through all the bullshit. She’s the priority.”
“I know that.” I pause. “I really want to confront Aaron, but do you think Alie and I are good now?”
I hate to ask her sister, but I’ve been feeling out of my element the past few months.
“I think … there’s a long road ahead,” she cautions. “But you’re not drowning either.”
“And Aaron?”
“Alie wants to handle it. And I think you should let her.”
“Not gonna happen.”
She glares at me. “Alie needs to do it, Liam.”
Silence stretches between us.
“Look,” she says carefully, “you need to stabilize.”
“What are you talking about?”
“This is bleeding into your conditioning.”
I drop my head back. “Fuck. I know.”
“Saint told me. And I saw you out there.”
I blink. “Saint did?”
Interesting.
“The team is worried.”
I exhale sharply. “Awesome.”
“Don’t be offended. It means they care. They need you out there.”
That hits.
It’s not the pressure. It’s the responsibility.
“You’re the leader,” she continues. “You don’t get to implode.”
“I’m trying.”
I feel like she sees inside my mind or something. Presley is way too observant for my comfort level.
“I know you are.”
She softens. Just a little.
“She loves you,” she says quietly.
I close my eyes. “And I love her. I love them both.”
“Then act like it,” she says. “Not like a guy who’s about to self-destruct.”
I laugh once, humorless. “You’re brutal.”
“Not really. Just honest.”
I shake my head slightly.
“Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet,” she says. “Just be the guy I think you are.”
I should ask what she means by that, but she scares me a little, and I’m not sure I can handle the answer right now.
She stands and starts to walk out.
“Oh, and Pitz? You should probably get out of the tub before your balls fall off.”
I bark out a laugh. “You got it. Doc.”
She whips back around and glares at me.
Which only makes me laugh again.