“Not really,” she admitted. “The sun and the sand? The heat? Yes. But my home’s always been with you, Boone. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”
The press statement from Miami FC came out later that day.
Miami FC made a grave mistake in not supporting pregnant star forward, Antoinette Windsor—formerly Antoinette Wheeler. We apologize profusely for not supporting her with her pregnancy instead of making it impossible for her to play with Miami FC for choosing motherhood over her career. We wish her well on her new endeavors with the Montana Cowgirls.
I read it to her while she soaked in the bath.
“Well, better than nothing, I guess. But still didn’t go into the details of what I’ve had to deal with over the last few months.”
I smiled, but she couldn’t see.
I’d tasked Apollo with informing all of the current players on what went down, and tasked him with warning them that they might be next.
There would never be another player that had to deal with Miami FC’s shit.
Even better, maybe there’d be one of them that was a whole lot pettier and wouldn’t let them off easy like my soft-hearted Nettie had.
One day it would come, and I’d be all for it.
Twenty-Seven
Welcome to parenthood. I hope you like destruction and chicken nuggets.
—Denver to Nettie
Nettie
Labor day was here.
And I was struggling hard.
I was in my second hour of pushing, and I was exhausted.
Every time I pushed, the baby would come down, but go right back up.
I was, literally, ready to quit.
A C-section was sounding better and better.
“All right, push!” the doctor urged.
I did.
“You pooped.”
I turned to Eddy, the woman that I had not wanted in my delivery room but somehow was, and bellowed, “I’m pushing a goddamn baby out of my vagina, Eddy. Your vagina is really close to your asshole. Women shit in childbirth!”
There was silence and then Eddy looked at me apologetically, “I’m sorry. It just came out.”
My sister, the asshole.
“You better be good, or you’ll be leaving,” Boone growled.
My heart skipped a beat.
Eddy was Eddy. I loved her with all my heart, but sometimes words came out of her mouth before she could think better of them.
“It’s okay, Boone,” I replied, panting and exhausted.
