Page 120 of Forever Offsides

“Hi.”

“Hope this is okay,” she mumbles, her words slow. “I wanted to see you.”

Fuck it. I can’t hold it in.

“I love you,” I whisper, my heart shaking in my chest. Except she’s asleep again. Her breathing is heavy and even, and her body is dead weight against mine.

Probably for the best that she doesn’t know.

Because then what would we do?

37

RHETT

By the time I wake up, Quinn is gone. I didn’t even hear her leave. I’m immensely disappointed until I find a note stuck to the bathroom mirror that asks me to meet her at five at the address she wrote down.

She’ll be at practice tomorrow, and I believe she’s traveling with us for the game on Thursday, but now I can’t wait for tonight. Especially when the day drags. Crew tells me he wants to wait till tomorrow to go over to things, and I agree with him since I want to get out of here on time.

We talk through every game element and go over film for Buffalo. It’s hours of sitting and talking when we’re already exhausted from the long time away and the late return home.

I dismiss the team with a warning about a tough practice tomorrow, and the players funnel out. Before Russel can disappear, I move in front of him.

“I need a word with you.” It’s not a question or an option, and he clearly reads that.

I head for my office, and he follows. The door shuts with a loud click, and I turn on him and start in on him immediately.

“You had your phone during a game?”

He rolls his eyes, curses, and cocks a hip with a scoff like he’s fifteen again, and I asked him to clean up his room.

“Fucking Crew,” he growls.

I point at him. “No. You don’t get to do that to him when you’re the one who broke the rules. Rules governed by the NFL that, if broken, can get you in a hell of a lot of trouble. He only told me. No one else. Why did you have your phone?”

He grunts dismissively. “Because Mom is sick. Not that you’d know or care.”

Instead of addressing his childish behavior, I say, “What’s wrong with her?”

“Pneumonia. She was in the hospital, and I got a text from her husband that the nurse needed to speak with me. I called from the bathroom. That’s it.”

“You understand the risk you took with that, right? Not only could you be fined substantially, but the NFL would also look into your game conduct and the team.”

He winces before it clears, but instead of continuing to act like a child, he simply nods. “I understand.”

“I won’t say anything this time, and Crew won’t either. But let it be the last.”

“It won’t happen again.”

Relief hits me. “Good. Okay. Is she doing better?”

“She’s home now.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

“Like you give a shit.”

I grunt, my hands going to my hips, and my frustration mounting over. “You truly never got the bigger picture, did you? You never saw any of it. You only believed what she told you without fact-checking any of it with me. I don’t know what you’re doing here with this team if you want so little to do with me.”