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“It was all before Megan. You have to believe me.”
“I do,” he says, his face unlined, resolved. “That’s why it was an easy decision.”
I shake my head in wonder. “What are you talking about?”
“You didn’t do anything wrong. I mean, you probably shouldn’t be paying for sex outside the state of Nevada, but that was in your past. You didn’t violate any recruiting rules. The whole mess up with the video and image upload was my fault, not yours. And you never told that dick Hirschfeld that you would play his stupid game. It all just looked really bad. But if they made the example of you in this, Megan would never get over it. It would follow you everywhere you tried to work, and that would affect your kid.”
He shrugs and drains the rest of his glass. “Like I said, easy decision.”
“But what about you? Your future?”
He shrugs and makes a bittersweet expression. “It was fun. And I like to think I did a decent job.”
“More than decent.”
“But I never set out to be a coach. I wanted to play as long as I could, and then coaching was an easy next step. But I took the rest of my classes. They’re not going to withhold my credits or anything. I’ll still graduate at the end of the semester. Maybe I’ll go into agenting or sports management. Or follow Zeke’s footsteps and take the broadcasting route.”
I laugh and shake my head. “You’d be shit on TV and you know it.”
He laughs as well because it’s funny. He’s never been great in interviews, but everyone always wants to interview him first because he’s the most photogenic on camera. If he could learn how to speak on camera like a normal human, he’d be unstoppable.
“You’ve got this whole life planned. And I know things aren’t perfect with Megan right now, but the baby is coming. And you’re going to need this…” He glances around the loft and he narrows his eyebrows. “The baby is coming, right?”
My heart jumps into my throat, wondering if he’s hinting at something. As far as I know, Megan is still perfectly healthy and resting in a four-star hotel near the Las Vegas airport with Midge before she flies back to Portland tomorrow.
“Yeah, of course the baby’s coming.”
“You sure about that?” He pulls a face and then lets out a harsh laugh. “Could’ve fooled me.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Man, look around you. Does this look like the home of someone who’s expecting a baby?”
I frown. My place is spotless. Sure, I haven’t gotten around the putting those plug things in the outlets yet, but there’s still plenty of time before that stage.
He laughs, loud. “You look like a deer in headlights. I just meant, where’s the baby going to sleep if he comes here?”
“I’ll get a crib.”
“When?” He grins, lifting his eyebrows as if he’s making a joke of the whole thing. “And where are you going to put it?”
“Anywhere,” I say. “Not sure if you’ve noticed, but there’s a lot of space here.”
“Yeah, but babies sleep like shit.”
“Okay, what’s your point?”
“You ever think you might want to have a separate room for a baby? You know, like a nursery? Or what if Megan decides she’s willing to take you back and maybe wants to let you touch her again? You think she’s going to let you touch her in the same room as her baby that sleeps like shit?”
My stomach flips and I remember the last time Megan was here. She’d looked around with those wide, assessing blue eyes and saidIt looks the same. It never changes.
“I mean, far be it of me to judge anyone’s parenting, but I’m guessing when they talk about babies developing object permanence, they weren’t talking about watching their parents play hide the salami—”
“Point taken,” I hiss, cutting him off. “I’ve been busy. You know I’ve been busy.”
“Sure,” he says, cracking a grin. “Lamaze class and baby care take up.” He looks at his phone. The jerkoff is using his calculator. I cross my arms over my chest while he does his bit. “Yeah. Three whole hours a week. Man, where do you find the time?”
But I don’t have a comeback.
