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“Nope. Nothing but antibiotics and fluids. You sure you’re not loopy? That goofy grin you’re wearing makes me wonder. Who’s the text from?”
“My assistant.” Booker sat up straighter, as if proper posture might prove his innocence.
“Female assistant?”
“Yes, but that’s all. You know I don’t d—"
“Do relationships. Yeah, so you’ve said. But, dude, as long as you keep talking like that—living like that—Quinn will always be in your way.”
“It’s not about her.”
“You sure?”
Booker’s phone chimed again. This time, the text elicited a frown.
ARE YOU REALLY NOT COMING FOR THE PARTY?
Rather than throw the phone the way he wanted, Booker stuffed the device into his pocket.
Wyatt raised an eyebrow. “The assistant again?”
Booker glared at him and barked back, “No.”
“Family?”
“How did you kn—”
“Dude,” Wyatt started with a shrug. “I saw you make that face a lot the summer we spent together and you only made it when women or family was involved. What’s really going on with you?”
Booker crossed his arms over his chest, but let the story fly free all the same. The fight at practice, his parents’ anniversary party, Dee’s no-name contact from earlier, his selfishness. All of it.
When he was done, Wyatt let out a low whistle. “Booker, listen good, because I don’t have enough air to yell this at you the right way. The least you can do is not make me repeat myself.”
Booker nodded. Wyatt could be a loose cannon so whatever the man meant to say would at least be entertaining.
“You can’t judge yourself by your family’s standards. Or Quinn’s, for that matter. Ex girlfriends are biased.” Wyatt held up a hand. “Before you open your mouth to tell me, it’s not about her, just listen. She was the selfish one. She basically stole your first-year salary and then left you high and dry. As for your family, remember the night you totaled your truck? They didn’t even call you back until a week later. They’ve never loved you the way you love them. Never showed up like they should. They are the selfish ones.”
“What about the contact thing, huh? I didn’t even save Dee’s name!”
“Dude, scroll your phone. If you find a girl’s name that isn’t related to you in that contact list, I’ll…I’ll eat that bacon!”
Booker opened his phone book ready to prove Wyatt wrong. Once, twice, three times he ran through the names. Not a single woman that wasn’t family—other than Dee—was listed. Without saying a word to Wyatt, he opened up the food container and plopped a piece of bacon into his mouth.
“That’s what I thought. You can blame that on Quinn, too. Let her—and your family drama—go.” Wyatt waggled a finger at him before hitting his mattress with a loud thud. “Book, you have to stop giving your all to the people that offer you none.”
Booker dropped his head. Wyatt’s words hit harder than any lineman could. Not because of the guilt they carried, but because of the truth. Quinn had never loved him. She’d been a money hungry jersey chaser who’d left him when talks of the Tritons cutting Booker had made the five o’clock news. The story had been nothing but rumor, but it was enough to bring out her true colors and send Quinn running for the hills.
As for Booker’s parents, they’d been absent from his life despite Booker’s begs and pleas for their attention. He wasn’t Brittney, and, to them, she was all that mattered. He would forever be second best. Knowing the truth, hard as it was, made his decision to stay away from the anniversary party an easy one. In truth, his parents didn’t deserve the videochat he’d promised, either. Realizing this, he shot off a text backing out. Free from the weight of his family, Booker felt immediately lighter.
He smiled at Wyatt. “Thanks, man.”
“Don’t thank me,” Wyatt said, stretching his arms above his head. “You really ought to call and thank your Mama, though. If she hadn’t guilt tripped you, there’s no way you’d have ended up at Dee’s house and the reigning terror of Quinn would have continued.”
Booker nodded, refusing to actually tell Wyatt he was right.
The lack of the admittance did little to slow Wyatt down. He took the nod as license to continue and went on talking. “Wanna hear some more advice, Book?”
“Might as well.” Booker motioned for Wyatt to keep talking just as his phone chimed again. At the sight of Dee’s name, his heart pumped faster. He’d wasted far too much time allowing Quinn, who’d not even had the courtesy to break up with him in person, to keep him on the bench when it came to women. It was time to get in the game.
