“Married? So, it’s true?” Jeannie asks. I don’t know why she’s surprised. I confirmed this two hours ago when they called. “Why?” I open my mouth to answer, but she cuts me off. “Never mind. Come with me, Layla.” She takes Layla’s hand and pulls her away. It’s a huge townhouse. Much bigger than it was last year. Since Coach owned this one and the one next door, they decided to knock down the connecting wall and make it a mini-mansion in Tribeca.
Once they’re gone, Aiden arches his eyebrows. “So, Layla is who you called me about the other night?”
I grin and nod. “I told you, you’d be pleasantly surprised.” He tilts his head and waits for me to say more. Most of his anger is gone now, and I think it was for the benefit of his wife. “I need help with Jasmine. She needs someone to pay for her grandmother’s care. It’s a mutually beneficial arrangement. Everyone wins.”
He slowly nods in what I hope is understanding. Then he sighs and stares at the ceiling. He doesn’t speak, and neither do I. He pours himself a drink, a whiskey from the smell of it. It turns my stomach. He doesn’t offer me one. He knows I won’t drink beer or the hard stuff, but he pours me a glass of red wine.
“Seth,” he begins softly, “you can afford to hire all the help you need. I told you that like a million fucking times.”
“I tried that, and it didn’t work. Jasmine ended up here with you and Jeannie or with the Chastains. I want her to have normalcy. A routine. A family. I don’t want her to grow up like I did,” I maintain. I’ll never apologize for that.
“What about feelings, Seth?”
I wave him off. “I told you that simp life isn’t for me. Besides, you’re only saying that because you’re in love. Not everyone needs that. Sometimes an arrangement works fine too. A relationship is what two people make of it, and this is what we’ve decided.”
“We? Layla is okay with this?” When I nod he says, “And what about the fangirls?” he whispers. He knows all about that. He was my coach for two years, and my reputation is well-earned. He’s warned me about my lifestyle hundreds of times. He’s the one I ran to when I learned I might have fathered Jasmine. At the time, three different women were accusing me of being the father of their unborn child, but only one turned out to be positive.
“I gave her my word that’s over. I mean it. You don’t have to worry about that.” If I fail, then she leaves and my daughter will be hurt. Besides, me and Layla are very compatible in the bedroom.
“Well, that’s one good thing.” He eyes me. “You say that you’re paying for her grandmother’s care.”
“Her rehab and a nursing home. She has Alzheimer's.” Coach nods again and looks behind me.
He inches closer and whispers, “You do understand there’s no cure for Alzheimer's, right? What happens when she passes away, and Layla doesn’t need you to keep your end of the bargain anymore?”
I swallow at that. The wine no longer holds any appeal, and I put it down. I hadn’t thought of that. All I saw was an opportunity, and I took it. “And,” Coach continues, “I’ve known Layla for a while. She’s a good friend of my wife’s. She’s not going to put up with any of the bullshit you’ve pulled in your past.”
Some of that flashes in my mind. Me taking one or more women to my hotel room or home after a game. After we won that last championship, I couldn’t keep them away. And I wouldn’t have, but Jasmine was mine, and I devoted time to her. Once she came to live with me full-time, I let all that go to focus on her.
“I told you I’m done with that,” I remind him.
“She’s going to want more than an arrangement. She’ll come to her senses—”
“Then she can fall in love with me,” I say as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “See? I’ve got it all figured out.”
“Oh, do tell.” He sits at the kitchen counter and waits. I look around to make sure we’re alone before I continue.
“The times I was around Layla, she was always going on and on about the kind of guy she was looking for and how he was going to treat her,” I whisper.
He nods slowly. “Yeah, and you told her she was delusional and was living in a fantasy. I remember you also accused her of taking hallucinogenic drugs because she was spouting so much bullshit. Remember those words? You also said she was such a giant pain in the ass that no man would ever want her.”
I snort and grin as I nod. “Yeah. She got so mad.” My grin turns into a chuckle. “She told me to shut my fat trap.” I laugh so hard, I snort again. “Anyway, yeah. All that bullshit she’s always talking about is my key. I’ll treat her like that. That’s the same crap you do for Jeannie and Chastain does for Vickie, except I won’t be wimpy about it like you two are.”
“Yeah. The crap that we do for our wives,” he agrees. “Total simp bullshit,” he says, sarcasm oozing out of him.
“Exactly. Stupid shit like pulling out their chair, holding their hand and stuff. Telling them they look beautiful. Lovesick shit. I can do that. She’ll get all mushy and fall hard. I bet she’ll want to do a lot of dumb shit for sappy holidays like Valentine’s Day.” I move closer and whisper. “She already can’t get enough of this?” I gesture at my body and slowly grind my hips. “She mewls like a cat when I give it to her.”
Coach puts a hand to his face and rubs. “That easy, huh?”
“Duh. I’m irresistible,” I grin again. “Look at us. We’re best friends now.” I slap his shoulder, and he grunts. “And I knowyou only tolerated me at first, but I wore you down eventually. Now, your wife adores me too. And me and the Chastains are like this.” I cross my fingers.
“And what about your feelings, dummy?” he asks.
At that, I throw my head back and laugh. I laugh so hard that my belly starts to hurt.
“Coach, please,” I say when I finally get myself together. “Guys like me don’t fall in love. I’m gonna do right by her, though, so don’t worry.”
He stands and claps me on the shoulder. I almost fall over, he’s so damn heavy-handed. “Yeah, you make sure you do that. While the three of you are playing happy family, and you’ve pled your fidelity and plan to treat her like a queen. Yeah, you’re safe from feelings.” I grin, almost proud of myself for convincing him. He nods and gives me a thumbs-up.