Page 58 of Fumble Into the End Zone

“Dude, if you don’t buy yourself a car,” Bryce said, and I shrugged.

Unlike my QB, my taste in cars was more old school. However, Mia, Harley and Eddy would ride in the best.

“I have a car. She still ticking. I put a brand-new motor in her before I left Ohio,” I said as we walked toward the plane.

Tears flowed from Bryce’s eyes and he held his stomach, laughing. At some point, I stopped and joined in.

Getting from the plane to the hotel, for some reason, annoyed the hell out of me this week. The sound of my teammates lying and leaving my wifey and daughter behind, pushed me into a bad mood. We checked in, dropped off bags, and headed to our first team meeting. The conference room was empty when I arrived, so I secured me and Bryce a seat in the back. Momentslater, a few members of the team piled in, talking to each other about a party.

“I’m ready to go to bed,” Keyshawn said as he entered the hotel meeting room.

The chairs were uncomfortable as fuck. It’s one of the many reasons I hated road games. Keyshawn yawned, exposing the fraternity brand on his side before his eyes locked in on me. He abandoned his seat as he moved in my direction.

“Marcus,” he said, and I nodded in his direction.

He leaned against the table and crossed his arms. “What happened to you on the bye week? Did you not get the text about the BBQ? Teddy had a full spread. Afterward, we hung out in his basement with those fine ass women. You know he has two women living with him?” he questioned.

I received the text and deleted it because I had no intention of going. Teddy, our nose tackle, having multiple girlfriends wasn’t surprising. He owned two of the same items. I thought he wore the same shirt for two days until I observed him unpacking.

“The polygamy life isn’t a bad option,” Keyshawn said.

I smirked because he didn’t know a damn thing about the origins or practices of polygamy. What he wanted was two women who agreed with him not being committed. Keyshawn lacked the discipline to lead a household with two women and multiple children. Bryce walked up and slapped hands with Keyshawn. I sat back and watched them interact.

“But, some of your teammates feel a way about you not hanging out with us,” Keyshawn said, directing his attention to me.

I nodded, choosing not to give my unpopular opinion about hanging out with the team. It’s true, wide receivers depended on everyone to complete their jobs, but at the end of the day, we were getting paid millions. Me attending after-hour events shouldn’t be a requirement for people to tackle.

“All right, let’s get down to business,” Coach Owens said, and Keyshawn left without me responding.

Bryce sat and side-eyed me and I knew he was going to volunteer some of his advice. If it involved me spending time with grown men and drinking, I wasn’t interested. Nothing good came from it.

“You ain’t fucked up about your other teammates, are you?” he asked, and I side-eyed him. “They gon say you are picking sides.”

“Bryce, you know I don’t give a fuck about holding hands with grown men. As long as we good, I’m good.”

He chuckled as he opened his tablet.

Mia

Harley led the way into the living room as her father and I followed. My stomach churned, coming face-to-face with Mrs. Eddy and meeting Ms. Renee. Walking behind Marcus, I wanted to cut and run before we could make it to the kitchen. When he stopped, I tucked behind him, but Harley called me out.

“Ms. Miaaaa,” she yelled.

She ran past Marcus and hooked her arms around my legs. I peered down at her smile and saw the happiness bouncing in her brown eyes.

“Miss Allen, how are you this morning?” I asked as I kneeled and gathered her in my arms.

“Why are you hiding Ms. Mia? Can I call you mom now?” she asked.

My heart raced as I searched for the correct answer. I wanted to say yes, of course, but my mind scrambled for an appropriate answer.

“Not yet,” I stammered.

“Why not?” she asked.

Observing her eyes lower broke my heart in half. Last night, Marcus and I discussed nothing. We both climbed into bed and fucked.

“Because I haven’t asked her to marry me. After we get married, you can call her mom. Right now, I expect you to respect her as you would a parent,” Marcus said, and Harley squinted in his direction.

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