Page 99 of Make the Play

The day moves on, and I don’t see Conner again. Good, maybe he’s gone. I make a mental note to talk to Anderson and tell him about my experience with Conner. Not just me, but Foster, too.

We both signed with him for the draft. The Rampage has always been my team. I grew up cheering for them, and this is where I wanted to play. I knew I’d be close to my family, and that was important to me.

On draft day, my uncle Tyler was coming back from the restroom and overheard Conner on the phone, telling the Rampage that I needed more money or wouldn’t sign. We’d already agreed on a contract, and everything was set in motion. I’d agreed to a four-year, thirty-eight-million-dollar deal. Apparently, Conner wanted more than that. He was gunning for fifty. He gets a cut, and the greedy bastard was trying for more.

Tyler told me what he overheard, and I called Coach Warner. I explained that Conner wasn’t negotiating for me but for him. I fired his ass as soon as I got off the call with Coach Warner, and two hours later, I went number one in the first round to the Rampage.

Foster has a similar story. Conner was also his agent for the draft and was trying to do the same thing. However, Coach Warner sought out Foster, and they talked. He told him what Conner was trying to do with both of our contracts. Foster, of course, had no idea. He, too, fired Conner on the spot and went first round to the Rampage. There’s more to his story, but that’s his to tell.

Slimy bastard. I can’t believe he hasn’t been banned from the industry with his shady dealings. I’ll have to get with Foster so we can go to Tanner Anderson together and tell him what kind of guy his agent is.

The day is long, but it’s over. I didn’t get a chance to talk to Corie. Sure, I could have lured her into a dark hallway or a corner somewhere, but I still felt too raw over seeing Conner with her. I know she’s not into him. It was clear as day from her reaction to him, but I’m still pissed off that he ever had his hands on her. I know it’s irrational, and that’s why I needed a little more time to cool off. I drag my feet showering. While our equipment is cleaned, I still feel like I need a shower after being in full gear, as do the other guys. I’m one of the last ones to enter the showers on purpose. I need some time to let my anger simmer—not that it’s directed at her. Never at her. But I also don’t want to take it out on her. She doesn’t deserve that.

With a towel around my waist and one draped over my head, I make my way to my locker. Landry is sitting at his, which is next to mine, with a phone in his hand. As I get closer, I see that it’s my phone, and there’s a picture of Corie and me on the home screen. My heart stutters an erratic beat, but honestly, I also feel relief. I’m so damn tired of hiding how I feel about her. I knew making my screen a picture of the two of us was risky. Hell, maybe I wanted to get caught, because knowing didn’t stop me. Not when it comes to Corie.

“I wasn’t snooping,” he says, handing me my phone. “It was blowing up, and I glanced over and saw the background.”

I nod and take a seat next to him. I knew this moment was going to come at some point. I didn’t think I’d be in nothing but a towel when I had to tell my best friend that his sister is my entire fucking world, but here we are.

“We were going to tell you,” I tell him. No way am I going to put this on her. I agreed to her decision. One that we decided on together.

“How long?” He doesn’t try to hide the anger in his tone. “How long have you been sneaking around behind my back with my little sister?” he spits.

“Since the day she came home.”

“Explain that.”

So, I do. I tell him about running into Corie as I was going upstairs to change and how I was drawn to her every interaction after that. I tell him about how I tried to fight it. That I knew going behind his back was wrong, but I couldn’t stop. “There was this pull, man. It was so fucking strong. I tried, Landry. I promise you I tried, but I couldn’t stop it.”

“And Corie?”

“I didn’t pressure her, if that’s what you’re thinking. She was in this with me. We discussed the risks and decided to see what this was between us. By the time we were both too far gone, we were worried about the team, the season's outcome if you and I were at odds, and of course, we both work for the Rampage and haven’t told them that we’re involved like we were supposed to.”

Landry leans forward, placing his elbows on his knees as he runs his fingers through his hair. “You’re my best friend, Knox. You’ve been lying to me.” He shakes his head in disappointment. “And the wedding… fuck, you set us up. It’s been my fucking sister this entire time.”

I nod. “I know. Yes. It’s been her, and it will always be her for me. I can’t tell you how sorry I am for deceiving you, but I’d do it again.” The confession is out before I can think better of it, but I don’t want to take it back. It’s the truth. There isn’t a single moment with Corie that I could change or regret.

“What?” he asks, lifting his head to study me.

“There isn’t a single moment with her I would ever take back. I know it was wrong to hide this from you, but it was me and her. Together. We chose to see what this was, and then one day, it was more, Landry. So much more than I ever could have imagined. I knew she would change my life that day, but I just didn’t understand how profound that would be.”

“What are you saying, Knox?”

I swallow hard and debate saying the words because I have not said them to her, but I feel as though he deserves that. He needs to understand what she means to me, and this isn’t some fling that I’m taking lightly.

“I’m saying I’m in love with your sister, Landry.” I exhale heavily, feeling a weight lift from my shoulders now that he knows. I’m sure his fist is going to connect with my jaw at any minute, and I won’t stop him. If that’s what I have to endure for hiding my relationship with his sister, so be it.

He’s quiet for a long time, and I remain silent next to him. He’s processing, and I want him to take all the time he needs, because this isn’t going away.I’mnot going away.

“She’s the girl, the one you’ve been talking about for months, but I’ve yet to meet?” He already knows this, but I’m sure he’s trying to process it in his head. So, instead of telling him that he already knows the answer, I give him what he’s looking for.

“Yes.”

“She smiles all the time. When she first moved home, she was sad and in her head a lot, but now, she’s always happy, singing and dancing around the house. I guess you’re the reason?”

“I don’t know. I hope so. I love the hell out of her, man. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do or give up to have her in my life.”

His head rears back as if my words have shocked him. “Dumb it down for me, Beckett.” His stare is menacing.

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