Page 112 of Mad Rivals
And so rather than give in to the idea that just pulsed through my mind, I turn my focus back to where it has been for the better part of the last two decades, and I get the fuck to work.
CHAPTER 48: Madden Bradley
Doesn’t Have to End with a Hookup
“I have an appearance tonight. Come with me,” Clay says at the end of workouts.
Clay has tried to get me to go out, but the mere thought of a hookup feels like something some past version of me might’ve participated in. Current me wants nothing to do with it. I only want her, but I’ve convinced myself that being with her is too dangerous for her.
I guess that whole Clay Mack and Mad Brad taking San Diego by storm is an idea of the past—at least off the field, anyway.
“Thanks for the offer, but I’m out.”
“Out? Why? What happened to Mad Brad and Clay Mack taking over this town?” he asks, mirroring my thoughts. Maybe the two of us have grown closer than I’ve given us credit for in the short space of time we’ve gotten to know one another.
I huff out a chuckle. “I’m not in the same place.”
“What place? San Diego?”
I give him a pointed look, and he nods.
“Ohhhh,” he says, exaggeratedly drawing out the word. “The woman.” He nods knowingly.
“Yeah. The one who really fucked me up without my permission.”
He laughs. “Don’t they all?”
I raise a brow without a comment.
“We’ve all got one.” He says it in a way that tells me he thinks everyone has skeletons in their past. “She’s moved on now, though. Married. Kid. The whole shot. And I’m here in San Diego playing like that was my plan all along.”
“So you’re saying you have regrets?”
“I don’t know about that. I’m in an okay place now, you know? Commitment isn’t for everybody.”
I press my lips together. “But it was for you once upon a time.”
“Yeah. I guess. I put my focus on football, and it ruined that relationship. But what am I still doing now?” He glances out at the practice field. “Not her.”
“Football,” I say flatly.
He nods.
“But how much longer?”
“I think I’ve got a few more years in me than you do,” he says, and I chuckle at the jab.
“I don’t know, man. I’ve seen your sprints. Could take a lesson or two from this old man.”
He laughs. “Come with me tonight. Some of the other guys will be there, too. Spencer, Tanner, Miller. Maybe a few of the other receivers.”
I think of the guys he just named. All three are in relationships, somehow figuring out how to balance personal and work life, and all three happen to be related, too. Tanner is back at quarterback after a season-ending injury last year. Miller, his twin brother, is our star running back, and I’m already growing closer to Spencer.
Going out tonight doesn’t have to end with a hookup. It can simply be friends getting together for drinks and then going home.
“Fine,” I finally say. “I’ll go. But to be clear, you’re not wing-manning for me tonight.”
“Man, she must’ve really fucked you up. Do you want to talk about it? Or, you know…find a hookup to help you forget about it?”
