Page 83 of Run the Play
“I am.”
She nods, slides me a piece of paper, and tells me to write down the events that happened last night. I do so quickly and efficiently. I try to leave my emotions out of it, but it’s hard to do when it’s the woman I love who was attacked. Signing my name at the bottom, I hand the form back to the officer, and she nods at her partner as they both rise from their seats.
“We’ll be in touch with any updates.”
“Will you tell me if he gets out?” Rowan asks her.
“I will, but this is a high-profile case. My guess is that bail will be denied because of that.”
“Thank you.” Rowan slumps back in her chair, her relief evident.
“I’ve called a press conference in an hour from now. I’ll handle the reporters and ask that they give you both your privacy during this difficult time,” Roger tells us.
“Thank you, sir.”
“I’m sorry, Rowan. It’s a hard pill to swallow that it was one of our own. We had no way of knowing when we signed the trade deal.”
“I didn’t want you to know,” Rowan tells him. “I wanted to put it all behind me. I actually considered quitting, and running,but this one—” She turns to me and smiles “—and his friends, your players, along with Corie and her best friend, Sloane, talked me out of it.”
“Well, I’m glad they did. You’re a true asset to the team. John has nothing but great things to report. Keep up the good work. We have grief counselors on staff, and take off as much time as you need. HR will be reaching out to you, to offer you any support that you need as you navigate healing.”
I watch as she swallows back her emotions. “Thank you, sir.” We stand and shake Roger’s and Coach’s hands before leaving the office.
The drive home is quiet. Neither one of us needs to fill the silence. Instead, we relish it, knowing that the other is there for whatever we need. When I pull into the driveway, it’s lined with cars and trucks.
“They’re still here,” Rowan says, taking off her seat belt.
“I’m sure they were worried about you, and the guys might be napping,” I say, chuckling.
“I’m kind of glad that they’re here,” she tells me. “I want to tell them all what happened. Their support means so much to me. To us,” she says, reaching over and placing her hand on my arm. Her warmth settles me. I’m so damn grateful she’s here with me, and she’s going to be okay. I’ll make damn sure she has the support she needs, from me, from counselors, whatever she needs. Not getting to her sooner will always be something that I’ll regret, but she’s going to be okay, and that’s what I need to focus on. Her, us, and our future.
“Well, let’s go tell them. We can order some food, or make some, and wait for the press conference.”
“I’m sure Corie already knows, being the social media manager.”
“Probably. That’s a good thing. She has all the details and the truth to respond to the trolls.”
“This is going to be a media nightmare, Landry.”
I shrug. “Probably, but that’s just because the nosy fuckers don’t have anything better to do with their time. Don’t read comments. Just let them be the keyboard warriors that they are, and we’ll live our lives. The next scandal will come along soon enough, and we’ll be history.”
“Is it too much to ask for that to happen this week?” she asks.
I chuckle. “We might get lucky. Come on, let's go in and tell them, and get something to eat. I’m withering away here, woman.”
“Right.” She laughs.
Leaning over the console, I press my lips to hers. “I love your laugh, and I love you.”
Her eyes soften. “I love you too.”
Together, we make our way into the house and find everyone gathered around the island. It’s covered with breakfast food, and it looks like they’re just getting ready to eat.
“What’s all this?” Rowan asks.
“Oh, well, I might have tracked Landry’s phone on the family app we have, and saw y’all were close, so we started cooking. We didn’t want this one to wither away.” She leans into me, giving me a side hug.
“Thanks, Core,” I say, kissing the top of her head.
