Page 25 of The Pass Protection
“Oh my gosh, you guys are ridiculous.” My eyes snag on something red and blue, and I sigh in relief—my other shoe. Slipping the sneakers on my feet, I start lacing them while the guys discuss different athletes’ shoes.
While guys care about the brand, the designer, and the drop, I care about the color and how good I’ll look in them. A lot of times, I’ll aimlessly wander the shoe wall until a pair calls my name. My collection is not that deep.
Sliding past the three guys, I grab my duffel and walk toward my door. “You guys coming or what?”
“Shit,” JP mutters. “Bret, you got me all distracted.”
Moving through the living room, the guys grab their gear while I pass out bottles of sports drinks to their waiting hands. “Everyone have everything?”
“Yes, Mom,” the boys say in unison. Glaring at them, I double-check all the lights in the apartment are off before following the three behemoth men out the door. Tyler locks up as the rest of us head down the stairs.
“Shotgun,” Tyler yells as he jogs up behind us. We’re all tossing our bags in the bed of JP’s pickup.
JP turns his attention to Tyler with his hands on his hips. “Listen, I know you’re our quarterback and everything, but we have a female among the group.”
“Yeah, so?” Tyler stares at me as I place my hands on my hips, eyeing him back.
“Harris, I thought your mama taught you better.”
“Don’t bring my mother into this.”
“Whatever. We don’t have time for this. Bret gets shotgun, so get over it, QB,” JP interrupts our childish squabbles.
Climbing into the passenger seat, I shoot Tyler a wink, and he smirks. Crew has already climbed into the back seat behind JP. Fastening my seat belt, I pull out my phone and find no new notifications, which isn’t surprising, especially since I deleted social media.
“Mind if the Passenger Princess controls the music?”
“As long as it isn’t country.” JP taps the screen as he reverses out of the parking spot. He starts driving us out of the parking lot as I connect to his Bluetooth. Thumbing through my playlist, I find the perfect song. “Party on Fifth Ave” by Mac Miller starts playing through the speakers, and I reach over and turn the dial making the music louder.
“What’s your obsession with Mac?”
Lolling my head to the side, I watch JP as he drives. “What’s not to love? His music is universal. It’s open to anyone to interpret the meanings behind his songs, which I love. Whether it was through his beat or lyrics, he just wanted to spread positivity through his lyrics. And no matter what mood you are in, Mac’s songs are perfect for the moment.”
“Damn.” JP flicks his signal as he pulls us out onto the main road on which will take us a few minutes to get to the football facility. “I dig your music taste. It’s unique.”
“I’m glad I’ve got your approval, JP.” He flashes me his megawatt smile.
Once we’re parked in the lot, the four of us climb out of the cab. Crew reaches inside the bed and begins pulling bags out for us. Everything about our movements feels so natural, like we’ve been doing this for years when in fact this is our first time.
Three large charter buses wait outside the facility to take us to the airport. Each bus is emblazoned with the team’s logo and glistens in the Texas sun. An additional truck and trailer are parked behind the buses, and the equipment team scurries around to make sure the team has everything it needs.
A sea of blue spreads before me as the team members who are traveling with us wait outside the facility to board the buses. It’s quite a sight to witness. So much talent in one space. This is all my dad’s doing. A warm, fuzzy feeling spreads through my veins as happiness for my dad consumes me.
Crew bumps my shoulder drawing my attention. “Ready for this, Rebel?
“So ready.” A bright smile spreads across my lips, and I watch him watch my lips. Hunger and desire flash through his mocha eyes, no doubt he’s remembering images of last night like I am.
Tyler’s arms drape over both of our shoulders as he interrupts our moment. “Let’s go.”
And go is what we do.
Four hours later, we touched down in Ohio. The flight was smooth, and I took full advantage of the inflight movie playing on the commercial plane the university chartered. Mom kept me company as she sat next to me and read one of her latest Christian romance novels.
We chatted for a while, but both of us were looking forward to the uninterrupted time on the flight. She’s been busy being a dutiful college coach’s wife by attending events and planning fundraisers. Mom handles the pressure to be the perfect wife for the media well. But my favorite time is when she is her true self at home.
Once we landed in Ohio, we were on to another set of charter buses. This time they would be driving us to our hotel on Western Ohio’s campus. They’re a large university in the middle of nowhere, Ohio. The nearest airport is two hours away, which is why I find myself crammed between my brother and another player.
Grant bumps my shoulder, and I pull out my headphones, giving him a questioning look. “Are we going to have that talk yet?”
