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CHAPTER THIRTY

MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE GAME

RHODES

Now

It's so hard to leave Elle on Saturday.

After I dropped Levi off at Carrie’s, I came back to spend a little more time with Elle. I tried my best to engrain myself in her, make it impossible for her to end this with me.

But I still have all the insecurities I’ve always had with wondering if she'll really believe I’m meant for her.

I think she's in?

I know she's enjoying what we're doing.

But I also see the moments of terror when she stops and thinks about it too much. And that's what I'm afraid will happen when I'm gone for a couple of days. I'll get back late tomorrow night and then we’ll be back to work on Monday before being off for a couple of days for the holiday.

Hopefully, the time away will only make her heart grow fonder.

I manage to set up some time with the guys for breakfast on Sunday morning. I saw them on the plane last night, but we weren’t able to talk much, and since the topic of Elle is off-limits in most places, we haven’t had a chance to fully debrief. Elle and I FaceTimed until late last night and I managed to sleep some, but it sure wasn't the same without her.

I walk up to the table where Bowie and Weston are waiting.

“There you are,” Weston says.

“Hey.” I look around. “Was Henley able to make it?”

“Yeah, he's coming. Coach flew him in separately and I don’t know why Penn isn’t here yet.”

“Great,” I say.

“There's something different about you,” Weston says, grinning. “It's like you just can't stop smiling. I also might have heard some things from my fiancée.”

“Oh, really.” I lean back in my chair, laughing. “Yeah, I ran into Sadie at the bookstore the other night and thought you might catch wind of a few things. I'm surprised my phone hasn't blown up. ”

“Your phone was blowing up. You've just chosen to ignore it,” Bowie grumbles.

“Oh yeah, that's right. I haven’t been watching my phone because I’ve been living in my bubble with Elle,” I say, grinning from ear to ear. “And it’s been so damn good.”

They pound me on the back and yell and cheer like we're out on the field. The few people in the hotel restaurant stare at us and I lean in.

“Keep it down, boys. You're gonna get us thrown out of here.” I pretend to be worried.

Penn saunters to the table and leans on it like he’s exhausted.

“I’m sorry I'm late. I've been on the phone with Sam all morning. He kissed a girl last night.”

“No way. The one he liked? What was her name?” Weston asks.

“No. A new girl. She sounds cute, feisty,” he says.

“Good Lord, I’m ready for this season to be over so we can get back to our regularly scheduled meetings. I didn’t even know Sam was liking someone new,” I gripe.

Sam is the kid Penn met through a tutoring program the Mustangs were part of and they’ve stayed close. Sam’s in the foster system and Penn watches out for him. We all feel invested in the boy’s life.

“Was it good? Did he do it right?” I ask. “Shit, he’s starting young. Isn’t he just freshly eleven?”

“Who am I to say if he did a good job or not?” Penn smirks. “He sure seems pleased about it though.”

We all laugh.

“I tried to tell him how to kiss before because you know he asks fucking everything, but who knows if he retained it?” He shakes his head. “I tried to only talk about little pecks, but he was like, ‘But where does the tongue come in?’ I changed the subject so fast. Hopefully he didn't stick his tongue down the girl’s throat or anything.”

We all laugh.

“Speaking of tongues down throats,” Weston says. “Rhodes has some things he needs to share with the class.”

“I do have some things I need to share, but they are private and I will keep them to myself,” I say, taking a long drink of orange juice.

“Don't you fucking dare,” Bowie says, surprising us all. “We are way too invested in this for you to get all discreet on us now.”

“He's right,” Weston says. “I’m all for respecting Elle's privacy, but come on, give us a little something.”

“I’m just going to say that the past few days have been the happiest of my life. I have never been so sexed up and done so right,” I'm saying it all quietly, so no one but the ones at this table can hear, and they stare at me, enthralled. “It's just right with us,” I say. “I don't know another way to put it. I could not be a happier man.”

“This is the best news I’ve ever heard,” Bowie says.

“What did I miss?” Henley says as he walks up to the table, slapping The Single Dad Playbook in the center.

“There's that thing. I've been missing it,” I say. “It's been way too long since we've gotten together.”

“I know this season, with me not being there regularly for the games, is throwing me off. But with the season coming to a close soon, we'll get back on track,” Henley says.

“That’s what we were saying too. It’ll be good to catch up more. Have you noticed it’s getting harder now that some of us have significant others?” Weston says.

“Fuck yeah, we’ve noticed,” Penn says. He tilts his head to Bowie. “Looks like it’s just you and me.” He looks at Henley. “Oh yeah, you missed Rhodes waxing on about how he’s hung up his player ways and gone all domestic with Elle.”

I should probably confess something to these guys about that, but now isn’t the time.

“I’m really happy for you, man,” Henley says.

“Thanks. I’m happy too, but I should clarify that I’m still not fully sure Elle isn’t going to bolt at any time. However, it’s looking far more promising than it ever has. We still have her job hanging over our heads too, so it’s a tentative balance.”

“Oh, this is a done deal,” Weston says. “Sadie said Elle was glowing.”

“So when can we meet again?” Penn asks. He looks at me. “Since I won’t have you as my wingman anymore, I’m gonna need more coffee dates scheduled.”

“Don’t forget we’ll have plenty of time together leading up to my wedding,” Weston says.

“Yes! Does Sadie have any hot friends I haven’t met yet?” Penn asks.

“I wouldn’t know,” Weston says, dryly.

“Have you decided what you're doing next season?” Bowie asks Henley.

We all turn to look at him. It’s been a subject we haven’t broached with him lately, but he’s seemed better, happier, so it feels like a good time to check in.

“I have,” he says. “Well, sort of.”

We all look at him in surprise.

“It’s possible I’ll be the next Monday night commentator. Not as much fun as playing, but I think I’ll enjoy it. And I’ll get to stay in Silver Hills and help with the team when I’m able. I’ve also been asked to join a podcast, and it sounds like a fun gig.”

We all congratulate him, and even though I miss him out on the field every time we play and know that he’ll miss it too, he’s not as sad as I thought he’d be. He seems excited about what’s ahead. He’s had such an amazing run in this sport.

“That's great, man. I'm so happy for you. I’ll always miss you out there, but I'm grateful you're doing something you're excited about.”

“I do feel good about it,” he says. “I knew my time was limited, and the injury just sped that along, but I think this will be a positive change.”

“Things are moving and shaking with the Single Dad Players,” I say.

Penn snorts. He’s always made fun of us for calling ourselves that.

“Henley’s got a whole new career ahead, Weston’s getting married soon, and I’ve got Elle in my bed. Nothing could make me fucking happier…except her saying she's gonna stay there forever, and I'm working on that.”

I point at Bowie and Penn. “Now we just need to find the loves of your lives too.”

“Oh, here we go.” Bowie shakes his head. “No one needs to find any loves of their lives, thank you.”

“Only if we’re talking about many lives that I can love,” Penn says. “ That I could get on board with.” He sighs when he looks at me. “You used to at least pretend to feel the same way.”

“Yeah, about that,” I start.

Weston sneezes and it distracts me. I see The Single Dad Playbook on the table and reach for it, laughing when I see what Weston wrote .

Kids are the biggest cockblock.

~Weston

I point at the book. “That is the truth.”

They look to see what it says and Henley adamantly agrees.

“Holy shit, we’ve gotta get ready to go. It’s getting late,” Penn says.

I pause my reading to look at the clock on the wall and stand up in a hurry.

“We’ve gotta set up a time. I’m sorry for going off the grid the past few days. Seeing you guys on the field isn’t enough, I needed this,” I say.

“This has been an important week for you,” Henley says. “Despite being nosy bastards, in truth, we all would’ve clobbered you if you’d missed a second with Elle.”

I see Bowie’s entry before I close the book and make a face at him.

It says,

Becca’s been asking for a sibling a lot lately,

so I need one of you to have a baby soon.

The cousin role will have to be enough for her.

When I brought up Caleb and Levi,

she said they were out of diapers

so they don’t count anymore.

Who’s it gonna be?

~Bowi e

“Not it,” I say, touching my nose and backing away.

Everyone else looks and shakes their heads, hurrying to touch their nose.

“Hell, no,” Weston says, when he realizes he’s the last.