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Chapter Three

Jax

Jackson Delacroix walked out onto the field with renewed vigor. He’d been worthless to his team for the last few months, so much so the coach put him on injured reserve, or IR, to give him time to get his head back in the game. When he saw and kissed Kincade Hayes that morning, everything slipped right back into place as it had been when the season started.

He arrived early to suit up alone, complete early warm-up drills, and be ready when the rest of the team showed up for practice. Jax had a job to do and a new vigor to do it.

An hour later, the rest of the defensive line came out of the locker room, surprised to see he’d already worked up a sweat. Denny Walker approached him. “I thought you were still on IR.”

Denny’s wife had their baby in September, and Denny had been on fire ever since, helping to make up for Jax’s lack of enthusiasm for the game. It seemed his malaise had been contagious to the rest of the defensive line, and poor Denny couldn’t be in more than one place at a time during the games. Jax was grateful to the man for giving one hundred and ten percent when Jax, himself, couldn’t.

He turned to his teammates and spoke up. “I’m back and I’m ready to play, but I leave it to all of you. Do you still want me as your captain? I’ve let you boys down for most of the season, and I’m fine if you’d rather have Denny lead you. We still, in spite of my absence, have a shot at a wildcard berth, so I’ll let y’all decide, and whatever you want, I’ll take it to Tony and Beau. You can talk about it later, but for now, let’s get out of here and get warmed up.” Jax led them onto the field to the defense area where the tackle sleds and other equipment were set up for drills.

Jax turned his eyes up to the box and waved to Malcolm Flood, the guy in charge of the music and audio at the stadium. When the music started, all the players clapped and got in lines to run the ladders to warm up. It felt good to be back.

After practice ended, Tony O’Brien yelled, “Cajun! My office.”

Jax nodded as he grabbed his equipment to place on the cart to be cleaned for the Saturday game. He wasn’t sure if he would even be allowed to play based on the bullshit he’d pulled midseason, but even if he didn’t, he’d be there for his teammates.

He clomped into the coach’s office, pulling the door closed. He was still in his cleats because he didn’t want to waste any time. Jax shed his hooded sweatshirt and tossed it on the ratty leather couch against the far wall.

“What I saw out there today was my defensive leader back in action. What the fuck happened, Cajun? The front office wants to trade you. I’ve been fightin’ ’em because you haven’t been hurt except for minor things since you got your starting spot. Hell, you even came back after you lost your mom and played that goddamn preseason game like an animal.

“If I’m to fight with Beau and the rest of the front office to keep you until the end of the season, you gotta promise me this shit won’t happen again. You fuckin’ fell apart on me, son. That’s not kosher at all.” The thud from Tony’s fist pounding on the desk echoed in Jax’s mind.

Jax knew it was time for the discussion they’d been avoiding. The team hadn’t given him hell when some less than desirable pictures of the three of them out on the town hit the media, but when Cade left, Jax didn’t give anyone a heads-up about the changes in his personal life. He owed the explanation to Tony.

“You know I’m in relationships with two men. Well, one of the relationships fell apart and so did I. We’re working out our problems and getting back together, but I swear, Coach, regardless of the outcome of my personal situation, I won’t let it affect my game anymore, okay? I owe you all that much. You guys have stuck by me, and I owe it to you to give my all.

“I’d like to retire from this team, Coach. I turned thirty-one in November, and I’d like to be able to walk when I quit the game. I haven’t had too many concussions in my career, but as I get older and slow down, I don’t want to run the risk of life-altering damage. I have plans after, so I’d like to give my all this season and then retire from Chicago when it ends.”

Jax felt a lump in his throat at the mere idea of leaving the game, but it was a decision he’d made, and he was sticking to it. He wanted to live an active life after football.

“You don’t wanna play for another couple of years? You’ll be a free agent at the end of this season.” Tony’s skeptical expression was expected.

“I don’t give a shit about being a free agent because I’ve played my career right here in Chicago, and I want to end it here. One more shot?”

The Irishman in front of him was gruff on a good day, but Tony seemed to have a soft spot in him for his “boys”—as he called the players. Jax hoped he was still in Tony’s good graces.

Tony closed his eyes before looking up at the ceiling. “Jackson, you have a good three years left in your prime. You could make a lot more money at the game, especially since you signed with Stan Adams and got your contract straightened out. You’re one of the best defensive players in the league when your head’s on straight.”

Jax laughed. “Yeah, but now I have other things to worry about that don’t revolve around football. I can’t put Ford on the back burner any longer or I’m going to lose him, too, and that would do me in. He and I owe Cade our support if he comes back to us. Both have a lot of plans, and I want to be part of them. So, I’ll give you my all for the rest of this season before I walk away, hopefully with a Super Bowl ring on my finger. You game?”

Tony picked up a little stress ball he always worked when he was talking to his players. The guys always started the season by giving him a box of them because when he was pissed off, he’d pop the damn things and the guts of it would ooze out over Tony’s desk and hand.

“Okay. I’ll put you in as a starter but if you fuck this up, Jackson… I’ll tell you what I tell the young kids… get pussy off your mind and play the goddamn game you were hired to play.” The ball popped in Tony’s hand as Jax expected. The coach tossed it into the trash, flinging off the insides from the area between his index finger and thumb.

Jax laughed. “Sure, boss. As an FYI…I ain’t got pussy on my mind, but I get it.” He got up to leave before Tony threw something at him. Jax heard Tony laughing all the way to the locker room.

When he walked inside, the whole place went silent. Denny Walker and Hans Linder approached him with serious looks on their faces. Jax assumed it meant they’d had their discussion while he was in with the coach, and he was ready to hear the verdict regarding whether his teammates would forgive him and let him back on the line.

Denny started them off. “We talked about it, Cajun. It’s split. Some of the guys don’t think you have the heart for it anymore.”

Both men were dressed only in towels, and as he scanned the locker room, Jax didn’t see any trainers anywhere. Only the players. That was worrisome.

“Okay. I get it. Did you vote for your new captain? I’ll go with you to Beau and surrender my patch.” Jax started toward his locker.

Hans Linder, who was a huge kid, stepped in front of him. “We didn’t say we want a new captain. We just want to know we can count on you for the rest of the season.”

“You can. I give you all my word.” Jax glanced at all the men around him.

Colby Napier walked forward in a towel as well, which gave Jax a bad feeling. “Yeah, we thought you’d say that, but we need you to prove it.”

Jax looked around seeing many guys nodding in agreement, and he immediately didn’t like the vibe he was getting from the group. He slipped off his cleats because he didn’t want to hurt anyone, but he’d beat every one of them to death if they came up with something as stupid as blow jobs or fucking.

“If you think you’re man enough to take it, QB, you come get it but don’t expect me to give it up easily. I only give it up to…” he began before he was rushed and picked up by most of his defensive line. He struggled to get away, but he couldn’t get a firm grip on anyone.

When they went into the trainer’s room, they proceeded to drop him into one of the ice whirlpool baths… in his practice uniform… and held his hands and feet so he couldn’t get out, but they didn’t push him under, thank goodness.

They all laughed, along with the rest of the team, as he gasped at the feeling of the ice water soaking through his clothes. It seemed to be even colder being in the bath dressed than it did when he was naked.

It wasn’t pleasant, but it was a lot better than what he imagined they might do to him. After five minutes, they pulled him out and took him into the steam room to warm up. Colby and Denny sat with him as his teeth chattered.

“You okay?” Denny’s question came out between laughing fits.

“Y-y-y-you mother f-f-f-uckers.” Jax quickly stripped off the frozen pants and leg pads in order to warm up before he turned bluer.

Denny pointed to his prick, which had tried to crawl into his gut. “No wonder Cade dumped him. Look how small that thing is.” Jax laughed, grateful his friends on the team understood things he’d hesitated to explain so as not to make them uncomfortable.

“Just g-g-g-give it a f-f-f-few minutes. I’ll show y-y-y-ou my a-a-anaconda,” he threatened as his body slowly began to thaw.

Both guys laughed with him, and when the door opened again, one of the trainers came in with towels for them and to take Jax’s practice gear out. “Five more minutes, guys. Anybody need a rubdown?” The guy stood by the door waiting for their responses.

Jax laughed. “I’ll get one at home tonight. No worries, Eddie.”

The other two men with him laughed. It was good to be back in the company of his fellow warriors. He’d missed it.

After he showered and dressed, he checked his phone to see an SOS from Ford, begging him to come home as soon as possible. He tried to call but there was no answer, so he went out to the Hummer, still feeling chilled to the bone.

He was bound and determined to build a fire in the fireplace in the great room when he got home. Maybe soak in the hot tub if Cade came over? That would definitely warm him from the inside out.

Jax pulled into the garage just after four o’clock to see Ford’s BMW parked in its spot. It occurred to him that if Cade would consent to move with them to the Greystone they’d bought, they’d need to get him a car. Thankfully, they had a third bay of the garage sitting empty so that was handy.

Jax was certain Cade would love the house as much as he and Ford loved it. It even had a small, marble lion on the newel post on the front porch. It was five thousand square feet of happiness waiting to happen… which was corny, but he didn’t care. Life had turned around and the future was bright again, not dark and sad as he’d felt in the months following Cade’s abrupt departure from their lives and the uncertainty of whether they’d survive it.

He exited the garage and walked through the back courtyard around the outdoor covered portion of the pool, glancing through the thick, vinyl curtain separating the outdoor pool from the indoor pool. Ford and he had decided to leave the outdoor pool open until January when they’d drain the pool to the dividing wall and close the thick, glass door which resembled a garage door.

The indoor pool and the hot tub in the basement could still be used, but they’d shut down the outdoor pool until spring. Jax enjoyed sitting in the hot tub and then plunging into the cold water outside. It was shocking to the system, but sometimes, it was the way he dealt with the lingering sadness. If Cade came home, Jax knew he wouldn’t feel that way any longer.

Jax went in through the basement, depositing his gym bag in the laundry room. He unzipped it to let some of the funk out before he proceeded upstairs to look for his men.

What he was met with was the smart-ass kid from earlier in the day who Cade believed to be his little brother. The boy was slouched on the overstuffed leather sectional in the great room watching television with a bowl of popcorn in his lap. He didn’t acknowledge Jax as he walked to the kitchen.

Ford was sitting at the counter watching Winnie make cookies. “Hey,” Jax greeted before he kissed Winnie on the cheek and moved around the counter to sit next to Ford, kissing him on the cheek as well.

“What’s that kid doing here?”

“I agreed to keep an eye on him for Kincade, who was going to speak with Hudson today to find out what happened. I haven’t heard from him yet. I’ve tried to engage the boy in activities, even offering to take him by Rainbow House, but he just ignores me,” Ford was obviously upset.

“That’s bullshit.” Jax walked out of the room.

Winnie tried to grab his arm, but he slipped by her and went to the great room, picking up the remote to turn off the television. The boy’s harsh bark, “Hey, I was watching that,” was expected.

“Did your dad kick you out?” Jax’s voice was demanding, and the kid turned to him with shock and fear. He hadn’t meant to be so intimidating, but if it was required, he wasn’t about to soft pedal it. The authorities needed to be contacted if that was the case.

Ashton glanced at the floor and looked up, defiance in his eyes. “No, but I didn’t give that homophobic prick the opportunity. I’m queer, like my brother, and I’m not gonna let Hudson Hayes be a bastard about it. I left on my own terms.”

Jax sat next to him and wrapped his arm around the kid’s shoulders, feeling the boy break down. The kid was thirteen. It wouldn’t take much for the enormity of the situation to hit him, Jax was sure.

“Yeah, well, you’re with people who care about you now, so you just let it all go, little buddy. We’ve got an awesome media room with all kinds of video games and movies. It’s pretty cool up there.” Jax held the kid as he cried.

Jax was tapped on the shoulder and turned to see a handkerchief attached to the slender hand of his blond lover.

He handed it to the boy as Ford sat next to Ash. “Hey, I’m not unfamiliar with your situation. My parents disowned me when I started college. If I hadn’t met Jax, I’m not sure what I’d have done.” Ford’s loving smile touched Jax’s heart as their eyes met.

The boy dried his eyes and looked up at them, glaring from one to the other. “Wait, I thought you were my brother’s boyfriend. You two-timin’ him with this big baboon?”

Ford laughed, which made Jax want to slap him in the head, but there was something the kid needed to know. He wasn’t sure it was their place to tell the boy, but it was likely more dangerous if he was left in the dark until Cade got to their place when he finished work that evening.

“Thanks for the compliment, kid, but nobody’s two-timin’ anybody. We both love Kincade, and I believe he still loves both of us. We had a misunderstanding a few months ago, but I think,” Jax turned and Ford nodded, “that’s been explained. We’re hoping to get him to move in here with us. Now, that’s enough talk. Let’s go get some cookies and milk from Miss Winnie, and I’ll challenge you to a game of your choosing.” The boy wiped his eyes and placed the handkerchief on the coffee table staring at both men. Jax smirked.

“You’re not perverts, are you? I’ve heard about guys who try to lure kids into basements and shit where they make ’em have sex and sell videos of it on the internet. Unless you got a kid, I don’t get why you got video games and shit in a media room.” Ash was skeptical, which wasn’t a bad thing.

“We don’t have a kid, and we’re not trafficking kids or making kiddie porn. Jax is more like a kid than anyone I know, which is why we have the media room and all the gaming equipment.” Ford was pissed.

“ Hey! I study game film in there while you’re at work.” Jax smirked.

When Ford laughed, he gently punched him in the shoulder. The only marks he’d leave on his two loves were the sucking, biting kind, and they wouldn’t be where others could see them.

“Game film? What kind of game?” Ash was an inquisitive guy.

Ford got a laugh out of that one. “Seems you’re not famous with the middle-school set, Cajun. Awe… there goes that ego down a notch.”

Jax laughed as he walked toward the kitchen. Yeah, he liked the kid, too. For not having been raised with Kincade, the boy had that fire about him. Unfortunately, the only parent they had in common was Hudson Hayes, but one shouldn’t be judged on their family alone. Jackson knew that lesson from experience.