Page 24 of The Last Person (Baker Girls #5)

CHAPTER TWENTY

HARDY

I’m beyond pissed when I get back to the locker room, and all I want is to find something, anything to throw.

I blow past Mark as he walks toward me.

“Whoa, what happened?”

All I can do is growl.

Anger isn’t an emotion I feel frequently.

Easygoing and joyful are two of my main character traits.

But messing with the people I love is the fastest way to bring an unsettling rage out in me.

And the idea that anyone else in the world thinks they get to control Brian and me being together?

That they’d try to control it by throwing the word trade around?

Well, fuck them. Trade us both and they can lose two consistent power players.

Except that’s the last thing I want. Being separated from Brian isn’t something my heart can endure.

“Ryan.” Brian’s voice hits me square in the chest, but I can’t turn around. I feel like I’ve somehow failed him.

I storm to my locker, still ready to throw something. A water bottle, my helmet, a punch.

“What’s going on?” Wendell asks, and I jump because I didn’t realize he was in here. The last thing I want is to be acting like a fool in front of him.

Slowly, I turn around and face Wendell, Mark, and Brian.

Brian’s expression is soft and filled with concern, and it upsets me more because he’s always my safe place. I want to give him that safety, not cause more chaos.

I take a deep breath and count backward from five, then force the best smile I can as I look at Wendell.

“Nothing. Sorry. Just…” I look around to make sure no one else is here. “Meeting with management that made me a little testy. I’ll be all right.”

Wendell looks at Mark, who shoves his hands in his pockets and looks down, then Wendell looks at Brian and back at me.

“Why don’t we get out of here? Grab some drinks and decompress?” Wendell says.

Brian moves slowly toward me like I’m a horse that might buck and run if he gets too close. “I appreciate that, but I’m going to head home. Long day, and I need a break from people. No offense.”

“None taken,” Wendell says with a smile.

Brian rests his hand on my arm, meeting my eyes. “I’ll see you at home.”

And though I want to lean into his touch, to rest my head on his shoulder, I don’t. I nod. “Yeah. I’ll text you when I’m on my way back.”

“I’ll walk out with you,” Mark says to Brian, then he claps me on the shoulder, leaning in to whisper, “It’ll all be okay. We’ve got your backs.”

“Thanks,” I murmur, lightly smacking his back as he walks away.

I don’t bother to hide the way my eyes track Brian until he’s out the door.

“Ready?” Wendell asks.

I nod and grab my bag. “Yeah. Let’s go.”

We’re sitting in a corner of an upscale bar, drinks in front of us, when Wendell moves his chair closer to me.

“I’m going to take a shot in the dark here and guess the reason you’re pissed is because you had a meeting with team management to declare you and Brian are together and they didn’t handle it nicely?”

My eyes fly wide.

“How did you know?”

“Because I’ve watched you two over the last couple of years, and you weren’t exactly being subtle at my house a few days ago. I assumed it finally happened, and since you’re both upstanding humans, you decided to handle it the right way.”

“Do you think anyone else noticed?” I ask, panicked only because Brian and I haven’t discussed any of this yet. I wanted to let him have his space to decompress. He needs that.

“No. Mostly because they’re too focused on their own lives or were far too drunk to recognize it.”

I blow out a sigh of relief. “Well, you’re dead-on. So much for us handling things the right way. They treated us like shit. I mean, Bianca and Bre were fine. But Chet Collins—”

Wendell’s dark laugh cuts me off. “I’m not surprised.”

My brow furrows. “Why not?”

“Because there’s a reason Jeff Rucker was allowed to pull the bullshit he pulled for as long as he did.”

Our previous QB. A domestic abuser and sexual assaulter. The guy Mark, Brian, and I pulled off a girl almost a year ago.

“Then why—”

“Coach Robbins went around him to Mike Brady. Mike’s been looking for a reason to get rid of Collins, but unfortunately, he’s good at his job, and he’s careful when he’s not. Sounds like he was less careful with you. Make a note of that. Use that. Don’t let these fuckers win.”

I breathe out a long sigh and take a swig of my drink. Even though that new information pisses me off, it also makes it easier to breathe. Logically, I know Brian and I are not the problem, but this puts it all in a new perspective. And there are likely far more people on our side than we realized.

“Makes sense why Coach looked like he was chewing glass for the entire meeting.”

“Yeah, Coach is not his biggest fan.”

“They should promote him to GM and ditch Collins. It wouldn’t take that much to find a good reason.”

“He doesn’t want the position. He prefers coaching.”

“I can see that, actually.” It’s why our team is one of the best in the league right now. “How do you know all this?”

He smiles and takes a drink. “When you’ve been around as long as I have, you notice things and people let secrets slip.”

At that, my brow furrows again. Secrets. That’s what it feels like Brian and I are right now. A dirty little secret.

I’ve officially been queer for less than a month, and I already hate everything about having to hide who I am and who I love.

I know it’s privileged as fuck because there are plenty of places where safety is a genuine concern when people talk about coming out.

I’m glad we don’t have to deal with that, but I don’t like having my career threatened or being told I can only live my life openly with someone else’s permission.

Why the fuck does anyone else care? It’s bullshit.

“They threatened to trade one of us. Collins did.”

“And you’re surprised by that? I’m not saying it’s right, but anything different or out of their norm or what they consider problematic—most teams are eager to get rid of that.”

“If I’m honest, I’m pissed at myself about how naive I was going into this.

I grew up knowing how dark and hostile this world can be, but I always chose to be a bright spot in the darkness.

And I’ve made every effort to surround myself with people who view the world the same way.

Maybe I let myself get a little too complacent. ”

“You’re creating the world you want to live in—that you want others to thrive in. That’s a good thing. But even as you do that, the hostility and hatred are still out there.”

“Collins implied that Brian and I coming out—being together—could affect team dynamics and ticket sales. What do you think?”

“Someone sneezing wrong in the locker room can affect team dynamics. As for ticket sales?” He waves a hand.

“I highly doubt it’s going to affect anything that much.

Sure, there are undoubtedly homophobes in our audience, but homophobic enough that they’d give up their favorite pastime or favorite team?

Unlikely. They’d probably just add you to their prayer lists.

Love the sinner, not the sin, and all that bullshit. ”

I snort at that and take a drink.

“Did they ever suggest you not tell the world about Kayla?”

“No. But that’s because I didn’t mention it to them. It wasn’t mine to tell, and I’m never going to dictate to my daughter who she can be or how she can live her life.”

“They say you shouldn’t meet your heroes, but every so often, you meet a good one. I appreciate you, man.”

He smiles. “You’re a good one too, Ryan. I’ve seen that from the beginning.”

“Do you think we should wait until the offseason? Or longer?”

“I can’t tell you what to do or not to do.

I think the only point they really have is team dynamics this close to postseason, but it’s still ultimately your decision who you tell when and how you do it.

You and Brian need to figure that out together.

” Then he smiles and sighs. “But in a different way, I get it.”

“What secret are you keeping?”

He swallows and looks down at his drink, and I know before he tells me.

“I’m retiring at the end of the season. I’ve been wavering about whether to tell the team.

The last thing I want is to add more pressure to the postseason, but I don’t want to blindside anyone either.

So I’m waiting and hoping I’ll know when the time is right. ” He bumps his elbow against mine.

“When the time is right.” It sounds a lot simpler than worrying about everyone else. We need to trust ourselves to know what’s right for us. “Thanks, Wendell.”

“Anytime. And I mean that. Even after I retire, I’ve got your back.”

I let out another long breath, some of the tension in my shoulders easing. That doesn’t manage the Chet Collins of it all, but it helps take some of the pressure off my shoulders.

When I get back to the apartment, I’m ready to curl up and relax with my man. We have plenty to deconstruct after that meeting, but I don’t even care. As long as I’m cuddling on the couch with Brian, I’ll be happy.

I get to the end of the hallway and find the lights low, a fire glowing in the fireplace, flowers scattered around the room, and Brian standing next to the coffee table, candles and a fancy meal set up on it.

“What’s this?”

His smile is soft and earnest. “We haven’t had a first date yet.”

My heart stutters and everything else falls away as I stare at him. He didn’t leave to be alone. He left to do something special for us.

Falling for my teammate wasn’t part of the plan, and it might complicate everything, but I don’t care. He’s mine, and he’s utterly perfect.