Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 113330 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 567(@200wpm)___ 453(@250wpm)___ 378(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113330 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 567(@200wpm)___ 453(@250wpm)___ 378(@300wpm)
“Can I bring my trains when I come to your house, Daddy?” Maverick asks. “Jay always plays trains with me before bedtime, and I want to play trains with you, too.” My stomach twists. Vanessa’s husband, Jay, is a solid, friendly guy who’s fantastic with my kid. Also, he’s never once disrespected me. Surely, a more mature man would feel nothing but thrilled to know Maverick’s got such a close bond with his stepfather, but if I’m being honest, in addition to me recognizing that’s a good thing for Maverick, I’m also jealous about it for myself. In fact, every time I think about Jay playing with Maverick or tucking him in at night, I feel like my hair’s on fire and my skin is physically hot with the desire to get to do those things with him, too.
“You don’t need to bring your trains,” I say, “because you’ll have all the trains you could ever want at my house.”
I’m expecting Maverick to express excitement. Maybe even to thank me for wanting to make our time together this summer as fun as possible. But he simply shrugs and says, “Can I go play with Jay again?”
My heart sinks. “Sure. Have fun, buddy. I love you.”
“I love you, Daddy. Bye.”
There’s a shuffle, and a moment later, Vanessa reappears on my screen. “He had so much fun with you and your family in Hawaii. He hasn’t stopped talking about it. How many Hawaiian ices did he have per day?”
I laugh. “Two. He had everyone wrapped around his finger.”
“Please, learn how to say no to him when you have him this summer, or he’s going to become a little monster by the time you return him to me.”
“He’ll be fine.”
Vanessa leans into her camera and whispers, “I saw a photo of you playing golf with Coach Hardy today. What’s that about? Was it a friendly game . . . or something else?”
“Just a friendly game.”
“Is Coach Hardy coming to the Crusaders?”
“It was just a friendly game, Vanessa. Tell Maverick I love him, okay? Tell him I can’t wait to see him next week.”
“I love you, too, Daddyyyyyyyyyy!” Maverick shouts in the background, and that’s all I need to tear up again.
I quickly wrap up with Vanessa and write myself a note to order every conceivable train set that’s age-appropriate for Maverick, once I know where to ship them. After that, once I’ve composed myself, I start up my rental car, figuring I’ll talk to Cameron as I make the drive back to the bungalow. Back to Iris. Hopefully, she’s already returned from today’s solo adventure, because all I want to do is take that woman into my arms the second I walk through the front door.
“What’d Coach say?” Cameron shouts maniacally after answering my call.
I cackle with glee. “He’s in.”
Cameron gasps. “In-in? With no caveats?”
“No caveats, other than them paying him what he’s worth. If they do that, he said he’ll sign a deal with the Thunderbolts the day after I do.”
Cameron whoops. “Holy shit, you did it!”
“You think they’ll offer him what he’s worth?”
“And then some. They were practically jizzing in their pants when I floated the idea of you two as a package deal. Oh my God, Roman. How’d you get him to say yes?”
“I just spoke from my heart. I admitted what a shitty time I’ve been having in Baltimore and then segued into painting a picture of how much it would mean to end my career on a team that genuinely values me, in the city where my son lives, with him as my coach.” I snicker. “And then, when all that failed miserably, I begged.”
Cameron bursts out laughing with me. “Atta boy.”
“Just kidding. I didn’t need to beg him at all. Right off the bat, Coach admitted the chance to coach me again has always been a bucket list item.”
“Hot damn. Let’s get this locked down, ASAP. When can Coach fly to LA for a meeting with the owners?”
“He said he can fly on Monday at the earliest because he’s here with his wife and kids for his anniversary. So, let’s set up a three-way meeting on Tuesday.”
“That’s perfect. This way, we can meet with the owners first—on Sunday or Monday—to finalize your deal. I’ll book a flight for you tomorrow and let them know—”
“No, not tomorrow, Cam. I’m already flying to LA on Sunday to pick up Maverick, remember?”
“You need to come tomorrow, Rome. The internet is already buzzing about you and Coach playing golf today, and we don’t want anything to leak.”
I shift the phone against my ear. “The thing is, I promised Iris I’d take her horseback riding tomorrow, so—”
“Iris?” Cameron bellows. “Please, tell me that was a joke.” When I say nothing, he shouts, “I don’t give a flying fuck what you promised your little vacation plaything. You’re flying to LA tomorrow to reassure the owners you’re worth over two-hundred-million bucks, and that’s that.” He proceeds to rant about all the reasons why I need to get my ass to LA, as soon as possible, and I can’t deny he’s making sense. As bummed as I am to miss out on one last day with Iris, clearly I’m going to need to do exactly that.