“I’m gonna fix this,” I say. “I promise.”
“Really?” The tears are evident in the way her voice cracks.
“I don’t know how yet, but I’m gonna fix it.”
Aww, now she’s bawling.
“What’s wrong, doll?” I ask.
She sniffs. “I … I’ve been freaking out about having this baby. We live in a trailer, we got no money, and—”
“I’m gonna help. I, uh, don’t have a contract right now, but I’m selling my apartment, and I have some money tied up in stocks and shit. I’ll find a way.”
“Thank you,” she whispers.
“Can I contact you on this number again?”
“I’ll program it back into my phone and text you. No joke, they canceled my phone without tellin’ me, and wouldn’t give me a new one until I deleted you and Jet from my contacts in fronta them.”
“Maybe put it under a different name, in case they check up on you.”
“Sure thing, new best friend, Miriam.” She giggles.
“Works for me.”
“I should go, but Matt?”
“Yeah?”
“I miss you. Give my love to Jet.”
“I’d say give my love to the others, but they might let it slip that you’re in contact with me.”
“I’ll make sure they know their older brothers love them.”
“I’ll make sure y’all are taken care of.” Somehow. It’s a big promise, and if one thing my meetings with my finance guys has taught me, it’s that I can’t afford to throw my money around. Not if football is no longer an option. The Warriors’ contract won’t help matters.
When I end the call, Noah beckons me over to him. “That sounded like it went well.”
I nod. “Better than I expected.”
“Well, I don’t know too many people who’d be pissed at a handout.”
He pulls me down on the couch so my head’s in his lap. His fingers move through my hair, and I close my eyes, loving the feel of his hands on me. The events of today are pushed downfield. Hell, I don’t even think they’re in the same stadium right now.
“Okay, so now that’s done, tell me what you’re really thinking about the offer from Chicago,” Noah asks.
My eyes fly open to find Noah’s piercing blue-green orbs staring down at me.
“I don’t want to think about it. I need to map it out when I’m thinking clearer. Right now, I’m still pissed.”
“What are the pros and cons?”
“Ugh. You’re not gonna make me do a list, are you? You don’t seem like a list type of guy.”
“I’ll hide my legal pad from you, but saying it out loud might help.” His hand freezes in my hair, and I rub my head over his lap like a cat to get him to keep going. “I’ll keep giving you a head massage if you do the list.”
So not going to pass up that offer. His hands are amazing. “The pros are easy. It’s a promising team, I get to play football again, and it’s Chicago. Being out there will be easier than somewhere God-loving like the Bible Belt.”
“Cons,” Noah says.
“Accepting that contract is like admitting I deserve less than everyone else because I’m gay. If I take it—”
“It doesn’t mean you agree with it. It means you’ve been dealt a shitty hand, and you don’t have much choice. Being forced to retire is just as bad as saying you deserve less. Retirement says you shouldn’t be playing the sport at all.”
“You think I should take it.”
Noah doesn’t answer right away, as if he’s contemplating telling me the truth or a lie. “What are the other cons? The money?”
“If I don’t take the contract, I get no income other than what my investments give me. And then I’d have to work out what I want to do with my life. So, the money isn’t the issue. Fuck, I might have to be a college student with my brother. I don’t like the sound of that.”
Noah laughs. “I’m sorry, but no matter how hard you try, that kid is not going to college. He doesn’t want it, even if you’re offering to pay for it. You shouldn’t push him.”
Noah’s been great with Jet, welcoming him into his home like it’s no big deal. Those two clicked instantaneously, unlike Noah and me when we met.
“He should have a backup,” I say.
Noah coughs in between saying “Contradictive.”
“I know I don’t have a backup, and that’s my point. I never had the option to have one. Finishing college before being drafted was never going to happen. I had a family back home I had to support.”
The hand stroking my hair stops again. “About that. While you were in your meeting, Jet told me what it was like growing up with your parents.”
I try not to tense, but I know I fail when Noah starts massaging me again. “There’s a lot of kids who have it worse,” I say.
“They’re verbally abusive, you had to share a closet-sized room with the two other boys, and from what I understand, the word faggot flies out of your dad’s mouth every other sentence. And now you’re paying them for treating you that way.”