Chapter Eight
WYATT
FEBRUARY
I’m sorting through piles of laundry trying to find my favorite pants—the ones that are athletic but look nice—when my phone rings. I have to dig through another mountain of junk on my bed to find it. Ma’s photo beams at me from the screen and I swipe to answer. “Hello?”
“Hello? Wyatt?” Her heavy Wisconsin accent makes it sound like ‘yellow’. She always has to ask if it’s me since she calls from the only land line left in North America.
“Yeah, Ma. It’s me,” I assure her.
“Oh, good. I was just calling to check in on you.” She keeps her voice light, but I know she’s worried about me. This is the third “check-in” this week.
“I’m fine, Ma.” Not that it’s the truth because at the end of the day, how can I tell her that I got to know my childhood hero, the Hall of Fame quarterback of the Green Bay Butchers, and he was an absolute nightmare human being? He was my childhood hero, at least before he put his hands on me, he was.But he’s still the savior of the entire state of Wisconsin, who led their beloved Butchers to their last Super Bowl win fifteen years ago. Or how do I even admit that maybe I don’t technically even have a job right now? Those aren’t her worries, though, so I keep those things to myself.
“I’m sure you are,” she pauses, giving me a chance to pipe up with what’s really going on. When I don’t say anything, she continues, “What are you boys up to tonight?”
“Jaden, Noah, and I are going to Nash’s first home game.” I shove one leg in its hole, balancing the phone against my shoulder. They’ve played two away games already, so I’m sure they’re super psyched for this.
“How exciting! You tell Nashville I say good luck. What a fine young lady.” That last comment is strictly for my benefit.
“I will, Ma.” I don’t mean to sound like I’m placating her, but I told her all this two days ago.
“Who are you bringing to Henry’s wedding?” she says it in a way that’s supposed to sound nonchalant. Like she could be checking out her nails at the same time, admiring her manicure—if she was that kind of woman, which she’s not. “Now that your brother is settling down, it wouldn’t be a bad thing for you to take it more seriously. That’s why I spoke to Mrs. Patty and we thought it would be a great idea if you went with her daughter. You remember Kayla?”
“You set me up?” Ma has always been involved in my life, but she’s never butt in like this before.
“You need a date, don’t you?”
And fuck, I might have been flattened by one too many offensive linemen and lost my mind because I open my mouth and say, “I have a date.”
“Oh, I didn’t realize. You never mentioned a date.”
“I didn’t think I had to say anything since Nash and I areliving together already.” I’m really digging myself in deep right now. Sure, why not? Nash is my date to Henry’s wedding and I’m the king of fucking England.
Ma’s voice perks up at this. “Nash?”
Might as well put the final nail in the coffin. “Yeah, of course. She’s my date.”
“How wonderful! I’m so glad,” I can practically hear her hands clapping with glee on the other side of the line. “It’s wonderful you two are finally together.”
“Haha…yeah.” This hole is now so deep that I can’t even see out of the top anymore, but I need to end this conversation. “Please don’t be all weird and crazy around her. You’ll freak her out. This is still the same old Nash.”
“I know, sweetie, but I want grandchildren.”
“Jumping the gun a bit there, Ma. Besides, I’m sure Henry has plans to give you grandchildren.” I don’t even know if I want kids.I’mbasically still a kid.
“Well, one can hope for these things, ya know. I’m assuming she’ll be staying at the farmhouse with us?”
“Of course.” Why the hell not?
She obviously got what she called for and is ready to get on with the rest of her evening. “I won’t keep you too long. Like I said, I just wanted to check in on you.” Now that Henry is about to legally be Hazel’s problem, all of Ma’s focus is shifting to me. Ever since I left Vandergriff Farm for college, it’s meant way too many phone calls.
“I’ll see you at the wedding, but if I can come visit before then, I’ll call.” Fully dressed now, I search for the keys to my truck. I’ve still got to pick up Jaden and Noah and get to the stadium. It’s a fucking haul—though I’ve discovered that everything in Houston is. Probably doesn’t help that the PVF had to go way out of the city to find a stadium to play in. “I’vegot to get on the road, Ma. I’ll talk to you later. Tell everyone I say hi.”
“Will do, honey. Bye.”
Adding Ma to the list of people I’m lying to is a horrible feeling, but hell if I was getting set up on a date with anyone who wasn’t Nash.