Football was my life. I didn’t know what I would do without it. My concern wasn’t about the money. I could walk away from the game today and never have to worry about a dime, but without football, I didn’t know who I was.
“Fuck…” I mumbled, yanking a hand down my face as I looked at my sister again.
It wasn’t just me anymore. Every move I made affected Rylee. The custody order I had was temporary. What if they decided I was unstable and took her from me? Trades weren’t permanent. It was possible to be traded every season. I’d seen it happen to vet players, and hell, although rare, some had even been moved twice in a season.
No matter how much money I had, bouncing a child around wasn’t favored. So not only was this trade talk fucking with my ego but it could potentially compromise my ability to keep Rylee with me. I already had strikes against me because of my past behavior.
“I’m going to figure this out, baby girl. I promise,” I said quietly, then dropped my head back, trying to calm my racing mind. I was exhausted, my body ached, so it didn’t take me long to drift.
I awakenedto the feeling of something pushing against my arm. I swatted the assailant away and frowned, shifting until I felt a sharp pain in my back. I groaned and peeled my eyes open to find a tiny body positioned in front of me wearing a purplenightgown with “princess type behavior” printed under a crown. She had a purple silk bonnet on her head and a scowl on her face.
As soon as she noticed my eyes were open, her small hands started moving.“You broke my bean bag.”
I looked beneath me and noticed the side was split and some of the stuffing had spilled onto the floor.
“Sorry. You have one just like it in your room at my house.”
“But I have to have one here when I come back. It’s my favorite.”
She thinks she’s coming back…
I wouldn’t address that now, so instead I signed,“I’ll make sure I get you a new one for here. Deal?”
She studied me for a minute then extended a hand. I clasped it with mine and shook before she signed.“Deal.”
The gesture brought a smile to my face because I could tell I was going to have my hands full with this one.
A thump on the dresser made me turn my head toward the door where I found a sleepy-eyed Somee shuffling into the room. She had been up for a while considering she was now in jeans, a button up, and chunky loafers. She signed good morning and offered Rylee a smile before her eyes were on me with a frown.
Rylee stepped away and her little hands started moving.“He broke my bean bag but said he’ll buy me a new one. I told him it’s my favorite and I need it for when we come back.”
Somee tensed and her eyes shifted toward me. I watched for her reaction but she didn’t give a thing away. Instead she signed to Rylee to brush her teeth and wash her face then tapped her nose.
Rylee nodded and ran out of the room as I grimaced, shifting my body, trying to get up. The stiffness in my neck, back, and legs was not pretty but I managed to get to my feet.
“She thinks she’s coming back,”I signed.
Her hands moved in a jerky manner.“I didn’t tell her she was.”
“But you didn’t tell her she wasn’t.”
She stared at me, not responding, and I let it go, deciding to choose my battles.“It’s fine.”
Somee’s eyes lowered to the bean bag.“You slept in here?”
“Didn’t mean to. That thing damn sure isn’t comfortable.”
She grinned and she was fucking stunning. Something as simple as a barely there smile had me all wrapped up in the possibility ofher.
“Is that why you broke it?”
I chuckled and glanced at the deflated purple material.“Wasn’t intentional.”I lifted my wrist to check the time.“Bathroom? We have about an hour to get to the airport.”
I’d chartered the plane so they would wait as long as required, but a delayed takeoff would cost me money I didn’t want to spend if I didn’t have to. I also wouldn’t tell her that because I had a feeling she would purposely take her time just to spite me.
“You can use the one in the hallway when Rylee’s done,”she signed and I nodded, rolling my neck to relieve some of the stiffness, then lifted my arms above my head and turned from side to side to stretch my back.
Somee left me to get dressed, and when Rylee finished in the bathroom, I took my turn. I’d showered and changed for the flight after the game, and with the quick turnaround, I didn’t bother bringing a change of clothes. All I had with me was my toiletry kit which I took into the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth.