Destiny (27 page)

“You
really do believe in him, don’t you?”

“I
do. I know he’s going to cash in even more after this contract, so I’m rich
anyway. If I have to wait a little longer for that, then so be it, as long as
it means he gets to play here.”

“You’ll
be hearing from us soon.”

When
I got off the phone, I noticed that Emmitt was looking at me strangely. He had
heard the whole conversation. I thought he disapproved of me practically
begging for someone to pick him. Emmitt always had a lot of pride.

“Thank
you,” he said.

“For
what? I just did what any agent would.”

“No,
I made the right decision by sticking with you. You’re crazy if you think that
William would have given up one dime in this deal. Thanks for getting me to
where I wanted to be in the first place.”

“No
problem. Maybe that fight last night was actually a good thing. At least you
get to be in New York now.”

“My
bank account might disagree.”

“You’ll
make more money in the long run. It’s better to start with a good team than a
lousy one. You’ll get to showcase your talents now and work for the second
contract that’s going to make me rich,” I joked.

“I
promise to make that happen,” he said and hugged me.

After
a few minutes, New York announced their pick, and we were done. I gave Derrick
and Emmitt specific instructions on what to sign and what not to if their deals
weren’t exactly as I agreed to them in principle. Then I made my way outside
with Marcus. I made a quick call to Green Bay’s GM to set up a meeting for us
to work things out on Marcus’s contract. We went back to our rooms and packed.
I booked three tickets to Green Bay while Chastity was getting the last of her
things together.

Just
as we were finishing up with everything, I got a phone call from Aunt Kristen.

“Hello,”
I said.

“Hey,
we saw you on television. Your uncle and I are so proud of you,” she said.

“Thank
you. I was actually going to head that way to celebrate with you guys. I have
to be
there
to get Marcus’s contract done, and I
figured it would be nice to see you again,” I said while acting as if I knew
nothing about Uncle Gary’s heart attack.

“It
might be a good thing that you’re coming. Eric, your uncle had a heart attack.”

“Is
he okay?”

“He’s
fine. They’re suggesting surgery to fix a valve in his heart, but for now, he’s
his usual cheerful self.”

“When
did it happen?”

“Yesterday.”

“Why
didn’t you tell me?”

I
went through this act for a while. Olivia had asked me to pretend like she told
me nothing, so that’s exactly what I was going to do. Besides, it was better
than saying I’ve known all along, and I chose not to come until now. When our
conversation was over, I said a phrase that I didn’t say enough to my aunt and
uncle.

“I
love you, Aunt Kristen. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

When
I got off the phone, Chastity asked me why I pretended not to know everything.
I quickly explained that I promised Olivia I wouldn’t say anything, and we got
our things. Once we had made it to the airport and got our tickets, all that
was left to do was wait. We left the hotel a little early, and we still had
almost an hour before the plane boarded. As we sat there waiting, something occurred
to me.

“Marcus,
you probably want your fiancée here for this, don’t you?” I asked.

“Preferably,
I would. I wanted her at the draft, but we’re completely broke. Until I get my
signing bonus, I won’t have enough money to fly her in.”

“You
mean you didn’t take any money from the university,” I whispered discretely.

“No,
I wasn’t a highly sought after recruit. I was kind of a surprise,” he said.

“What
are you two talking about?” Chastity asked.

“Just
about me bringing Alicia to Wisconsin,” I answered.

“What
do you mean?” Marcus asked.

“Let’s
book her a flight. I don’t mind footing the bill for it. You’ve been dating her
for several years now. She’s the woman you plan to marry, so she should be
there when you sign your contract. Call her, and I’ll book a flight on my
phone.”

“I
can’t let you do that.”

“Yes,
you can. I look out for you now. I know it always seemed like I was putting a
lot more effort into Emmitt and Derrick’s needs, but that was just because I
had to use all my energy on keeping them out of trouble. I never had to worry
about you, though. Take this as a thank you from a friend for never being the
stereotypical superstar athlete. I want her to be there for you,” I said and
continued on with booking the flight.

Marcus
gave in and thanked me. He hated letting anyone do something for him, but he
really did want the woman he loved there. As I booked Alicia’s flight with one
hand, Chastity grabbed the other one and gently stroked it. The next few days
would be filled with family members I loved, great friends, a huge contract,
and the woman sitting right beside me. I was finally going home.

Chapter 27

Friends?

When
we landed in Green Bay, my aunt picked us up at the airport. I got Marcus a
hotel room and told him to sit tight. His girlfriend would be there by that
night, and we would start working on his contract the next day. Right then, I
needed to see the man who had treated me like a son since the first time we
met. My aunt took Chastity and me to the hospital. I told Chastity she could
stay at our house, but she went with me anyway. It seemed like things were
growing serious with us fast. That fact scared me for some reason. Then again,
I
was the one who invited her to New
York after we had just reunited. This
was
kind of my fault. I pushed those thoughts to the side for then. It was stupid
for me to think of Chastity as a problem. I had someone there to support me
while my uncle was sick. How could that be a bad thing?

Once
we were in the hospital room, Aunt Kristen and Chastity gave me some time alone
with my uncle. He still looked weak, but I imagined that he looked a lot better
than he had the day before.

“How
did you get here so fast?” he asked.

“I
was already booking a flight to come here when Aunt Kristen called to tell me
what happened. One of my guys got picked by the Packers.”

“I
saw that on television. You looked good. You could have just negotiated that on
the phone, though.”

“What
are you getting at?”

“Who
told you about what happened? You had to have known beforehand.”

“Olivia
told me the night before the draft. I was going to come straight here, but she
told me not to. She said you were better. You don’t look good, though. Maybe I
should have . . .”

“No,
you did the right thing. I must have been pretty bad if
she
called you, though.”

“What
do you mean?”

“You
two probably haven’t spoken since last summer. I know why it has to be that
way, but it’s a shame. I still remember when you were kids. I didn’t figure you
would marry her, but I thought you would be friends for life.”

“You
and me both,” I said sadly.

“Who
says we can’t be friends?” I heard a familiar person ask as she walked into the
room. It was Olivia.

“What
are you doing here? I’m sure you have better things to do than check in on an
old man,” Uncle Gary joked.

“I
dropped Phillip off at my mom’s because she’s been wanting to see him. I think
he’s going to spend the day there. My classes don’t start until this evening
either, so I’ve just been bored most of the day. I thought you might be able to
keep me entertained,” she joked back.

“Well,
if that’s the case, take a seat,” he said.

I
felt odd. My current girl was in the waiting room while the only woman I had
ever
truly
loved was sitting right in
front of me chatting it up with my uncle like they were best friends. This was
how life was supposed to be, but for Olivia and me, it wasn’t.

“Aren’t
you going to sit, Eric?” Olivia asked after I had been standing there in a fog
for several seconds.

“Oh,
yeah,” I said and sat down by her.

“So
who was that woman who came into the room with you and Kristen earlier?” Uncle
Gary asked.

“That
was Chastity, my first girlfriend. We’re involved again,” I said.

“Involved?
What does that mean?”

“It
means I haven’t actually asked her to be anything to me, but I’m pretty sure
that we’re somewhat serious about each other. Just the fact that she’s here
says Chastity thinks something of me.”

“I
see. I’m glad you found someone. As I remember, she wasn’t your first
girlfriend, though. This lady sitting right here was,” Uncle Gary said.

“Yeah,
thanks a lot,” Olivia teased.

“We
weren’t overthinking it back then. We didn’t put any labels on what we were
doing, remember?”

“You’re
right, so I’ll give you a pass on that comment. Do I get to meet this mystery
woman?” Olivia asked in a way that was much too chipper.

I
could see straight through her. She smiled and joked, but the last thing she
wanted was to meet someone who might be able to make me happy the way she
could. At least that’s how I felt. If Richard walked through the door right
then, it would completely throw me into an emotional fray.

“I
think we’ll leave meeting her for much later,” I said.

“And
why is that? I wouldn’t mind actually speaking to her,” Uncle Gary said.

“Let’s
just say that she might be a little jealous of Olivia.”

“Why?
I’m married,” Olivia said.

“That’s
what I told her! Still, I can see her point. I left Miami to come here after my
parents were thrown in jail. I could have stayed in the state of Florida for
her, but I chose not to, and a large portion of that decision was made because
I knew you were here,” I said.

After
I said that, there was an awkward silence in the room. I had said too much. Our
friendly conversation had just turned into something else.

“Well,
she’s going to have to deal with it. Richard will have to deal with it, too, because
if I have my way about it, you two are going to find a way to be friends again
some day soon,” Uncle Gary said.

“I
don’t know if that’s ever going to be possible with Richard. He pretty much
hates Eric, and I don’t see that changing,”
Olivia
said.

“It
will. Trust me.”

“I
don’t know, Uncle Gary. I’m afraid she’s right,” I said.

“Can’t
you two give a man in the hospital this one? I said you’re going to be friends,
so that’s how it’s going to be,” he said with a grin.

“All
right, I’ll give you this one,” Olivia said and stood.

“Where
are you going? You just got here,” I said.

“I’ve
got some errands to run, but I’ll be back tomorrow. I can’t let him go under
the knife without at least stopping by,” she said and walked out. As she did,
she gave us a wave goodbye. For the first time in a while, it felt like things
were good between us. It was nice.

“What
was she talking about you going under the knife?” I asked.

“They
need to repair one of the valves in my heart. It’s not a big deal.”

“It
sounds like a huge deal!”

“Well,
it’s not. Things like this are routine now.”

“You
know you’re going to have to change a lot of things about your life after you
get out of here, right? You can’t eat bratwurst anymore before the games or at
any point, for that matter.”

“Why
don’t you just shoot me now?” he joked.

“I’m
serious. You’ve got to be around for a long time. You’ve been more like a dad
to me than my own father. I don’t think I could take losing you.”

“Hey,
I’m not going anywhere. I never said it, but I’ve always thought of you as a
son. I love you, Eric, and I’m so proud of you. I can’t believe you’re
representing three draft picks this year. You’ve almost made it.”

“What
do you mean almost? I’m set for the next four years.”

“You
still have to find someone to share your life with. I wouldn’t be anything
without your aunt. Trust me on this. When you find the right person, it’s not
going to matter what you do by yourself. You’ll never be truly happy until
she’s standing beside you.”

“I
think I already found that person.”

“So
you really care about this new girl then?”

“Yeah,
why not? That’s easier to talk about,” I said sarcastically.

“You
were talking about Olivia, weren’t you? I’m sorry. For what it’s worth,
Chastity is really pretty. The fact that she came with you says she’s a decent
person, too. I would love to meet her.”

“You
can meet her now. I’ll go get her,” I said and took a step toward the door.

“Wait
a
minute . . .
” my uncle said.

“What
is it?”

“There’s
something you need to know about Olivia. We’ve been talking over the last few
months, and well . . .”

“What
is it?”

“I
can’t say. It’s not my place to. I really want things to be right in that
situation, but this is something you two have to resolve.”

“What
are you talking about? If you know something I don’t, then tell me.”

“Plan
to end up with the woman you’re with now, but don’t close any doors. Do
yourself a favor, and find a way to stay in touch with Olivia. It’s going to be
best for both of you.”

“You’re
not making any sense. The last time I talked to you about her, you were telling
me that I might not want to break up a marriage to be with her. What changed?”

“Nothing.
Doing that would be wrong, but there are things you don’t know. I can see from
a different perspective than both of you, and I’m telling you right now that
you’re going to end up being a huge part of that woman’s life before it’s all
over. Plan to be with Chastity because that’s what you need right now, but
never forget the woman who should be your best friend.”

“I
still don’t understand.”

“You
will one day. Do me a favor, and don’t ever tell her we had this conversation.
I actually like Olivia, and if she knew I betrayed her confidence about this, she
probably wouldn’t ever talk to me again.”

“No
worries there. I wouldn’t know what to tell her even if I tried. You didn’t
actually tell me anything.”

“Sorry.
It must be the pain meds they’re giving me,” he said and smiled.

He
wasn’t on any pain medicine, and it was obvious that he was trying to tell me
something important. I didn’t know if I should push him for more details,
though. It didn’t look like he wanted to give any, and he
had
been through a lot over the last few days. I ultimately decided
not to push the point. I walked out of the room and found Chastity and my aunt.
They were getting along very well. Chastity was a great woman, and she always
made a good first impression. As I thought about it, I realized that she was
actually everything I needed in a partner. She always had been. Was she who I
wanted, though?

“What’s
going on? You look a little lost,” Chastity said as she examined the blank
expression on my face.

“I
was just thinking about how lucky I was to find you the other day. I have
no
idea why I didn’t call you the first
day I got back to Miami,” I said and pulled her close to give her a quick peck
on the lips.

“Uncle
Gary wants to meet you. I see you’ve already gotten Aunt Kristen’s approval,” I
said as I pulled back.

“She
sure has. I’m impressed, Eric,” my aunt said before we went to the room to talk
to Uncle Gary.

The
time flew by as we talked. As expected, Chastity made an excellent impression
with my uncle. I could tell almost instantly that he liked her. There was one
thing missing, though. There was a certain way he looked when Olivia and I were
in the same room. It was like he thought that was how things should be,
regardless of
who
else might be there for me. I didn’t
understand at the time, but I didn’t have to. All I had to know right then was
that I had a woman who could love me in Chastity and another person who needed
to be my best friend. I didn’t know how I was going to pull that one off, but
Uncle Gary wouldn’t have told me to be her friend without a reason. As we were
leaving the hospital, an idea came to me. I couldn’t say that it was a good
one, but I thought I had to try it.

“Hey,
it’s almost seven, and I’m starving. What about you?” I asked Chastity.

“I
am, too.”

“I’ve
got an idea, and you can say no, but I think it might be fun. I have a friend
named Mike here in town. He was engaged to a girl named Kelly the last time I
saw him. I was thinking that it might be fun to invite them out to dinner with
us at eight.”

“Why
wouldn’t I want to do that?”

“Because
of the second suggestion I’m going to make. Olivia was also a good friend. Her
husband hates me because of some things that happened in high school. I was
completely wrong back then, and I don’t blame him for how he feels, but I was
thinking I could take this opportunity to right some old wrongs. I want to
invite them, too.”

“Why
do you think it’s a good idea to invite your ex?”

“It’ll
give me an opportunity to apologize to Richard and be friends with someone who
always should have been nothing more than my friend.”

“I
don’t think this is a good idea.”

“I’ve
got the most beautiful woman possible right beside me. If I can go to dinner
with them and talk just as friends, then it shows Richard there’s no need for
him to hate me anymore, and more importantly, it might just show you that I can
be friends with a woman from my past and it mean absolutely nothing. I care
about you, Chastity, and I need you to know that above all else. I’ve also got
to right a few wrongs, though. I can’t have him hating me for the rest of his
life, and I don’t want to go through life without ever talking to someone who
was a good friend. What do you say?”