A Different Christmas (University Park #5) (2 page)

“Of course I did.” I pushed myself up in to a sitting position, grunting and huffing.

“Are you alright?”

I let out a heavy breath. “Yeah, just trying to sit up.”

“Damn, I miss you.”

“I miss you, too.” My throat tightened, but I pushed the sadness away. The last thing I wanted was for Raven to worry about me. This was his night and I didn’t want to spoil it. “I wish I was there to celebrate with you. You played like a pro! I’m so proud of you.”

“Thank you. I can’t believe it.” Raven let out a slight chuckle. “I feel bad for Anthony, but at the same time, I’m totally stoked I got to play. And we won!”

“I know. That’s the best part! So, what’s going to happen next?”

Several guys were hollering and hooting in the background, making it difficult to hear him. I listened carefully, trying to decipher what he was saying.

“I don’t know…I still need to talk to Coach.”

“I hope he tells you you’re going to be starting in Sunday’s game.”

“Me, too, baby. Me, too.” His voice softened and I sensed a trace of humbleness.

Raven had been through so much—we had been through so much. Sometimes, it seemed surreal that he had landed a contract with a pro team. After being kicked out of Park Hill University and off the football team, he thought his football career was over. But I didn’t. Raven had talent teams wanted. All it took was for one someone to give him a chance. That person was Coach Rush Winters.

“Keep your head up. Regardless of what he tells you, you should be proud about today’s game. You made two touchdowns in the last five minutes! I mean…who does that?”

“The Raven does,” he said with a snarky tone.

“You got that right.” I giggled. “What time do you think you’ll be home?”

“Unfortunately, there’s a major storm moving in as we speak, so we’re not flying out until the morning.”

“Oh no.” I slumped against the headboard. “I was hoping you’d be crawling into bed with me in the middle of the night.”

“I know. Me, too. But it’s safer if we wait.”

He had a point. Then again, some of the guys liked to party after a Sunday night game. I’d seen it firsthand, traveling with him to the away games. I was even warned by some of the players’ wives to keep an eye on him. It wasn’t unusual for women to show up to these parties and infidelity was common among the players. I worried Raven might be enticed to do the same. But I had to give him the benefit of the doubt and trust he would do the right thing.

“Oh, shit!” Raven yelled as a funnel of commotion echoed through the line. “That’s freakin’ cold!”

I pulled my head away from the phone and winced. A thunderous roar of deep voices followed by cheers belted through the phone’s speaker.

“Are you okay?” I waited for a few seconds, but the yelling didn’t cease. “Raven? Is everything okay?”

“You’ve got that right.” He laughed before returning his attention to me. “Sorry, baby. I’m good. In fact, I’m better than good. I’m on top of the fucking world!” He released a loud holler.

I laughed, picturing what was going on in the locker room. I thought about Facetiming him, but who knew what I’d see. Maybe a bunch of shirtless, hot-as-hell guys in their skin-tight pants or some with a towel wrapped around their waist. The vision in my head might seem divine to most women, but the only guy I wanted to see was Raven, and he was over eleven hundred miles away.

“What’s going on over there?”

“I just got doused with a bucket of ice water.”

I laughed hard, shaking my head. “They’re proud of you!” A small tear seeped from the corner of my eye. They were celebrating his success and part of me was a little sad I wasn’t there with him.

“They better be! I just helped them win the game.” Raven chuckled.

“Raven, let’s talk.” A distinct voice came through the phone.

“Hey, baby, I’ve gotta go. Coach Rush wants to talk with me.” Raven’s tone turned serious.

“Of course. Good luck. Call me in the morning before you leave.”

“I will. Get some rest.”

“Okay. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Before I could say
bye
, he hung up. I stared at the phone for a moment before setting it back on the nightstand. What was the coach going to tell him? Praise him for a job well done? Tell him he would be starting in next week’s game? All those thoughts went through my head, but what plagued me the most was wondering what would happen after the talk with his coach. Would Raven go back to his hotel room or would there be a big party afterwards?

I had gone with him to all the games until I hit my third trimester, when my doctor advised me not to travel any longer. Once the twins were born, it would be more difficult to board a plane, so I took advantage of the opportunity. It was exciting going from city to city, hoping he would get a chance to play. Most of the time, we went alone, but a few times, Mimi, Trish, and his uncle, Rick, went with us.

After every game, we went to bed together. Tonight would be the first night that didn’t happen. Although he had recently played two away games, this one concerned me. Maybe because he was in the limelight and all attention was directed toward him. That was enough to make me wonder if the old Raven might resurface.

***

Raven

I grabbed a towel and quickly dried off before heading to see Coach Rush. Going to his office always made me feel uneasy, but this time, I probably didn’t have anything to worry about. That’s what I told myself anyway.

“Hey, Coach.” I stepped inside the guest office set up for the opposing team’s coach.

“Come on in and shut the door.” He motioned for me to enter.

I took a seat across from him, watching as his fingers frantically moved across the screen of his phone. The guy never seemed to stop working. He was totally different from Coach Anderson. Not only in looks, being short and thin, but also in the way he acted — high energy, hotheaded, and a driver.

He stopped momentarily and looked at me. “You did damn good tonight, Raven. You’re exactly what this team needs — what I need.” He tapped out a few more things and then set his phone aside.

“Thank you, Coach.” I gave him a reaffirming smile. “I want to do my best and prove you made the right decision to sign me.”

He pointed a finger at me. “And that’s exactly what you’re going to do. I expect you to work hard. Get the plays down, study your opponents, and learn whatever you can from Anthony.”

“So, he’s out for sure?” My heart skipped a beat, already knowing the answer.

“Yep.” He shook his head. “Torn ACL.”

“Damn, that sucks.”

“Sure does.” He inclined his head. “That means you’re starting Sunday’s game.”

A huge smile spread across my face. “Sweet.”

“You’ll be getting more practice time…about seventy percent. Rich will have the rest.”

“Awesome.” I shook a clenched fist.

Coach stood up and I did the same, getting the impression he was done talking to me. “I’m counting on you.” He eyed me. “If you don’t perform, then I’m putting Rich in. Plain and simple.”

“I understand. I’m ready for it.” I swallowed — hard. This wasn’t college…this was the pros and a player like me could be replaced instantly. There were no second chances. The stakes were high and there was money on the table.

“Good. That’s exactly what Mr. Peters wants to hear.” He placed a firm grip on my shoulder. “I have a feeling you’re going to do alright.” He shot me a wide grin, his green eyes brightening against his tanned cheeks. “I have faith in you, hence the reason I brought you here.”

“Tell Mr. Peters I won’t let him down.” Scott Peters was the owner of the team. Although I’d spoken to him a few times, he didn’t always make his way down to the locker room.

He opened the door and his assistant, Joe Frankfurt, was standing there. “The press is ready for you.”

“Alright.”

“Thanks, Coach, for giving me a chance.” I reached for his hand and he shook it.

“Prove we made the right decision.” His brows knitted together. Despite his words of confidence, I saw the slight worry etched in his weathered skin.

“I will,” I said, my voice firm.

“Get some rest and I’ll see you on the plane tomorrow morning.” He gave me one more pat on the shoulder before turning toward Frankfurt.

I exited the office and headed straight for the shower. Things were so different now and I was in new territory. In college, I tended to be more laid back, but as the water beat down on my sore muscles, I recognized a heaviness settling across my shoulder blades. Not only was the team relying on me to step up and perform, but Lexi was also counting on me. I wasn’t off the hook yet and if I wanted her to marry me, I had to prove I was worthy of her trust and capable of making the right decisions.

I gathered my things and zipped up my bag, ready to leave the stadium. My phone buzzed and I glanced at the screen: a text from my college friend, Shawn Jackson.

Shawn: Congrats! Caught the last quarter. You played like a champ!

A huge grin spread across my face.

Me: Thanks, bro! I still can’t believe it. I keep waiting to wake up.

Shawn: Believe it, dude. So, did Anthony Lewis tear his ACL?

Me: Yep. He’s out for the rest of the season.

Shawn: Too bad for him. Good for you.

Me: I feel bad for the guy, but now it’s my time to shine.

Shawn: You damn right! The Raven is back!

I laughed. Back in college, they called me
The Raven
. The saying was they had to be able to touch me before they could tackle me. I was damn fast and hard to catch. That was what made me a good quarterback.

Me: Too bad we already played your team.

Shawn: Haha. There’s always next year.

Me: What about the playoffs?

Shawn: True. Game
on.

Me: You’ve got it!

Shawn was the running back for Tampa and they were fifth in the conference, where we were tenth. We still had six games left and I’d do whatever I could to help my team get to the playoffs. It was times like this where I missed playing with my college teammates. We had come a long way, enduring some tough growing pains.

Me: Hey, gotta go. The bus is about to leave.

Shawn: Catch you later.

I got on the bus and we headed to our hotel. We traveled up the expressway heading toward downtown Baltimore. The bright skyline reflected off the harbor, giving the city a lively feeling. Too bad there wouldn’t be any time for sightseeing or visiting local tourist attractions. We had an eight a.m. fight tomorrow and since it was a little after midnight, I was ready to call it a night.

I settled into my room and caught a replay of the nightly news. The sports newscaster gave a play-by-play of tonight’s game, providing his commentary about my abilities. Even though he didn’t give me the accolades I deserved, it was nice to hear something positive about me for a change — negative had been the trend earlier this year. It was still surreal to me. After getting kicked out of college and off the team, I honestly thought my football days were over. But when the tides turned and the stars aligned, God could surprise the hell out of you.

Just as I took off my shirt, someone knocked on the door. A couple guys were talking and laughing. I glanced through the peephole and saw my teammates, Terrance Jones and Jes Baxter.

I opened the door. “Hey, guys, what’s up?”

“Don’t tell me you’re going to bed.” Terrance pouted.

“Yeah, man.” I yawned and stretched. “I’m tired.”

“Whatever.” Jes shook his head, blowing off my pitiful excuse. “The night’s just getting started.” He pushed the door open and I took a step back. He reminded me so much of my friend and ex-roommate, Josh Marshall. We hadn’t talked much since I had signed with New Orleans and I sensed some hard feelings. Things hadn’t gone as well for him, even though he was a fifth round draft pick.

“I don’t know, man. I don’t want to screw up. There’s a lot weighing on my shoulders.”

“Sounds like you need some stress relief.” Terrance winked.

Stress relief did sound good, but not the kind they were probably thinking of. “I do, but—”

“Then, let’s go.” Jes threw my shirt at me and I caught it.

“Go where?” Being a second string backup, I never hung out with the main guys on the team. It was an honor to have them knocking on my door and asking to take me out for the night. I didn’t want to disappointment them, but at the same time, I knew the line I had to walk.

“You’ll see.” Terrance texted something on his phone, smiling the entire time. That look sent warning lights off in my head, just like when we were kids. We played football in elementary and middle school, but ended up going to different high schools after his parents divorced. Terrance played college football for a school in a different conference than PHU up north. Before I signed with New Orleans, it had been years since we’d seen each other, but he hadn’t changed one bit.

“Alright,” I said, slipping my shirt over my head. “But I’m not staying long.”

They laughed and something told me I should not leave my room, but I ignored the voice of reason, telling myself I could walk away if I had to. We took the elevator to the next floor and walked down the hall. Music echoed in the distance and it didn’t take long to figure out they were ready to party. They opened the door to a room filled with most of the veteran players on the team.

“The Raven’s in the house!” several of the guys yelled and hollered.

I laughed, rubbing the scruff on my chin.

Just like old times.

The thought was good at first, and then it hit me like a lineman I didn’t see coming: I didn’t want this to be like old times. Parties and alcohol typically ended on a bad note for me when I was college. I didn’t need to get kicked off this team, too.

“Here, man, looks like you could use a cold one.” Isaiah Zapata, the tight end, handed me a bottle.