Defending Hayden (Second Chances #7)(3)

Inside was a football with a sticky note: Welcome back. I picked it up and held it in my hands, loving the way it felt in my grasp. Football was my life, and I’d missed it more than anything. Ever since I could walk, my father had primed me to be the best player I could be; it was in my blood.

Taking a deep breath, I sat down at the table and stared at the ball. I can do this. I’d spent months feeling sorry for myself and running away. I couldn’t do that anymore. My team needed me…and I knew I needed them. Pulling out my phone, I scrolled through my contacts until I found the one person who never gave up on me. He picked up on the first ring. “Holy shit, is it really you?” he said.

“It is,” I replied. “I wanted to let you know I’m back.” He asked me about the night I’d left, and I told him. I wasn’t surprised when I heard a car pull into my driveway ten minutes later. “Is that you in my driveway?” I said with a chuckle.

“You’re damn right. At least this time I can stop you from running away.” I heard his footsteps just outside the door.

“Good luck with that, Townsend. I’m a lot bigger than you.” The door slammed open and I turned to face him.

Smiling wide, he slid the phone into his back pocket and waved a hand at my body. “I beg to differ. You’ve lost a little bit of weight, brother. You need to bulk back up.”

He was right, I had lost weight. I’d tried building myself back up when I was in Wyoming, but I hadn’t felt the motivation the guys always gave me. “I’ll work on it,” I promised.

Stretching his arms wide, he wrapped them around me and slapped my back. “That you will. It’s good to have you back. We’ve all missed you.”

I hugged him in return. “Thanks. I appreciate you taking care of my place while I was gone.”

Evan let me go and stepped back. “You’re welcome. The others helped as well. We were really worried about you.”

I snorted. “I know. Imagine my surprise when I start getting phone calls from everyone on my new unlisted phone number.”

He shrugged. “I didn’t know what else to do. Your parents said you were okay, but I had to find out for myself. It’s not like it mattered, since you never returned my calls.”

Sighing, I averted my gaze. “Sorry, brother. I needed the time away. It felt good being in Wyoming. I was able to distance myself and deal with everything on my own.”

“You didn’t have to do it on your own.”

“Yeah, I did,” I replied truthfully. “It took a while, but I was able to clean myself up.” I glanced around the kitchen and then walked into the living room with Evan close behind. “I don’t know how it’ll feel to be back. Brent says I’m still on the team, but I’ve missed so much.” I sat down on one side of my leather couch while Evan took the other side.

“You’ll be fine,” he promised. “Your timing couldn’t be more perfect. Pre-season starts in another couple of weeks. If you work hard, that’ll be plenty of time to get where you need to be.”

I shook my head. “Coach Joel isn’t going to let me come back just like that.”

“Probably not, but if you’re willing to put forth the effort, I think you’ll be surprised.” He smiled, and it made me realize how much I’d missed being around the team. “So what all did you do in Wyoming?” he asked.

Grinning from ear to ear, I closed my eyes, picturing it in my mind. “Well, in order for me to stay, Blake gave me some ultimatums. I had to shovel shit and help with maintenance around the ranch.”

Evan burst out laughing. “He does know you grew up on a farm, right?”

I returned the laugh. “Not at first. I probably shouldn’t have told him, because when I did, he gave me more work.” Leaning my head against the couch, I couldn’t help but miss it all. Being in Wyoming had reminded me so much of being in my hometown, minus the Grand Tetons. The mountains we had around North Carolina were nothing compared to the ones out west. “Blake also introduced me to a friend of his who’s a ranger. I was able to ride along with him and check out the hiking trails. Once my football career ends, that’s what I want to do.”

He nodded. “You did go to college to be one. Let’s just hope we have several more years before retirement. I want to play as long as I can.”

I did, too. “So what’s the team been up to?” I asked. “Did anything new happen while I was gone?”

He pulled out his phone with a small grin. “I wanted to tell you, but you never returned my calls.” He passed me the phone. “Then again, I didn’t know if it was the right time.”

When I looked down at the screen, I saw a little baby girl wrapped in a pink blanket and wearing a Carolina Cougars bonnet bearing Evan’s number. “She’s beautiful,” I murmured, passing him back the phone. “She takes after her mother.”

Evan chortled. “That’s for damn sure. Her name’s Emma Grace.” He smiled down at the picture of his daughter, and I couldn’t help but feel envious. He had it all, the perfect soon-to-be-wife and the baby.

“So when’s the big day again?” I asked. He had told me months before, but I’d been too overcome with grief to pay attention. All I knew was that Summer had wanted to wait until after the baby was born.