Page 7 of Finally Home
We spend a good half hour still stuck in traffic and he finally gets the meds and some water down just as we pull into the airport. “See?” he rasps. “Only a big sister would take care of me as I puke in the back of a car. I can’t wait to meet our dad.”
I roll my eyes but take a few pills out of each bottle and put them in a baggie for him. “You’re an idiot, but I can’t wait for you to meet my dad either. Keep these on-hand, and when you fly be sure to bring the bottles I restocked in your bathroom last month, okay? If you need more, call me or the team doc.”
His eyes are shiny and bloodshot when he wraps me up in a hug. Kissing the top of my head he says, “Blood or not, you’re my sister in every way that counts, Wren. We love you, and we’re here for anything you need.”
Wes pops up in front of me like a demented jack in the box before I can respond. “Good lord, Wesley Black. You just took five years off my life,” I say, with a hand over my racing heart. He smirks.
“I do love when you get all southern on us, Baby Reid. Your accent gets way more intense when you’re angry or excited, and it’s so fun.” I roll my eyes at the thirtieth time hearing that name today. I’ll never tell them, but I secretly love the nickname. I always wanted a sibling, and now it feels like I have three.
I’m tall and blonde with blue eyes the same color as my friend, and when I first moved here, everyone was stunned how much Jamie and I looked alike. Honestly, it is kind of weird that I was raised by a single dad and never met my mom, while he was raised by a single mom until she died, and he went into foster care.
Jeremy parks on the airstrip in front of the jet and puts his hand behind Asher’s seat, turning around to look at us. “Alright, boys. Let’s get our favorite girl off to warmer weather. We can visit in two weeks before the season starts back up, so no whining.” I snort a laugh as we all climb out.
Wes grabs my suitcases while Ash snags my carry on, and they take off to load them onto the plane. Both ignore my protests as Wes races off, giggling like a little boy sneaking cookies before supper.
“Your dad’s gonna pick you up at the airport when you land?” Jer asks in a gruff voice. I try to catch his eye, but he pointedly keeps his gaze away, and Jamie fights a smile next to me. We don’t see the big guy get emotional very often, but when he does, it’s always silent and as hidden as possible.
I don’t really want to answer Jeremy’s question because I know he won’t like the answer. With Dad out of town and my plane not landing until late, I don’t want to call anybody to come get me. I’d like to hold off the questions as long as I can, which means taking an Uber for the half-hour drive to Dad’s house in Charleston.
“Daddy’s out of town,” I say quietly. “I’m just gonna catch an Uber from the airport.”
Asher and Jeremy let out gruff sounds of displeasure.
“Not a chance in hell, Baby Reid.” Wes’s voice surprises me as he and Jamie speak at the same time before they point at each other and shout “JINX!”
Wesley rolls his eyes as he pulls me into a hug. “Be safe and call me when you land,” he whispers in a choked voice. “I don’t give a fuck how late it is. I can’t go a month without talking to you so just…call me when you have time, okay? Or if you’re sad or bored or need anything. You call me. And don’t forget about us after you finally see your bestie again.”
“You know I’ll never forget you, Wesley Joseph Black,” I say with a smirk. “We made the best friend pinky promise, remember? The only other people to have that honor are Jamie, Asher, and Rhodes. Y’all are stuck with me until we’re old and gray.”
“Miss Reid?” I’m startled by my favorite flight attendant, Amy, when she appears behind me. With a grimace, she mouths “I’m sorry.”
I take one last glance at the guys before Jeremy gently pulls me to the side. “I ordered you a car service. They’ll take you wherever you want to go after you land. He’ll just need an address.” He hugs me hard before pushing me gently toward the plane.
Asher smiles softly. “We’ll see you in two weeks, Wren. Be safe and text when you can.”
Nodding, I turn to follow Amy as tears burn the backs of my eyes. I can’t even appreciate how stunning the interior of this plane is because there are so many thoughts running through my mind. It’s like I have the weight of the world on my shoulders, and this is one of those times I wish I had a mom.
As soon as the cabin door shuts, I cry. The sad thing is, I’m more upset that I have to leave my friends than I am about Derrick cheating. I’m not sure when things got so messed up between us, but I now can admit that he wasn’t good to me after we got married. When we first met, he was this larger-than-life, charming guy who showered me in affection.
He didn’t even remember our anniversary last year.
There were a couple of good periods during our four-year relationship, like the first few months after we got together. And the days after he got drunk and made a fool out of himself at whatever bar or club I had to drag him out of between game days, he was sweeter than cherry pie. Those mornings, I woke up to coffee, flowers, and a new charm for my bracelet (the one I left back at the apartment).
One particular time sticks out in my mind, and I wonder how long he’s been messing around on me.
One year earlier
“Night, babe,” Derrick says as he slips into bed behind me. I groan, not happy to be woken up when I have a big meeting first thing in the morning. Cracking my eyes open, I see it’s still pitch-black outside. When I check my clock, I find it’s only two-thirty in the morning.
“Derrick, why the hell are you getting home so late when you have a game tomorrow?” As I roll over to face him, I see his bare back in the mirrored closet door and notice what look like scratch marks on his tan skin. “Are you okay? What happened to your back?”
I swear he had been nearly asleep, but at my words his eyes fly open and he scrambles into the bathroom, which floods our bedroom with bright light.
He strolls back out, rolling his eyes. “Those? I had a muscle scraping treatment done at the training facility yesterday. It always leaves those marks.”
I raise an eyebrow at him. “Oh yeah? Because I was at the facility filming content all day and didn’t see you. When did you have time to get muscle scraping done?” I put air quotes around the words because I know he’s not being honest, but I can’t figure out why.
“Will you mind your own goddamn business, Wren?” he shouts angrily. “What I do for my career is none of your fucking concern, and I’m real tired of you tryin’ to manage me all the time.”