The Player | SPORTS ROMANCE | 18+

Chapter 18

TITUS REYES

Mum and dad were expecting me home for dinner hours ago, but I couldn't go back there. Not when I was still reeling from finding out that I was a dad. Not when I was so worked up for that, and for the extra-long run that I had taken after baseball practice.

The run did little to take my mind off things. It only proved to fuel my anger toward Sal, and I ended up sending Simon several voice notes asking if he had any updates even though it had only been a few hours since we last spoke.

With my house still not completed, and unable to go back to my parent's place because while they meant well, they just wouldn't get it, I found myself outside my brother's house. It was past my niece's bedroom, so I knew to be quiet, but my brother seemed to forget that as he greeted me with wide, worried eyes.

"What happened to you? You look terrible!" Tiberius screeched loudly as he took in the red, blotchy sight of me from running for so long. First before practice, and then long afterward, having gotten lost in my thoughts.

"What's going on? Mia's asleep." Sienna came to the door to see what was going on. Her eyes widened and she stilled to stare at me.

"Do I really look that bad?" I grumbled under my breath, but one look in the mirror told me that I had never looked worser before. "Fuck. I look like shit."

"You look worse than Mia's shit, and Sienna has her on this all organic diet." My brother snorted, but his wife was quick to reel him back with a playful slap to his chest.

"I don't care what's going on, or why you're here, but you need a shower, T." Sienna demanded with her hands planted on her hips, all business. "Tib can give you some of his clothes to borrow. I'm assuming you haven't eaten yet so you're going to have dinner with us and tell us everything."

I sighed and nodded weakly, too drained to put up a fight.

Sienna really knew what she was doing because one shower and meal later, I felt great. It was almost like how things were a few hours ago. Before I found out I was a dad to a potential kindergartner or first grader.

Fuck! I didn't even know how old he was!

Sal and I slept together nearly six years ago. So, that put him at five years of age.

"Are five year olds in kindergarten or first grade?" I blurted out.

My brother and sister-in-law stilled at my question. As they were doing the dishes – Tiberius washing and Sienna drying – their backs stilled at the odd question.

"Kindergarten." Sienna answered, sparing me a strange look over her shoulder. "Why?"

"No reason."

Tiberius and Sienna shared a look, neither of them convinced with my answer but thankfully, they let it be for now. Or my brother at least waited for his wife to head to bed and once I had a few beers in me before he approached the subject again.

"Something is clearly bothering you, T." Tiberius said, handing me another beer before dropping himself on the sofa next to me. We were watching some highlights from last season's football games, and I couldn't help but think how much I missed it.

"Nothing is wrong." I grumbled and took a large swing of my beer.

"If nothing was wrong, you wouldn't be here at eleven at night, and you wouldn't have shown up looking like shit." He snorted.

"I didn't realise that I was unwelcome here. Let me get out of your hair."

"That's not what I meant, T, and you know it." Tiberius sighed and reached for my arm, pulling me down when I attempted to get up and leave. "Something is clearly wrong. Don't you want to talk about it?"