Chapter Two

The Next Morning

Kaiden straightened his tie as he paused outside the conference door. The opaque glass prevented him from seeing who was already there, and it made him a little nervous. He had to ace this interview, otherwise he was out of the NFL, and he had no fucking clue what he’d do with the rest of his life. He glanced at his agent, Bobby, who gave him an encouraging nod. Taking a deep, steadying breath, he entered and saw a plethora of people waiting. It was a carbon copy of the last meeting he sat in, where he was basically fired. Except this time, he was stone-cold sober and didn’t stink. His nerves just about hit the roof and he wished he was able to take a drink to steady them. Then he realized what he was thinking and gave himself a mental slap.

No more drinking.

No hiding in the bottom of a bottle.

No more sleeping with the fucking daughter of the team owner.

On one side of the long table sat the two owners of new team, the general manager and the head coach, Joe Sigworth. A few lawyers sat like bookends on each side of the assembly, as well as another man he didn’t know. It scared him that all of them held his future in their hands.

“Have a seat, Kaiden,” Coach Sigworth said, gesturing to the numerous chairs in front of the firing line.

As he sat, he looked at each person. “Thank you for agreeing to see me.”

“Well, we know how good a player you are,” Coach Sigworth replied, apparently speaking for the lot of them. “When you’re in the zone you’re unstoppable. However, due to your recent problems, we’ve all agreed this is not an automatic acquirement.”

Confusion filled him. “What does that mean?”

“You’ll be given a tryout,” the general manager interjected.

“A tryout.” Kaiden didn’t know how to feel about that. Elated because he knew he could ace anything they threw at him, but also sad that he let himself fall so far. “Okay. What do you want me to do?”

“Even though training camp isn’t for another couple of weeks, I want to see you on the field,” Coach Sigworth said. “We’ve put together a mini-camp filled with a lot of undrafted free agents and a few rookies. We’re going to whittle that down to the required ninety for the grind. Now, the only person that’s a definite on the roster is the quarterback, Crew Kiles. You’ll be one of the tight ends working with him to see who meshes.”

“I’m a friend of your father,” one of the owners said. Kaiden tensed. “It’s because of him that I agreed to this. But there are conditions. You reflect on all of us. Not only do you have to become the best tight end out there, you also have to polish your reputation.”

Kaiden knew this was coming, and his knee bounced as he nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“No drinking, no drugs, no arrests,” the other owner added. “You made an ass out of yourself in the media and we will not stand for that here. We’ve fought tooth and nail getting this team off the ground after Kroenke uprooted the Rams back to California, and I won’t let any player trash this organization.”

“I understand, sir.”

“I take it you want the clean-cut, wholesome, all-American boy,” said the man he didn’t know.

The other owner snapped his finger and pointed. “That’s exactly who we want, Pace.”

In other words, not him. Kaiden made a point of looking each man in the eye. “I understand your hesitancy. I’ve been doing a lot of self-sabotage and I’ve let it go on for far too long. I have no excuse, at least none that doesn’t sound idiotic, so I thank you for at least giving me a chance to keep playing the sport I love.”

“That’s good to know.” Coach Sigworth leaned forward to rest on his forearms. “I believe in second chances, and I believe you’re going to get along well with Crew.”

“I don’t think I know him,” Kaiden said, trying to sift through his memories to put a face to the name.

“He wasn’t selected in the draft,” Coach said. “Let me be honest here. When I’m looking for talent, I usually get a gut feeling when I’ve found the right person. I knew Crew would be the right quarterback for this new team, and right now I’m getting that feeling with you.”

The words sent a pulse of excitement in Kaiden’s soul. Maybe he still had a shot to play ball.

“We all know of your prowess on the field,” the second owner added. “I’ve been a fan. Not sure what’s happened in the past year, but whatever it is, you need to get past it. I, too, believe in second chances.”

His agent opened a binder, ready to explain the plan he and Kaiden had come up with to fix the image his behavior almost destroyed.

“Instead of hiding, we’ve come up with several ideas to get public opinion turned around,” Bobby said, flipping open a binder filled with papers. “Charity work. Perhaps serving in a soup kitchen or visiting sick children in the hospita l— ”

“Which I would’ve done regardless,” Kaiden interjected.

“Yes, well.” Bobby cleared his throat and continued to read from a complied list. “Posting positive online content and responding to haters in a humble way.”

Kaiden nodded at him encouragingly.

“People appreciate honesty,” Pace interjected. “You need to acknowledge your fall from grace and apologize to your fans and supporters. Embrace St. Louis as your new home. Get the local population on your side.”

“This is a very sports-oriented city,” the general manger added. “The Cardinals. The Blues. St. Louis City soccer. People want football, and they want a great franchise paring. Like Ryan and Gonzales. Manning and Clark. Mahomes and Kelce. You get the picture. I agree with Coach Sigworth, I think you could have something great with Crew if you both mesh, which is why we want you working with him to see if this hunch pays off.”

“Of course,” Kaiden said quickly. “I want to prove myself.”

One of the owners slapped the table. “Good. Pace will work with you on fixing your image, so follow his directions. Kiss babies and play with dogs. Feed the damn homeless. I look forward to seeing you and Crew on the field.”

Unexpectedly, he thought of Romilly and her little dog. The beautiful brunette held a wide-eyed innocence that had caught him by surprise. Something popped into his mind, something he hadn’t thought of before.

“What if I got a steady girlfriend?”

“A jersey chaser isn’t going to help,” Coach Sigworth said, shaking his head.

“That’s not what I had in mind,” Kaiden replied. “I meant a down-home kind of woman. The girl-next-door type to go along with the all-American boy. Someone from St. Louis, to help me fit into my new home. I could take her on dates, have her come to the games. Help me feed the hungry and kiss the babies.”

Like one big wave, everyone turned toward Pace, waiting to hear his opinion.

“I think that’s a great idea,” Pace said. “Let them think you might have come to St. Louis for her. People love romance. Luckily, your offenses aren’t so horrendous that there’s not a way to bounce back. I suspect it won’t be long until this past year is forgotten.”

“Excellent,” the general manager replied, rapping his knuckles on the table. “We have a plan, and you, Kaiden, have work to do.”

“Understood, sir,” Kaiden said.

Everyone stood, and he followed suit. Coach Sigworth walked around the wide table and held out his hand. Kaiden shook it firmly.

“Take the weekend to settle in and report at theLou Fusz Athletic Training Center Monday morning at eight,” he ordered.

“All right,” Kaiden said. “Thank you. I won’t let you down.”

“Better not,” he said then they all piled out of the conference room, leaving him behind with his Bobby and Pace.

“Do you happen to have someone in mind for your girlfriend?” Pace asked. “Or do I have to find one for you?”

“No, I have someone in mind. She’s very sweet.”

“All of us must work together. You do what you do best, Bobby. I’ll take point on Kaiden’s image makeover, and Kaiden, think about a charity that speaks to you. I don’t want you to visit sick children in the hospital if that’s not you. Come up with something unique that fits your personality.”

“I’ll have to think about that.”

Pace handed over a business card. “Text me at that number so I’ll have yours. I’ll be touching base a lot.”

Kaiden nodded. Pace turned and left the room, leaving him and Bobby.

“Don’t blow this,” Bobby warned.

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

Bobby let out a huff of breath. “What do you want me to add to the contract if they decide to buy it?”

“Nothing,” he said. “If they offer to buy my contract out, even if they want to decrease my salary, then take the deal. I don’t care. I just want to play football.”

“Bu t— ”

“But nothing,” Kaiden stressed. “This means too much for me to get it fucked in negotiations. They want humble pie, and I can eat the whole fucking dish.”

Bobby nodded his head. “Okay. I’ll text you if anything happens.”

“Thanks,” Kaiden said. They shook hands and that left him all by himself, still a little shaken that he could lose everything. First things first, and his first goal was to secure his soon-to-be-girlfriend.