19. Luke

NINETEEN

LUKE

Three Days Later

"Anpa!" I hear Robbie's squeal through the open patio door when I dump my duffel in the laundry room, and a smile inevitably takes over my face.

I'm exhausted from the rookie minicamp, and we still have one more day to go tomorrow before I can get back to the sweet life of the off season, but coming home to the cute as hell screams of my little brother makes it all disappear.

I waste no time going outside to see Gordon kicking a ball gently to Robbie and I don't miss how misty Gordon's eyes are. That may have been the first time Robbie's called him that, though I've been trying to teach him the word since I met him.

"UKE!" The excited shriek comes as soon as Robbie sees me, and yeah, I don't have a leg to stand on cause my eyes are just as misty as Gordon's if not more .

"Hey, Robbie." I jog to him and kneel to get a hug. "Is Grandpa showing you how to play soccer?"

"Ball," he says with the most serious nod.

"That's right, and in a few months we're gonna start teaching you how to throw like a pro, my man."

I hear Gordon chuckle behind me as he comes closer. "I'm gonna laugh at you when he wants to play Lacrosse in fifteen years." As soon as he says it, his face loses all traces of joy. "Well, you can bet I'm gonna be sending that thought from wherever I am."

I want to protest. Demand that he rethinks his decision to stay off the transplant list. But his expression is closed off before he shifts his eyes to Robbie and plasters on a smile again.

This isn't the time. I'll figure out when and I'll find the perfect words to ask Gordon to fight for his life.

I stay kneeling while Gordon kicks the ball to the other side of the garden now, and think dear God help me , when Robbie takes off after it at full speed. Has he gotten faster in the last few weeks or is it my imagination?

There's also more confidence in the way he walks, and even in his face when he reaches the ball and turns to try and kick it back to Gordon and me.

It's been less than a month, and already I've seen changes in him. All positive, all signs that he's growing and developing the way the books have told me he should, but still... so much change.

I don't know how the hell I'll cope in ten years when I look back to this time and realize he's a whole other person then.

Enough with the nostalgic shit , I tell myself, as I stand and pat Gordon on the back. "Let's show him some tricks," I tell him, and his smile is back and bright as ever .

"As ever," being always with a sadness in it.

More than an hour later we walk back inside, and I take Robbie upstairs to change his diaper and clothes since he got his outfit dirty as all hell in the backyard.

Gordon's just finishing heating up the leftovers my chef left for us at the start of the week and we dig right in.

"So, I took Robbie out for a walk this morning, and we bumped into Sylvia and Rory on the way back."

"Oh yeah?" I ask, half paying attention, since I'm cutting up Robbie's food for him.

"Yeah, we talked about giving you guys from Friday night to Sunday morning, kid free, so you could have a proper date."

That gets my attention because... Well, this is embarrassing.

Am I supposed to tell Gordon that Bennett and I don't have sex?

No, that's ridiculous. There's no way I'm ever having that conversation. There's no reason to, right?

Also, the man is talking about giving me twenty-four uninterrupted hours of Bennett time. I'm not gonna turn that down. Even though having the kids with us would only make it better, I think, I want Gordon to have as much time with Robbie as he possibly can.

He must misinterpret my silence because he starts talking fast at my silence.

"I wouldn't be alone with Robbie the whole day. They invited me to stay over with them and make a day of it in the pool and all that."

"Oh, if you stayed alone with Robbie, it would be fine as well." I wave a hand in the air to show him I don't mind that at all. I trust the man. He raised a daughter all by himself too. "I just got lost in my head with ideas of where I can take Bennett, and what we can do in our twenty-four hours." I smile teasingly at him. "Thanks, though, I really appreciate you setting it up."

"You got it," he says, trying to play it off after he clears his throat.

"I told you about the dinner this Friday with my friends and their partners, right?"

"Yeah, I was thinking of goin'—"

"You're invited." I interrupt him before he can say something insane. "Gordon, this is your house, too. I'm not gonna have a dinner party and not have you be a part of it. I want you to get to know them as much as I want Bennett to. You can leave and have your own sleepover with your new friends after we eat if you want, but please have dinner with us?" I'm practically begging by the end.

"Relax, son. I'll be here if that's what you want."

"Thanks." I breathe a sigh of relief.

"How was rookie camp today?" Gordon asks, to change the subject but also because the man loves football. He's been asking every day.

"It was okay," I say with a shrug, and start eating too now that Robbie's discovered his plate. "I'm going to have to get used to not being able to spend all day with Robbie, I know, but I can't say I'm not happy that I have a couple more months of more or less free time to spend with him."

"You know we're gonna go to every game we can and cheer you on, Luke. And I'll make sure he knows his big brother is always thinking of him."

My whole body fills with gratitude. "I can't believe how lucky I am that you decided to come live with us. I really appreciate it, Gordon."

"I know you do, but it's not like it's a hardship. I get to live in this spectacular house, spend every day I have left with my grandson, and get free tickets to watch football all season." He throws his arms up. "What more could a man want?"

I laugh with him and tell him every detail about the rookie camp I can remember. If only to make his day a bit better.

I'm happy with all the additions that have been made so far this off season to the Rogues. Not only the players who were drafted a couple of weeks ago, but the staff as well. Thank God my QB coach hasn't left us. Owens has been a huge part of my game since I first got here, but we have a new Special Teams coach who I think is going to be great, so our third team is reliable and consistent.

After dinner, I clean the kitchen and Gordon asks if he can put Robbie to bed, and of course I agree.

While rinsing the dishes and cleaning up the table and counters, I think about what Bennett and I can do on Saturday. There's always something to do in Vegas of course, that's kind of the point of the city, but I still don't want there to be photos of me and Bennett all over social media.

It's not because he's a man, or well, I have to admit to myself, not only because of that. Our relationship feels way too important to have other people weigh in on it. There's also the fact that I haven't talked to my agent since I assured her Gab was not firing me or benching me back in January. Lindsey's amazing at letting me do my thing, and only steps in when work things come up, but I'm pretty sure I should give her a head's up if I'm going to make our relationship public.

I also need to talk it through with Bennett, and with Gab after. I want her to be looped in as well as my head coach, just for decency's sake, really.

But if I'm going to have more than twenty-four hours with Bennett, then I want to take advantage of that. I mean, we could stay here at my house and chill, but I want to do something more special than that.

The plan for this weekend right now—at least what he and I agreed on—is for Bennett and Lizzie to get here Friday, around four in the afternoon, and stay until Monday morning when Bennett will take her to daycare, and then he'll go work with Gab.

I don't know exactly what Bennett's parents and Gordon have planned, or even if they've told Bennett, but even if he does know, that doesn't mean I can't surprise him.

With that in mind, when the kitchen is spotless again, I hurry upstairs to find Gordon setting up Robbie's monitor.

"He out?" I whisper. Gordon only nods at me as he walks to the door.

"Let me just say goodnight."

I lean over Robbie's crib and stretch to kiss his forehead suuuuper delicately so I don't wake him up, then make myself turn away from the most adorable sight on the planet and leave his door ajar.

"I have an idea for where to take Bennett but I have to make some calls," I tell Gordon with a wince. We've been hanging out in the evenings after Robbie goes to sleep and I feel bad about ditching him.

"Go do your thing, I just got this new book that I can't wait to dive into, and I need to get a good night's sleep so I'm not useless after my dialysis tomorrow. I'll see you for breakfast in the morning."

"Awesome, good night." I hug him tight for a long moment, trying not to think about how little time he's actually got left, but not really able to help it.

A nurse is coming by tomorrow to help him with the brand- new dialysis machine we got yesterday. I hope it does help him to be more comfortable, and that he can have more normal days when he does need his treatment.

I have to push all that out of my mind though and go plan the best second date in the history of the world.

I find what I want in less than ten minutes. The Retreat on Charleston Peak is only about thirty minutes away from my home, and though it could be a tricky drive, I think we can get there Friday night after the dinner with my friends is over.

Without giving it too much more thought, I call the hotel and make sure they have all I want for our twenty-four hours.