Page 14 of Never Say Never
“Aiden is coming over for our celebration dinner,” I say as Landon steps out of our hug. Aiden is our agent and came to town to facilitate my deal.
“Okay, good. Grace and Johnson should be here soon.”
“All right, dinner for five. Let me go whip something up.”
I’d texted Landon that I would make the food and even ordered a grocery delivery.
Secret time: I fucking love to cook. I’ve even been thinking that after the NFL, I might study to be a chef.
“Oh man, we can order or something, really,” Landon says dismissively. “You don’t need to make your own congratulations dinner.”
“No way, don’t steal my joy, bro,” I object. “It’s my favorite thing to do.”
This conversation is typical for us. Landon doesn’t quite understand how I tick, and he often tries to “fix” things without really listening.
“Okay, okay,” he relents. “I’m going to call Rori real quick because it’s late over there.” His girlfriend Rori Reilly, a top tennis player, is currently in Europe for the clay court season.
“Say hi for me.” Rori is a fuck ton more fun than my big brother, but I keep that thought to myself.
I walk to the kitchen, already knowing what I plan to make. All the details are improvised though, because I’m not a by-the-recipe type guy. Food is a form of art to me, and I prefer to stay in creative mode as I go.
“Okay, grilled chicken with a balsamic glaze, brown rice, and sautéed veggies,” I say quietly to myself. “Let’s make this happen.”
Ten minutes later, the kitchen is a mess, but multiple pans are sizzling, kicking off delicious smells that tell me things are going as I intended.
Landon’s beagle, Grover, has joined me and is sitting on his hind legs watching. No doubt hoping for some droppings.
“I nailed it, Grover, I know it.”
“I bet you did. Smells great.” It’s not Grover speaking, but Johnson. He appears around the hallway from the living room.
“Hey J,” I say, smiling. He’s a cool dude and treats my sister right, so we get along fine.
“Hey,teammate,” he says, throwing out his hand for me to slap back. “You best be ready. We’re going straight to the Super Bowl this year. You were the last piece of the puzzle.”
“No pressure,” I say with a chuckle as I connect our hands.
“First let’s focus on dinner, right, Rawls?” says Grace. My sister steps into view and tells Johnson, “Don’t get ahead of things, honey.”
He kisses the top of her head as she stands next to him. “Fair enough, I’m just excited. Bailey”—the Waves’ top wide receiver—“is beside himself that we got you.”
“Maybe for once all the crap I went through this year paid off, since it let me fall to a place where you guys could draft me.”
Grace’s face crinkles at that. Shit, I don’t want to make her feel bad for me.
“Anyway, hope you guys are hungry. I need about thirty minutes for it all to be ready.”
“Let me claim a hug first.” Grace comes forward and wraps her arms around me tight. “So proud of you, Rawley. You made it. The NFL.”
I reciprocate happily. Grace is one of the only people in my life who accepts me unconditionally, so it’s easy to relax into the embrace.
After the hug breaks up, Johnson and Grace take spots on the stools at the kitchen island while I monitor dinner.
“So what’s next?” Grace asks.
“Aiden will know more when he gets there, but the first big thing is a press conference tomorrow.”
“Did I hear my name?” Aiden walks into the kitchen, with Landon behind him.
