Page 51 of Line Change

Elias scoffs. “Chance for what exactly?”

“Seriously?” Wes asks, glancing around probably looking for someone to agree with him but none of us take the bait.

“So, are we going or not?” Hunter asks.

“Let’s go,” Holt says, getting to his feet and reaching for his daughter.

“Are we sure they won’t be mad we’re crashing their party?” I ask. “They may not want us there.”

Although if I’m being honest, I do miss Sutton and wouldn’t mind spending time with her.

“I miss my fiancée, and I’m sure she misses me. I’m going.” Wes stands up.

“What he said, except I miss my wife,” Hunter says.

“It’s settled.” Holt gestures for us to follow him.

I send Sutton a quick text, someone’s gotta warn them, and after a little discussion, we decide to walk since Holt lives down the street from Hunter, so once the stroller has been acquired for Hazel, we set off.

“How are you doing?” Brody asks, coming up to walk next to me, his hands tucked into the pockets of his jeans.

“Are you asking as my coach or as a friend?”

It’s always been a weird situation for me with him. I joined the team after he’d already retired, so I don’t have the same relationship with him that a lot of the other guys, who played with him for years, do. I never know how to act around him when we’re in friend mode, because I only know him as one of our assistant coaches.

Brody shakes his head. “A friend. Although I admit I can’t necessarily turn off the coach part.”

I bob my head. “I’m alright.”

He lowers his voice. “I probably shouldn’t be asking this.” The hairs on the back of my neck stand up. He pauses, putting his hand on my arm to stop me too. When the rest of the guys are a little farther ahead of us, he speaks. “Your contract is up at the end of the season, but you haven’t signed a new one. Any particular reason why?”

I shift back and forth. Leave it to him to know. To notice. I need to get everything settled. Tell my agent. Make an official announcement about my retirement. But I’m beginning to not want to go back home for good. Maybe I’ve always felt this way, and that’s why I haven’t made it official.

“Nope.”

“You can talk to me, you know?” He tips his head back, looking up at the moon. “I know you’ve got all of them, but I’ve been where you are.”

I crinkle my forehead. “Where’s that?”

“In love with a woman and pretending not to be.” He meets my eyes, grinning. “Wondering whether your career is going to continue or if this is the end of the road for you. If you should keep playing, and maybe that’s not the case for you, but it sure seems like something is going on.”

I blink a few times. How does he know? How does he do it?

“You guys coming?” Elias calls.

“We should go.” Brody shoves his hands back into his pockets and starts walking again.

“My family needs me back home,” I finally admit, falling in step with him.

He’s silent for a beat. “Your family here needs you too, and I don’t just mean them.” He gestures to the guys in front of us. “You should think about what you want and not what you think you need to do out of obligation.”

“How did you? How?” I stutter.

He chuckles, tapping a finger to his forehead. “Call it intuition.”

“Bloody hell,” I mumble.

“Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me,” he says as we turn up the driveway and catch up with the rest of the group. Hunter unlocks the front door, and we file inside.