I shake off the impending thoughts of grief and confusion. The last thing I want to do is turn into a blubbering mess thinking about my sister. And truthfully, I know that’s the very last thing she’d want for me, too.
“Hey, Maria.” Remy’s voice startles me out of my thoughts. I turn around to find him fully dressed and with his phone, wallet, and keys in his hand.
“Are you heading out?” I try to keep the question light, but I’m afraid the effort to do so makes me sound more like Screech from Saved By the Bell than easy-breezy. Why on earth am I feeling disappointed? Remy has a life of his own to live, and he’s been here all of yesterday and last night.
“I promised Lexi I’d take her to the Mavericks game today.”
“Oh, okay.” I force a smile to my lips. “That sounds like fun. I hope you have a good time.”
He steps into the kitchen and takes it upon himself to pull me into a hug. “Promise me, if you need me, you’ll call me.”
I lean back and look into his eyes. “I’m sure we’ll be fine.”
“Maria, I’m serious,” he says, still hugging me with his arms wrapped around my waist. “I don’t mind helping you and Izzy. It’s not a job, okay? I want to be there for you.”
When I don’t say anything, he reaches up to tap one gentle index finger against my nose. “I’m not leaving until you promise.”
“O-kay.” I roll my eyes. “I promise.”
“And what do you promise exactly?”
“Seriously, Rem?” I scoff, but he’s persistent, refusing to let me go until I acquiesce. “Fine,” I say through a sigh. “I promise I’ll call you if I need you.”
“Fantastic.” He places one soft kiss to my cheek and releases me.
I’m generally not the type of girl who goes back on her word, but I don’t know if that’s a promise I can keep. Remy shouldn’t have his life uprooted with emergency calls from me because my life is chaos.
No one deserves that. Especially not him.
And selfishly? I’m not so sure I’ll be able to stop myself from getting used to having him around.
Remy
Lexi and I show our VIP passes to the security guard at the secret back door entrance to the Mavericks’ stadium, and he nods and gestures us through with a nonchalant wave of his hand.
My niece’s petite hand latches on to mine as she all but drags me down the long hallway.
“In a rush, Lex?” I question on a chuckle, and she blazes me with a roll of her eyes over her shoulder.
“I want to see the team before they take the field.”
“Huh?” I furrow my brow. “How are you going to do that? Aren’t they getting ready for the game?”
“They’re in the locker room, Uncle Remy, not the president’s bunker. We can get in.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. The locker room? We can’t go into the locker room.”
She rolls her eyes again. “Yes, we can.”
Taking an almost eleven-year-old girl into an NFL locker room pregame? I don’t think that’s a great idea. I imagine they’re both rowdy and lightly dressed. I don’t need to take my impressionable niece on a swim through a swinging-dick river. Christ, I’d never hear the end of that.
“Lex, honey, they’re probably getting ready. I’m not sure your parents would want—”
“I’m allowed. I do it all the time,” she interrupts, dragging me through staccato steps to the doors in question.
I glance at the solid black doors, a white sign emblazoned with Authorized Personnel Only in the center and the sound of absolute mayhem on the other side. “Wes lets you come into the locker room—this locker room—before—”
“Yes,” she cuts me off again, pushing through the doors like she owns the fucking joint.
Hurriedly, I reach out to stop her momentum with my hands on both of her shoulders, and then I slide one hand over her eyes so I can scan the room for the kinds of things a young girl shouldn’t see.
There are a few bare chests, but pants appear to be on. Thank fuck.
“I can’t see anything,” Lexi states the obvious and shoves my hand away.
Teeny Martinez, one of the Mavericks’ best offensive linemen, is the first to notice her presence.
“Lexi Lou!” he shouts as his big body barrels across the room to pick up my niece and put her on his shoulders. “Boys, we can all relax now! Our good luck charm is here!”
I guess Lex wasn’t bullshitting me? She really comes in here before the games?