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Spencer and I land a little before eight, and Lincoln and Grayson are already at the airport waiting for us. The team sent a car service to greet us, and we’re taken straight to the team’s practice facility.
The second I walk in, I’m distracted by the twin boys who share so many of my own characteristics.
Blue eyes. Dark hair. Height. Athleticism. There’s some unspoken characteristic about both of them that immediately tells me we’re related to them. They look quite similar, but I can still tell one is more of a combination between Lincoln and Spencer, and the other is a mix of Grayson and me. These two are very well known around the league. Tanner is an incredible quarterback, and I know he’s the taller one. The other one has ridiculous leg muscles, and that’s Miller, the running back.
The coach is there, too, and Lincoln looks at me to take the floor. We haven’t really discussedhowwe’re going to broach this topic, but now we’re here, and this is where the negative impacts of being spontaneous start to step in.
I think about nodding to him—about letting him take the lead here. But Lincoln is a coach, and there’s a careful line he can’t cross when it comes to coaches talking to players from other teams outside of the appropriate times.
This was my idea, and it’s me who initiated all of this. The responsibility to drop the truth falls squarely on me.
I think about Desiree, and somehow the image of her face in my mind calms and centers me.
“Hi.” I draw in a deep breath. “I’m Asher,” I begin a little awkwardly. They know I’m Asher, and I don’t know how to just blurt out that we know who their father is. “And you may already know Lincoln, Grayson, and Spencer.” I point to each of my brothers.
What the fuck do I say here?
“We, uh…” I glance at Grayson, and he nods encouragingly. “Would you like to maybe go to dinner with us so we can talk?”
“Talk about what?” Tanner asks. He’s definitely atake-control-of-the-situationkind of guy, a trait that translates well to his role on the field.
“It’s kind of…well, we found out some news earlier today, and we wanted to share it with you, but I’m not quite sure how to say it,” I admit.
Tanner glances at Miller before he looks back at me. “Just say it. You came all this way, and this is intense.”
I have no idea what they know and what they don’t know, and he told me to just say it, so I do. “I found out earlier today who your biological father is.”
The twins look at each other and have some sort of secret conversation with their eyes before they both turn back silently toward me.
“Youwhat?” Tanner asks.
I clear my throat. “It’s Eddie Nash. You’re our half-brothers.”
Their eyes widen as they both stand a bit dumbfounded at the news. Miller backs up and sits on a chair, and Tanner takes a step toward us. “I’m sorry. What did you just say?”
“We’re your brothers,” I say softly, as if a softer voice will soften the shock.
It doesn’t.
Neither of them says a word, and Lincoln nods to me as if to tell me to keep talking.
“I know this is a shock, and I’m sure you have a lot of questions,” I continue. “So do I, to be honest. We’ve gone our whole lives not knowing about you, and all four of us agreed we don’t want to let another moment pass with the six of us in the dark. Our brotherhood is everything to us, and you are a part of that. But we also understand and respect however you want to handle this news going forward.”
The four of us wait with bated breath for a reaction, and finally Tanner glances back at Miller.
“I think we need a minute to let this sink in,” Tanner says.
“Can I talk to the two of you in my office?” their coach finally says, piping into the conversation.
They glance at each other before they follow him into his office, and they shut the door in privacy.
I look to Lincoln to take the lead, but even he seems to be at a loss for words.
“I see the resemblance,” Spencer finally says.
“Between each other?” Grayson asks. “They’re twins, dipshit.”
Spencer rolls his eyes and huffs out a breath. “To us, you idiot.”
