Page 65

Brooks and Smith immediately started shaking their heads.

“No, man.”

“Bad, bad idea.”

The rookie held up his hands. “I’m just saying. I think you should go. More people usually means more dogs adopted.”

I stared at the kid. “You’re single, right?”

“Yeah,” he sighed. “My girlfriend dumped me right before the draft because she said I wouldn’t do shit.”

Brooks whistled. “She know you got drafted?”

Williams nodded. “Tried to call me the next day.”

Smith narrowed his eyes. “What’d you do?”

“Told her I was too busy spending my signing bonus to talk to her.”

The guys burst out laughing, shoving the rookie as he grinned.

I smiled, shaking my head.

“I can’t just show up if she told me no,” I said once they’d calmed down. “I know her well enough. It would piss her off.”

“Shit, I’d go down there and look at dogs, but I don’t want to make it crazy either,” Brooks said.

My gaze snapped to his, brain stumbling over a thought.

That was it.

“What are you guys doing tomorrow?” I asked.

“Nothing, why?”

When you’ve gone your entire life believing that asking for help made you weak, it was so fucking hard to force the words out.

Despite my upbringing, I was so far from perfect, we weren’t even circling the same orbit. But neither was I weak, no matter what my father might have said to the contrary.

I was trying.

“You know anyone else on the team who wants a dog?”

We all turned to my QB coach. He held his hands up. “I already have three, and my wife would murder me if I brought home another one.”

Williams laughed.

Smith held up a hand. “I heard Justice say something about it a couple weeks ago. He might be looking.”

“Good.” I sucked in a deep breath and fought through the instinct to shut down, pretend like I was fine. “I need your help. Will you guys come with me tomorrow?”

Chapter Sixteen

Remi

Ness pounced on me the moment I left my office.

“I’m going to find a new best friend,” I told her.