Page 89 of Love At Close Range

“That’s better!” Coach praised.

Rhyse looked my way for half a second, and I gave him a nod before he got back in line. Titan was farther down the sideline talking to one of the coaches. He came through whenever his schedule allowed, and every time he did, the kids seemed to work a little harder. Rhyse was no different.

On his next rep, Rhyse got beat off the line but recovered before the play was over.

“Finish that shit, Boosie!” I yelled.

He kept going and managed to get himself back in position before Coach blew the whistle.

“That’s what I’m talking about!” I called.

A few minutes later, Coach ended practice and gathered everybody together. I stayed on the sideline while they finished up, and once they broke, Rhyse grabbed his helmet and bag before coming straight toward me.

“You saw me out there?” He asked.

“I saw, man,” I laughed at his excitement.

Rhyse nodded, still catching his breath as we started toward the parking lot. “Titan said my footwork looked better today too.”

“He’s right,” I agreed.

That put a smile on his face. “Coach said if I keep it up, I might get more plays Saturday.” He grinned.

“Then keep it up. Don’t worry about how many plays you get. When he put you out there, make whatever time you get count,” I told him.

“I will.” He nodded.

I reached over and gave the back of his helmet a light tap. “You did good today,” I praised.

“Thanks, Dad.” He smiled.

He spent most of the ride messing with his phone before telling me about something that happened at school earlier that day.

When we pulled into the driveway, Taryn’s car was parked behind Reiana’s. Rhyse left his cleats in the garage and carried his bag inside, calling for his mama before I had even closed the door behind us.

“In the kitchen,” Reiana called back.

Reiana was at the island with her laptop open while Taryn sat across from her going through a stack of printouts. They had been comparing furniture and office supplies for the new Cannon Hills location and judging by how much was spread across the island, they had been at it for a while.

Reiana looked up at Rhyse and immediately pointed toward the stairs. “Go shower, Boosie.”

“I just got here.” He frowned.

“I know… now go wash that funk off you,” she said again.

Rhyse looked ready to say something else until Reiana said his name. That ended it. He adjusted the bag on his shoulder and headed upstairs, still mumbling under his breath.

I walked around the island, and she rubbed my beard while I kissed her.

“You been working all day?” I asked.

“Most of it. I had a few things I wanted to finish, then Tay came over,” she stated.

“Bitch, don’t make it sound like I stopped you from working,” Tay said, trying to sound offended.

“You didn’t stop me, but you definitely didn’t help,” Reiana shot back.

I grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator and noticed dinner was already handled. Reiana had made smothered pork chops with mashed potatoes and green beans, and from the smell coming through the kitchen, Rhyse was probably going to come downstairs starving as soon as he finished his shower.