Page 41 of A Whole New Play

I turn my head and scowl out the passenger side window as more memories hit me.

I’d suspected the meeting wasn’t going to be a cakewalk, especially not when a couple of my teammates sent me the link to an article discussing my ongoing custody disagreement with Laura only hours before. I just didn’t know how shitty it would feel to sit in front of Coach Owens and have to defend myself against the article’s fabricated allegations.

I can’t believe Laura went to the press.

In addition to my dad, both Davis and Gary showed up after I called to tell them about the spontaneous meeting. They had my back when Coach Owens and a representative from the Rough Riders public relations team sat me down to discuss the repercussions the news could have on me and, by extension, the team.

My lawyer assured them none of the statements made in the article were true and that by discussing our private business with the press, Laura was not acting in good faith and the judge overseeing the custody case would surely reprimand her for it.

Coach Owens and the PR rep didn’t care about any of that.

Their sole concern was how the press was going to affect the team’s reputation and if my personal troubles would affect my performance on the field.

My agent informed them it wouldn’t, but Coach Owens hadn’t minced words. To my face, he pointed out that I’d only recently started playing at the level expected of me. If I wanted to keep my roster spot, I needed to make sure I didn’t start slipping.

“I should’ve asked Carlee to be there,” I mumble more to myself than Dad.

My sister is a social media coordinator at the Texas Lonestars, the local MLB team where Corey plays. Part of their reconciliation story includes Carlee assisting Corey as he and his PR team attempted to repair his public image after his previous team made false claims about him before trading him to the Texas team.

I should’ve enlisted her help before walking into that meeting. Gary did a great job having my back, but Carlee would’ve been able to speak the PR rep using their language. She would’ve known about public opinion and how different demographics would react to the news, and she would’ve been able to propose ideas on how to minimize the damage right then.

As it was, I felt like a kid sitting in the principal’s office, uncertain about what my punishment would be for something that wasn’t even my fault. And I was pissed off that I was in the situation in the first fucking place.

“You don’t need Carlee,” Dad says, interrupting my anger before it can spiral even deeper into rage. “The story will fall off everyone’s radar in the next news cycle. Trust me.”

That’s true only as long as Laura doesn’t keep it alive by speaking to even more media outlets. She’s trying to discredit me to her advantage, but Davis reassured me her actions won’t reflect well on her in court.

I pray that’s true.

It would be the sweetest karma for this to backfire on her. The ordeal has only strengthened my resolve to do everything in my power to make sure she never gets full custody of the kids again.

I’ve seen how much Abby and Andy have flourished these past few months. My son feels free to be his boisterous self without fear of chastisement, and Abby has finally stopped pretending to care about things like dresses and makeup. There’s nothing wrong with those things, but it always seemed like Abby was feigning interest in them because that’s what Laura cared about. Abby grasped onto anything that meant Laura gave her more than five minutes of her attention.

Now that she’s living with me, Abby’s genuine interests have revealed themselves. She’s big into reading, and she’s shown a recent fascination with dinosaurs, plants, and animals.

It may be unfair to say, but I think Laura suppresses our children’s true personalities through unintentional, or perhaps intentional, words and actions. Throw in the fact she prioritizes her own wants and desires, like traveling with her latest boyfriend’s band around the world, and I truly don’t believe she’s the right parent to raise the kids.

I’ll never keep the kids from their mom, but after her stunt today, I’m not interested in playing nice anymore.

Dad and I don’t speak for the rest of the drive. I appreciate the fact he doesn’t try to talk me out of my anger. Dad’s always known when to try and reassure me and when to leave me be.

By the time he pulls up in front of the house, I have my anger under control so I can hide it from the twins. As hard as it can be at times, I make a point to never badmouth their mother in front of them. I never wanted to be that parent.

Dad kills the engine, and the truck cab rocks as he shifts his weight to turn toward me. “Look at me, son.”

I blow out a breath and do what he says.

His expression is unwavering when he meets my gaze. “Things will work out, Carter. Trust me. Just make sure you continue to do what’s best for the kids. Nothing else matters.”

He’s right.

Again, I sigh. “Thanks, Dad.”

“Anytime. Want me to come in for a bit?”

“Nah, that’s okay. You’ve done enough. Go home and rest.” I lean over and give him a quick hug. “Thanks again for coming with me today.”

“Of course, Carter. I love you.”

---