Page 88 of Red Zone Realizations
I try and knock all that aside and focus on my form. I could have called Colin or Wyatt to come spot me, but I felt like being alone. I can’t lie to them, so I’m just not talking. I watch in the mirror as I pull the dumbbell up for a bicep curl. Sometimes it feels nice to go back to the basics.
I startle when my ringtone blasts through my headphones. Siri asks if I want to answer it, and I answer “Yes.”
“Arie?”
“Noah!” Arie exclaims. He’s a salesman at heart, so he’s always overly cheerful. He’s also great at putting lipstick on a pig. Which might be why I’m his client now that I think aboutit. He might be calling me to tell me there’s nothing he can do, but his tone doesn’t sound like he has bad news. A little bit of hope creeps into my voice. “Whatcha got, Arie?”
“Great news!” I hold my breath. “You’re staying a Hurricane!”
“How? Did they change their mind?”
“I told them you’d be willing to be tagged for the franchise. This is a traditional franchise tag, so you’ll get the average of the top five tight ends in the league. It gets you one more year with guaranteed money as a Hurricane. Chicago wasn’t coming in higher than fifteen million anyway.”
“I’ll do it.”
“Are you positive you don’t want to talk to some other teams? We could easily get you sixteen million if you stayed on the market. Chicago just isn’t going to have the cap space for that when they draft the first-round quarterback in April.”
“I’m sure. I don’t care about the money. I just want to stay a Hurricane.” The franchise tag leaves a bitter taste in some people’s mouths because it’s pro-owner. They get to keep their top talent at a lower rate than market price, and I generally agree with that. The exception is if the player wants to stay. Then it's a win-win.
“Then it’s decided. I’ll call over to the front office and let them know. This will be pretty straightforward; there isn’t any negotiation to do. The price is set by the NFL.”
“Thanks, Arie.”
“No problem, kid.”
We hang up and I go into full-on panic mode. So much needs to be done—undone.
I grab a wipe and start disinfecting my seat and weights. I grab my water and keys and jog out the door.
I have to get to Audrey before she turns her keys in. Ishould just call her and tell her to stop packing, but I want this to be a romantic gesture. I was there the other day helping her pack, but she insisted I not skip my workout for her today. Plans change, and ours just changed in a big way.
I’m going to ask her to move in with me.
Chapter Fifty
AUDREY
A hand lands on my shoulder and I about jump out of my skin. I swear the top of my head almost hits the ceiling of my kitchen. I rip my headphone out and spin around, ready to beat some ass. I meet green eyes that are full of excitement. “You scared the shit out of me!” He was supposed to be working out while I finish cleaning up my house for the new tenant.
Noah scoops me up, arms just under my butt cheeks so we’re face to face. “We’re staying.” My eyes go wide. “The Hurricanes are tagging me!”
“Wait, what? Oh my God!” I scream. “That’s amazing!” I wrap my wrists around his neck, careful with my dirty latex gloves, and pull his face to mine. Our kiss has an undercurrent of relief without me acknowledging that. I pull back. “How? Tell me everything. Tell me what tagging means.” Noah looks slowly around at how little I have left to clean, and it suddenly clicks. “Hold up. I have nowhere to live.” I look at him, lost.
This little house that I have so many memories in isn’t mineanymore. “I got here as soon as I could. Hopefully before you hand your keys over.”
“It doesn’t matter; I already signed the papers for the sublet.” I pause, considering. “Wait. When did you know you were staying?”
“Literally fifteen minutes ago. I got the call from Arie.”
“But when did you tell Arie you wanted to stay?”
His voice is quiet. “In Chicago…”
It’s longer than I would have liked him to go without telling me something as big as this, but it was after I already signed my house away anyway. Home is where your person is, and I was willing to follow mine to Chicago.
“It shouldn’t take me long to find an apartment…” I start, making plans in my head. Writing and rewriting my to-do list.
“Move in with me.”
