Page 113 of Nothing Less Than Everything

Tatum was the first to speak up. “What are you guys doing? Shouldn’t you be in practice?”

Gideon Carmichael, Seth McBride, and Theo Jackson stood sentry outside the conference room, still in their dirty, sweaty practice clothes. Heidi stood beside her husband wearing a polo shirt that had the Red Cocks’ foundation logo stitched over the breast pocket. She pulled me into a hug while the boys fist bumped Tatum.

“Strength in numbers, dude,” Seth said. “We’re a team, right?” He cocked a mop of blond hair toward me. “She’s one of us.”

“Heard you stepped up yesterday, Rapunzel,” Tatum said.

Seth shrugged sheepishly. “Learned from the best.”

Theo gave my arm a gentle squeeze. “You alright?”

I shrugged. “I knew the consequences.” On a caustic laugh, I added. “This will probably be the last time my keycard works to get into the building.” The boys chuckled, but Tatum didn’t. He knew how much being a part of the Reds meant to me. To my family.

Heidi put her arm around me. “I guess you’ll have to give up your primo spot on the sidelines to watch games with me. On the bright side, there is a one-hundred-percent guarantee that you won’t be tackled sitting with me, Angie, and the rest of the WAGs.”

My brows furrowed. “Who’s Angie?”

Theo, the gentle giant, blushed. Actually blushed. “She’s my—”

“Ex-wife,” Tatum supplied at the exact moment Theo said, “Partner.”

Tatum raised his eyebrow. “Seriously?”

Theo nodded sheepishly. “Sat the kids down the other night. Told them their mom and I were seeing each other. We’re doing couples counseling. Probably something we should have done before getting divorced, but hey—never too late, right?”

Heidi squealed. “I’m so happy for you!”

The conference room door clicked open. Catherine Trumble, the director for the Ladies in Red and my soon-to-be former boss, stood, waiting. Just past her, sitting at a long table, was Abigail Elias—one of the daughters of the Elias family who oversaw the department that the cheerleaders fell under.

“Well, Wren,” she said with a southern drawl and pursed lips. “Thanks for coming in. We’re ready for you.”

“Ms. Trumble, if I may—” Gideon stepped out of the group.

Catherine raised her eyebrows. “Something I can do for you, Mr. Carmichael?”

“Myself, my wife, Mr. Jackson, and Mr. McBride are here to speak on Ms. Porter’s behalf.”

Her expression was tight. “This is a closed meeting, not an open forum.”

Gideon turned to stone. “With all due respect, myself and my teammates here are being fined fifteen thousand dollars apiece for walking out of practice.” His voice turned steely. “I think you can spare a few minutes to hear what we have to say.”

Holy shit.

The tension was palpable. Catherine liked being pushed around about as much as a bull did.

“Wren,” she said, finally breaking the silence. “If you’ll wait another minute.” Catherine stepped to the side and motioned to the open door with a flourish of her hand. “Gentlemen, Mrs. Carmichael—make it quick.”

The four of them piled into the conference room. With the click of the door closing, my mask of strength began to crack. This was really happening.

Tatum pulled me into his arms. “I’m on your side. You know that, right?”

I nodded, blinking away the tears that were pricking at my eyes. “Of course.”

“And whatever happens in the next few minutes—you’ve got me.”

“Yeah,” I said on a trembling breath.

Tatum cupped my cheeks. It’s as if I felt his strength leaching into my body. “Are you ready to let go of something good for something great?” He pressed his lips to my forehead. “Something lasting? A legacy that isn’t built around anyone but us?”

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