Chased Dreams (10 page)

“Nice to officially meet you,” he said,
extending his hand. “I remember you from some of our games.”

Barney nodded. “We’ve got to get this guy
healed so I can give him a long delayed ass whoopin’ on the
field.”

“I agree, completely,” Brett replied, and
each of them grabbed a handlebar and started pushing me along.

“Hey! You’re supposed to be on my team!” I
threw the brake on Brett’s side, just to be obnoxious.

Falling on top of me with a groan, he yelled
through gritted teeth. “Dude you just rammed that handlebar into my
junk.”

I couldn’t respond, laughing as hard as I
was, and Barney was gasping alongside me. We had to sit there for
about ten minutes waiting for Brett to recover.

Brett wisely steered clear of pushing me
after that, allowing Barney full control. I was surprised when
Barney walked right past the line to the Samoan bouncer at the
door. “Brutha, what’s happening?” he asked and they hugged one
another and smiled. After chatting for second,, which led me to
believe they must be old friends, the bouncer let us into the VIP
door without even checking our ID’s.

The place was huge and the bass from the
incredibly loud speakers vibrated through my chest. I vaguely heard
Brett saying something.

“I can’t hear you!” I yelled at him, but he
wasn’t paying any attention, clearly just as in awe with the
cavernous building as I was.

Barney rolled my wheelchair to a corner
table near the bar and they sat down. Barney signaled the bartender
standing close by.

“I’ll take a double shot of captain,” I said
before the bartender could even ask, and then proceeded to laugh as
Barney and Brett ordered their girlie drinks.

“So, what’s up in your lives?” I asked,
wanting to direct the conversation away from my current set of
woes. It didn’t take long for the conversation to shift back to
football though, and Barney telling us he’d been signed by the
Arizona Cardinals, which was why he was here in Phoenix.

I listened on with avid interest, happy for
him and his success, while feeling more than a little jealous, as
well. He was living my dream.

“Wanna go dance?” I asked sarcastically,
knowing there was no way I could actually do it, but wanting to
move onto a new topic. Suddenly, Barney jumped up and jolted the
chair backwards, almost sending me sprawling out onto the floor
face first.

“What the hell?” I yelled with a laugh,
grabbing the armrests and hanging on for dear life, as he spun me
out onto the dance floor, flinging me around in all directions.

I glanced up to find a beautiful blonde girl
pushing me around at one point, and a few others moved to dance in
front of me, grinding their bodies together. It was more than a
little hot. Soon my handler changed it up again, and a big, buff
black man with tree trunks for arms began spinning me in wheelies
across the floor.

It was insane. People crowded around me—from
all different walks of life—but all having an insanely good time.
After a while, I found myself on the edge of the circle and I
wheeled myself away from the group to take a break. I continued
watching everyone party on, from the sidelines.

As I sat there, I became aware of an older
man sitting in the corner. I noticed that he kept glancing over at
me. I finally turned to look at him, curious as to why he was
staring. He nodded at me and gestured for me to join him.

Slowly, I maneuvered the wheelchair in his
direction and rolled next to him.

“Mr. Walker, how are you doing?” he said
over the music, catching me completely by surprise.

“I . . . I’m good,” I replied hesitantly.
“How did you know my . . . .”

“Your dad and I were college football
players together, before he decided to go into business for
himself. I’ve been following you since you played in high
school—watching you in highlight videos and seeing your stats on
the web—and, of course, on television for the past few years. You
have talent, kid.”

My gaze wandered over the man, noticing he
wore Wranglers and cowboy boots with his t-shirt. It was the same
style my dad used to wear when he wasn’t working. The man took
another swig of his beer.

“Well, thank you. I’m surprised you
recognized me. It mostly happens when I’m in uniform.”

“Oh, there’s more people that are following
you than you think.” He continued watching me, before turning to
flag a waitress. “Can I have six beers, please?”

The woman nodded and quickly returned with
them.

“Wanna go outside and talk for a bit?”

“I’d love to,” I answered, suddenly
realizing I’d never even asked him his name.

Chapter Eleven

Handing me three of the beers, I placed them
in my lap before wheeling out behind the man onto the empty,
covered patio. It appeared the storm had driven everyone inside.
The rain had finally begun in earnest, along with some spectacular
lightning shows; but I felt we were safe up against the wall and I
angled my chair to watch the water gushing off the rooftops and
splattering to the ground beneath.

“How are you, really?” the gentleman asked,
leaning up against the wall beside me. He placed two of his beers
on a nearby table and popped the lid off the third, taking a long
swallow.

I shrugged. “Well . . . I’m doing
okay, I guess.” It wasn’t really a truthful answer, but I wasn’t
sure how to explain what was going on to a complete stranger.

Honestly, I was angry. This injury was
affecting every part of my life and I had no clue what to do about
it. It seemed as if things were crumbling before my eyes and all I
could do was sit and watch it happen.

“I don’t know where to start, but I’d like
to tell you something,” he began. “Your dad was my role model. No
matter what he did, everyone loved him.”

Listening raptly, I enjoyed hearing him talk
about my dad. Warmth infused me as memories of him washed through
my mind. There weren’t many people for me to talk to about him
anymore. Now that my mom was married to Greg, I hated bringing up
what I knew was a painful subject for her.

“You have that same quality.” He chuckled.
“Hell, you and your dad could’ve both worked as sales people in a
Victoria’s Secret store and everyone would’ve thought it was
wonderful. People love you and respect you—no matter what you’re
doing.”

The Victoria’s Secret comment brought a grin
to my face. Somehow I didn’t think a job helping sexy ladies find
pretty underwear would be high on the list of jobs Brittney would
approve of me doing. Of course, with the way things were heading
right now, it could end up being a viable option.

“When you were little, your dad said he
wanted to teach you to be tough. In fact, he said if anything ever
happened to him, he wanted me to help keep you that way. We never
stayed in touch much after that, and I’m afraid I didn’t keep up my
end of the promise, as far as you were concerned. I’ve paid
attention to your career though, and you seemed to be doing fine on
your own. Until recently, that is.”

Taking a small swig, I gave a little snort.
“Yeah. That’s an understatement. I have no idea where I’m headed
from here.”

The man nodded. “I bet. Unfortunately,
you’re the only one who’s going to be able to figure that out for
yourself. I can say this though. You’re a hell of an athlete, and
one of the best leaders I’ve ever seen on the field. You’re good at
making quick choices, but I think you make decisions based on what
other people are doing more than what is best for you. I‘ve watched
when you were supposed to hand the ball off and kept it because you
saw your teammate wasn’t ready. You’d keep the ball and take the
hit, ending up flat on your back. It takes true guts to do that,
but I think when it comes to life, maybe you should start making
some decisions based on what Chase needs—not on what everyone else
needs. Start thinking about what’s best for you.”

Staring at the beer in my lap, I pondered
everything he’d just said. I could see the wisdom in what he was
saying, but was aware that a lot of my choices, of late, had been
based on concerns over money, career, fans, and even what I felt
Brittney needed from me. It was becoming overwhelming.

“Thanks for the advice. I’ll take that into
consideration.” Lifting my head to glance at him, I was shocked to
discover he was no longer there. Sitting straighter, I craned my
head around looking for him, finally spotting him in the rain as he
rounded the corner out of sight. “Hey!” I yelled loudly after him.
“Wait! I didn’t even get your name!”

My words were drowned out in the roar of the
storm and I slumped back into the wheelchair, finding the whole
situation to be very cryptic. Why would he just take off like that?
Apparently he wanted to remain a mystery. Perhaps he and my dad had
a falling out or something . . . I couldn’t figure it
out.

Staying on the patio, I continued to watch
the storm while I drank the rest of my beer. My mind was full of
turmoil and thoughts continued to plague me. But somehow, sitting
out here in solitude like this, was comforting. Every now and
again, a couple would make their way out for some fresh air,
gravitating away from me to kiss in the corner. Observing those
moments, made me miss my wife and the times we used to have
together when we were so carefree.

Brittney wanted the best for me—of this I
was sure. That being said, I’d noticed a rift growing between us.
Something was troubling her. She was growing more distant all the
time, it seemed. I wanted that fixed more than anything. I missed
how close we used to be, and I hated seeing how tired she was all
the time.

Making up my mind to suck things up, I was
determined to become as little of a burden to her, as possible. I’d
try to make do on my own and take any stress I could off her.

Just thinking about her made me want to go
home. I didn’t need to be here to have fun. Wrapping my arms around
my wife was the best therapy there was.

Pulling my phone from my pocket, I sent a
text to Barney.

Ready 2 go whenever U
R
, I wrote.

It took about ten minutes before he found me
outside, his arm draped around a petite, gorgeous blonde.

“Ready, man?” he asked with a knowing smile,
watching me eye the beautiful girl, in surprise. He said he’d pull
a top-notch girl out of this tonight and he’d stuck true to his
word. I had to give him credit.

“Yeah, let’s get out of here. Where’s
Brett?” I asked, smiling as I nodded to the lady on his arm.

“Who knows? I haven’t seen him for about an
hour. Hopefully he didn’t run off with some hot chick.”

I shook my head and laughed. “If he’s with
any hot chick, it’s with the one he’s got at home. He’s crazy about
his wife, Tana—has been since junior high school.”

“Well, good for him,” Barney said with a
grin. “I’m all for happy marriages. How about we get you back to
yours?”

“Sounds great,” I agreed. Brittney was
exactly what I needed right now.

Barney released his new friend and grabbed
my wheelchair, pushing it back through the still rowdy building and
to his vehicle out front. I tried to offer to sit in the back so
the girl could ride up front with him, but she wouldn’t hear of it.
The ride was slightly awkward, knowing she was back there and
Barney refusing to turn off the Hawaiian music this go around. He
sang loudly and off key most of the time too.

“How much did you have to drink?” I asked
with a laugh.

He glanced at me with mock horror. “Dude!
I’m driving! I haven’t had anything for hours, just that first
drink when we arrived.”

“You’re kidding?” What had he been doing the
whole time?

“I’m not. I needed to be on my ladies’ game.
Besides, what good is it for me to take you out if I kill you on
the way home?” He glanced sideways at me.

“This is true. Thanks for watching out for
me, man.”

He chuckled and slapped my shoulder. “Any
time, brutha. Any time! We’ll do this again soon.”

***

Quietly, I made my way into the house, not
wanting to disturb Britt; but I found her sitting up in bed reading
with her lamp on. Her platinum hair was pulled up into a messy bun
and I thought she looked hotter than sin. I loved it when she was
dressed casual like this. It seemed so . . . comfortable and sexy
at the same time.

Glancing up, she smiled brightly at me,
filling my heart with warmth. “Hey, baby! How was your night
out?”

“It was fun, but I’m more happy to be back
home with the woman I love.” Making my way over to the bed, I sat
beside her and gathered her into my arms, burying my face into the
crook of her neck and smelling her sweet skin. Just being away from
her for those few hours already had me starving for her.

My lips found their way, naturally, to her
mouth and she let out a little moan as she allowed me to kiss her
deeply, awakening longing sensations within. The feel of her tongue
stroking against mine set my senses on fire. I wanted her—I needed
her.

Gently, I pulled away. “I’ll be right back,
okay? I’m going to take a shower real quick and freshen up.”

She smiled and nodded, leaning back against
her pillow. “Do you need me to come help you?”

Remembering my resolve earlier, I shook my
head in denial. “No, you just rest. I’ll manage.”

Surprise was evident on her face, but she
didn’t argue—in fact she seemed a little relieved, if truth be
told.

Climbing into the shower with my toothbrush
in hand, I began brushing my teeth. I left the door open to the
bedroom and noticed when Britt clicked off the lamp. I should just
let her rest. She obviously needed it, if the black circles under
her eyes were to be believed.

Even looking exhausted, she was still a
solid ten in my eyes. I couldn’t get enough of her. She made my
life complete, and I loved her with every breath I took.