Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 95393 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 477(@200wpm)___ 382(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95393 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 477(@200wpm)___ 382(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
Stone just gawks at me when the phone in my hand rings. “Why the fuck is Coach calling me?” I press the green button and put it to my ear, hoping like fuck I’ll hear him with all the background noise. “Hey, Coach.” I smile, putting one finger in the other ear.
“Christopher.” His voice cracks, and I see my uncles Matthew and Max rushing to get to me. I feel like the ground is spinning when I hear his next words. “I don’t know how to tell you this, but it’s Benji.” The bile rises from my stomach. “He’s gone.” The phone drops from my hand into the sand.
My hand goes to my mouth as the blood drains from my body. “Benji’s dead.”
Stone looks at me, his face going as white as mine feels. “What do you mean?” he asks, reaching down for the phone. “Hello,” he says into the phone, “it’s Stone Richards.”
I hear the commotion around me, but all I can hear is the echo of my heart beating in my ears. I feel like the beach spins all around me. “I got him,” someone says, and I feel arms around me as I’m being carried off the beach. I look over and see some of the women with tears streaming down their faces. I don’t even know how I make it to my room, but I’m sitting in a chair while my sisters Gabriella and Abigail run around my room packing stuff.
“I think he’s in shock,” my father says beside me. I look over at Uncle Matthew, who types on his phone while Max talks on his. Stone stands in the back next to his father and the rest of my uncles, waiting in the wings for me to ask them to do something.
“What can we do to help?” Casey, Sofia’s grandfather, asks when he comes into my room.
“We’re getting him on a plane now,” Max tells Casey.
“The girls.” The words finally come out of my mouth, as I think of Koda and their girls. “How are the girls?” It’s the stupidest question I think I’ve asked in my life. How are the girls? How do you think the girls are? His girls are probably fucking devastated.
“From what I got”—Matthew comes to me and squats down in front of me—“Koda found him this morning unresponsive.”
I shake my head. “I spoke to him yesterday,” I say, trying to make sense of this. “It was Luna’s fourth birthday. He called to tell me thanks for the Barbie Jeep I bought her.” I look over when Abigail sobs, and Gabriella rushes over to her, putting her arm around her shoulders. My hands go to the top of my head. “This can’t be happening.”
I don’t know how I get dressed, but I’m walking up the steps to the plane forty-five minutes later. “I need to call Koda.” I look over at Stone, who hasn’t left my side since all of this happened. I reach into the back pocket of my jeans and pat it, but it’s empty. “My phone?” I say, looking around in a panic.
“I got it,” Stone assures me, handing it to me as Ryleigh boards the plane and sits in front of me.
“You guys don’t have to come with me,” I tell them. I pull up Koda’s name and see the last time we texted was right before the season ended when I asked her about stuff for the kids. I originally texted Benji, but he just brushed it off and said to ask Koda.
“What the fuck do I even say?” I look up at both of them.
“How about you just ask how she’s doing?” Stone suggests. “Or if she needs anything.”
“I can tell you right now how she’s doing. She’s probably devastated and in shock.” I look down at the screen.
“I don’t think you should text or call her,” Ryleigh says softly. “I think she’s going to be overwhelmed right now, and her main focus will be the girls. I think you get home and tomorrow morning you show up at her house.”
“That isn’t the worst idea,” I say, my foot moving up and down with nerves as the door closes.
“Uncle Matthew is meeting us there for the funeral,” my father shares. “It took everything in him not to jump on this plane.” There was no fucking way my father would have let me get on this plane without him. Even if I told him not to come, he would be on another plane right behind me.
I look out the window, listening to the two of them talk, my head swimming with all kinds of questions. My phone is blowing up in my hand with texts from teammates and other players in the league who knew how tight Benji and I were.
We got drafted in the same year and have been on the same team since. Fuck, I was the best man at his wedding. I was there for it all. Rain and Luna are like my nieces, and every game they would come to, I would throw pucks over the glass. Five hours in the air feels like a blur. When we land, an SUV waits to take us to my house. “Are you going to answer your phone?” Ryleigh asks when we get into the SUV. I was so lost in memories I didn’t even hear it ring.