Impossible To Resist (BWWM Romance Book 1)(48)
Jared should have flown with the team but Whitey gave him permission to take a day to visit his dad before heading to Nashville. Given his lights out play against Dallas and again in Jacksonville, Whitey caved to Ameryst’s pressure to give Jared some family time in light of his father’s health.
It sounded like he’d had a setback after getting a little too excited during the Dallas game. Despite his mother’s assurances, Jared desperately wanted to see for himself. He had less than twenty-four hours with his family before flying to Nashville and that didn’t leave a lot of time for error.
“You’re Jump Jackson, aren’t you?” The woman leaned across the aisle and tapped him on the shoulder until he answered.
“Yes, ma’am,” Jared said in a hushed tone. He really didn’t want to draw attention to himself on this flight. “But today I’m just a passenger on a flight home to see my family.”
“My son just loves you.” The woman, not much younger than his own mother, leaned closer until she was half out of her seat. “Do you think I could get an autograph for him?”
“Sure,” Jared agreed, “but only if you don’t tell anybody else on this flight who I am. I really just want to stay anonymous right now.”
The woman nodded vigorously. “I won’t say a word!” She handed him her magazine, the one with Jessica Klein’s story as a feature.
“Who should I make it out to?” Jared asked politely. He hated that article, it was such bullshit and a reminder of all the crap Derek had pulled.
“Just ‘B’ if you don’t mind,” she said.
Jared had a funny feeling that it wasn’t her son who wanted the autograph at all, but whatever it took to buy a little peace and quiet for the trip home.
Jared scrawled a message and signed it. He passed it back and the woman held his arm just a little too long.
“You know; I have a daughter who would be perfect for you. She’s just your type, blonde and tiny, she’s a public relations officer for the Los Angeles Police Department. I bet that would come in real handy for you and your teammates. Her name is Jennifer and she’s a Scorpio.
What’s your sign again, I’m sure I knew it at some point.”
The woman hardly took a breath as she force-fed Jared nearly every detail about her daughter without pausing for him to accept or decline. She had to be a saleswoman in some capacity – judging by the makeup, he guessed cosmetics of some sort. Gods, he just wanted some quiet so he could think for a bit.
“I’m flattered, really,” Jared began but they were interrupted by the flight attendant stepping between them to give the pre-flight instructions. He seized the opportunity to put his earbuds in and close his eyes.
**
“Your mother overreacted a little.”
Jared’s dad lounged in his recliner, his speech a little slurred secondary to the stroke. His right side seemed a little weak and Jared’s mom confirmed that his blood pressured continued to be an issue.
“I can see that.” Jared played along with his dad’s need to downplay his difficulties. “It’s what Mom always does. Remember when I sprained my wrist and she swore it was broken? Took me to two different doctors and a clinic before she was convinced?”
His Dad laughed, a throaty rasp that betrayed the depth of his deficits. “Yes, I remember. How many x-rays did you get that day?”
“I don’t know, like six or seven.” Jared smirked and then turned serious. “Are you following the doctor’s orders, though? I want you to get better, Dad.”
“Yes, yes, I’m following that repugnant little man’s instructions to the letter,” his dad said dismissively. “Well, almost. I refused to stop watching my son play football.”
“But isn’t that what gets your blood pressure up?” Jared pressed. “Maybe you shouldn’t watch for a bit, maybe you should take a break from football until you are a little more stable.”
“How can I not watch you play football?” His father tried to jump up but couldn’t manage and fell back into the recliner. He tried to cover but Jared had seen the right-sided weakness his mom told him about.
Jared frowned. “Dad, I need you to get better. I’m working on something big and I really want you to be around for it.”
“What are you up to?” His dad wheezed and his mom handed him an inhaler.
“I’ve been making a lot of changes because I’ve changed, Dad,” Jared explained. “I met somebody and I want to be with her. She’s not able to move to L.A. so I’m going to move to her. My new agent is working out a trade as we speak.”
“What?” His dad’s eyes bulged. “L.A. was your dream, you’ve got everything you wanted. You’ve got the entire city wrapped around your finger. Why would you throw that away?”
“Francis,” Jared’s mom pressed a hand on his father’s shoulder, “hear him out.”
“Dad, I really want you to support me in this. I want a wife and someday a family. Don’t you want grandkids? Don’t you want me to build a life after football?” Jared pled for his father to see what became so clear over the past several months.
“Francis,” his mom said again, “think about how we were once, and think about what we wanted for our kids when they were young. Think about what comes after football, when Jared can’t play anymore.”