What he wasn’t ready for was a visit from his mom and dad. He knew his dad was concerned about him. After Mick had retired, he’d told Nathan he felt like he was dumping him and leaving him to fend for himself. Nathan had assured him he could manage the team just fine, that the year he’d spent learning from his dad and the other backup QB had taught him everything he needed to know. It was important that his dad not feel responsible for him.
If Nathan had been drafted by any team other than the Sabers, and he’d been called up to be a starter, there’d be no one there—including his dad—to rely on. The fact he was taking over as starting quarterback for his own father shouldn’t make a difference at all. Not to Nathan and not to his dad.
But this wasn’t just a run-of-the-mill kind of thing. It was a huge deal for Nathan. It was a big deal to the team. And to the sports correspondents, too, because it was all they’d talked about the entire off-season, which had dumped an enormous amount of pressure on top of an already pressure-filled situation.
Dad had told him the most important thing he could do was to ignore the media. Nathan knew his father was right, but that was easier said than done, especially with training camp and the preseason right around the corner. All that hype about whether young quarterback Nathan Riley was going to perform even half as well as Mick Riley was going to amp up in a major way.
Nathan shrugged his shoulders, trying to ease the tension that constantly seemed to be there lately. He pulled into the driveway of his parents’ house and got out of his SUV.
Despite his anxiety, he was happy his parents were in town. He went to the door and rang the bell.
His mom answered, his little brother, Sam, whipping around her.
“Nathan!” Sammy barreled into him, throwing his arms around Nathan.
“Sammy!” Nathan was always happy to see his brother. And at the age of six, Sam was like the Tasmanian devil, filled with energy. He picked him up and tossed him around by his arms. Sam laughed uncontrollably.
Then he put Sam down and hugged his mom. “Hey, Mom. How was the flight in?”
“Good,” his mom said. “We got in late last night. We would have called but, honestly, we were all tired.”
“Not a problem.”
“Come on inside. Your dad is in his office on the phone. He’ll be out in a few minutes.”
Sam grabbed his hand. “Guess what?”
“What?”
“I got new Legos. Wanna play with me?”
“I will in a little bit. What kind of Legos?”
“Some Star Wars ones. They’re cool.”
“Those are my favorites, you know. Can I take them home with me?”
Sam cocked his head to the side. “Nooo. They’re mine, Nathan. But I’ll share with you.”
Nathan’s lips curved. “Okay. We’ll hang out and play together. But first I have to talk to Dad, okay?”
“Okay.” Sam lifted his head to look at their mother. “Mommy, can I go play out in the backyard?”
Tara nodded. “Yes.”
Sam ran off and Nathan followed his mom into the kitchen. He took a seat at the island.
“Iced tea or a beer?” she asked.
“Iced tea sounds great.”
She poured two glasses, then sat down across from him at the island. It hadn’t always been so informal and easy between them when he’d lived at home. He’d been a little more difficult as a young teen. Attitude and all. He’d given his mom a rough time.
And then Mick had come into their lives and everything had changed. Nathan’s whole attitude had shifted and he’d developed a renewed sense of purpose. His mom was happy and in love, and it changed Nathan’s perspective on life. After that, he’d been driven to succeed, to be as good as the man who’d adopted him and had never made him feel less than his actual son.
“How’s the business?” he asked his mom.
She smiled. “It’s good. I’ll meet with Maggie and the rest of the team while I’m here. We’re looking at expanding the shop.”
That was news. “Space-wise or personnel-wise?”
“Both, actually. We’ve added more people to the business, and we have everyone squeezed into the small space we started with all those years ago. Now we need to add at least two more event planners, and there’s no place to put them. So Maggie and I are going to interview event planners, then shop new space.”
He loved hearing the excitement in his mother’s voice. “I know how much you like to shop. And office space? You’ll be in heaven.”
She grinned. “I know. We have a real estate agent lined up to spend two days with us showing spaces to lease. We’re going to have so much fun.”
Nathan laughed. “Are you sure Dad’s going to be able to get you on a plane back home?”
“Ha. Maybe not.”
“Who’s going to watch Sam while you’re off having these adventures?”
“Your father, of course. Now that he’s retired, he gets to spend more time with Sam. Which they’re both enjoying very much.”
Nathan was glad that at least one amazing thing was happening because of his dad’s retirement.
“Thought I heard you come in.”
Nathan slid off the bar stool and hugged his dad, who still looked as young and robust as he had when Nathan was a gawky fifteen-year-old. Nathan couldn’t even spot a limp, though his dad had had that knee surgery right after the end of last season.
“How’s it going, Dad?”
“Great.”
“How’s the knee?”
His father looked down at his knee, then back up at Nathan. “Great. Physical therapy is a pain in my—knee actually—but the rehab is going well.”
“Don’t let him fool you,” Mom said. “He complains about it all the time.”
Dad lifted his chin. “I never complain.”
Mom laughed. “I don’t know who’s the bigger whiner in the house now, you or Sam.”
“I’ve watched some of the guys on the team go through rehab,” Nathan said. “It’s tough.”
“Yeah. But it’ll be fine. I have to be fine. I have to chase after your brother, and you know what a hellion he is.”
“He’ll love having you around all the time, Dad. Especially now that Mom is going mogul on us.”
His dad put his arm around Mom. “She is. This is her turn to shine now that she’s supported my career all these years.”
Mom nudged Dad in the ribs. “You make it sound like I’ve done nothing but sit in the stands and act like a cheerleader during your games. You’ve supported my career plenty. I’ll just have a little more time to concentrate on the business now that you’re free.”
“Yeah,” Dad said. “I’m pretty happy about that.”
They all sat down in the living room.
“Any thoughts about what your next steps will be?” Nathan asked his dad.
“What next steps?”
“A lot of former players move into broadcasting or coaching.”
“Oh.” His dad shrugged. “Not right now. I want some time off to finish rehab, play a little golf and play a lot with Sam. He’s really looking forward to having me take him to school and pick him up. Being a stay-at-home dad for a while suits me just fine.”
“I give it a year or two at most before he’s itching to get back into football in some capacity,” Mom said.
Dad looked at her. “And you’d be okay with that.”
“We’ve already discussed this and you know I would. You love football. Just because you’re not playing anymore doesn’t mean you can’t be involved in it. And no one knows more about the sport than you. You either need to be coaching or analyzing the games in some way.” She grabbed his chin. “Plus, look how pretty you are. I can see you as a sportscaster.”
His dad laughed. “Maybe. We’ll see.”
Nathan felt a little better listening to the two of them talk about the future. His dad didn’t seem to be bothered about not playing anymore. At least on the surface. Nathan had worked so hard to get where he was. He couldn’t imagine not playing anymore. But he was just at the beginning of his career. He was itching to be at the helm of the Sabers offense, to feel the ball in his hands and know that he was in control.