Like I gave a fuck.
"No," Wes said. "You're lucky he's not in the hospital." He looked more tired than usual, as if the bags under his eyes had doubled in size.
I blew out a deep breath. "Jessica's leaving me for him." I called her after the fight with Pax and she'd admitted everything, not sounding sorry in the least. "He taunted me about it in public, in front of my teammate, and I'm the one who's getting suspended? That's fucked up, Wes."
"Watch your mouth." Wes swore like a sailor, but he didn't tolerate his players cursing. "You broke his nose, Chase. You have to be disciplined."
"What're we going to do about him? This is our last chance for a Super Bowl title. My last chance. And Pax is toxic. He wants to rip this team apart."
Wes looked at me calmly. "I can't suspend him for what he's done off the field. Adultery is not a criminal offense. What I can do is see if Tim will consider cutting him loose early. We can't have someone like him on the team—I agree with you about that—but it's not my decision."
Tim was the team owner. "Okay," I said. That was as much as I could ask for at this point.
"So…" Wes just sat there for a minute, gathering his thoughts. He didn't talk a lot, and he chose his words sparingly when he was forced to. "Jessica."
I nodded at him. "It's true."
"You two working it out?"
I laughed. "There's not a lot left to work out."
"Are you filing?"
I gritted my teeth. "She said she's going to do it this week."
Wes sat back and studied me. "You okay, son?"
"Yes." I sat there for a second. "No."
"You know the press is going to be all over this. Your suspension, your divorce, and her, uh…new relationship."
"Yup." I looked at him grimly. The sports press in Boston was rabid. They would analyze it to death. "What're you going to say about Pax?"
"Nothing, if I can help it." Wes shrugged. "Just that he's on the injury list, you're suspended for violating team rules and that I have no further comment."
I grunted. "That's not gonna fly."
"It'll do for now—until I figure out what I have to tell them." He studied my face. "Is Jessica taking this public?"
"Probably." I felt numb inside.
"I'll talk to Tim, and I'll do the press conference after that. You take it easy. Take time to lie low. Work out at home. Maybe don't leave the house too much. Hopefully, we can keep the fact that Pax is involved private for now."
I nodded at Wes. "We'll see. Pax didn't seem like he was trying to keep it a secret."
My coach looked grim. "What did Jessica say about that?"
She was excited that Pax had started a fight with me.
She told me she was thrilled that she was finally with a real man.
"Nothing, sir. Thank you," I said and quickly took my leave.
* * *
"I told you to have Jess sign a prenup," my attorney said. Sitting out back by my pool, Mickey looked out of place. He had on a pinstriped suit with a crisp lavender shirt. His neatly trimmed white hair stood unnaturally still, even in the breeze.
In contrast, I wore a ripped Warriors T-shirt and a pair of basketball shorts. I hadn't shaved in three days.