Chapter 6
2018
Arthur was never nervous when meeting new players, this was part of the job. Nothing old or new. Then again, he hasn’t always been warned about a ‘secret’ that someone on his team has. Nonetheless, he was smoldering in New Orleans knocking on the door of a very large house. The door opened a little hesitantly, there was a short teenage girl at the door, she was absolutely tiny.
She looked about the age of the player he was looking for, he noticed a couple of tattoo’s on her. Seems a little young to him but he wasn’t her father, so who was he to judge. She raises an eyebrow for a moment then her face lights up and she opens the door the rest of the way and hold out her hand to shake.
“You must be Coach Arthur! I’m Ink, Leo is in the kitchen with the kids.” They shake hands and she moves to let him in the house. He walks in and what she says sinks in.
“Kids?” He follows her into the kitchen where there is a table in front of two giant and beautiful windows. Two highchairs are set up at the end of the table with two small children in them, a tall blonde young man is sitting between them. Watching the kids eat some peas and chicken fingers, the young man nods along to whatever babbles are falling from the kids mouths.
Leo looks up to see Ink leading a man into the kitchen and he immediately knows who it is. Swallowing down his nerves Leo stands and walks over to the man. They shake hands and have formal introductions. Leo gestures for Arthur to take a seat and is taken by surprise when the Head Coach of the Lions sits where Leo was just at. Between the two trouble makers.
“Are these two the reason why I have gotten a couple of warning emails?” Arthur takes a napkin and wipes Otto’s mouth noticing the scar on the poor kids head. It looks healed but still fresh. When he looks back at the two teenagers still standing in front of him he smiles. “They are beautiful, just the cutest! What are their names?” Leo obviously relaxes and sits down on the other side of Otto while Ink goes to finish her book on the sun porch just outside the kitchen.
“Her name is Olive,” Leo nods towards the little girl who shyly smiles at Arthur, still too shy to say hello, oh how that would change in a year. “His name is Otto.” He ran a finger over Otto’s cheek as he filled his face with peas just making a whole ass mess. Chuckling Arthur watches as Leo tries to clean the child up just a little, but that kid can put up a fight.
“Well, families are always welcomed with open arms with the Lions.” Leo and Arthur meet eyes for a second and Leo looks like he doesn’t believe the coach. “No matter how young… Welcome to the Lions Leo.”