“The doctor thinks he needs round-the-clock care,” she said, releasing a deep sigh. “His home health nurse has been a godsend, but she’s only there for a few hours a day. It’s a good thing this happened before her visit, because if it had happened after, he would have spent the entire night on the bathroom floor. I had already called to do my daily check on him before starting my shift, so I wouldn’t have even thought to call until tomorrow.” She closed her eyes and shook her head. “I think about what could have happened and it just…”

“Don’t think about that,” Jamar said. “We’ll get him in a facility that can offer him round-the-clock care, or if he still doesn’t want to leave the house, we can hire a live-in nurse to look after him.”

Andrea placed the shirt on the bed and then folded her arms over her stomach. “Look, I know you’ve made this pledge to Silas, but I can’t ask you to pay for long-term care for my grandfather.”

“You’re not asking,” Jamar said.

“Jamar—”

“I mean it, Drea. He may not be my grandfather by blood, but he is in every other way.”

She shook her head, a somber smile pulling at her lips. “You’re just as stubborn as my brother was.”

“Wrong. I’m way more stubborn than Silas was.”

“I can’t argue with that,” she said with a laugh. She made her way back to where he stood, just inside the door to the small hospital room. “He would have been so proud of you,” Drea said, kissing his cheek. “Thank you for always being there for us.”

The weight of her words settled heavy in Jamar’s chest.

Money wasn’t at the top of his list of reasons for wanting to return to the League. Fulfilling his promise to Silas that he would have the career they’d both dreamed of and shoving crow into the mouths of those haters who counted him out following his knee injury both ranked higher. But Jamar couldn’t deny that a new NFL contract would go a long way in helping to take care of both his family and Silas’s family for decades to come.

This quest to make it back into the League wasn’t just about him; it was about all the other people in his life that he wanted—needed—to provide for. Drea’s words drove home just how stupid and irresponsible it was to get caught up in all these feelings for Taylor. He’d hired her for a reason, and she was damn good at her job. He would not allow his overexcited dick to mess things up. Too many people were counting on him.