Page 41 of Rise Above

athletes didn’t always get their degrees. “Mom made it a point that I had to finish before going pro.” I laughed, thinking about my mom. “She’s a tough woman, but I guess when you have five boys you have to be. She’s completely outnumbered. Mom also made it a firm rule in the house that education came before sports. All of us have degrees. Mine is in physical therapy and sports medicine.”

“Wow. Four brothers?” Her eyes widened in shock.

“That’s a lot of testosterone. Your mom sounds like a strong woman.”

“She truly is. Before you ask, I’m the middle child.”

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“Ah, is that why you went pro? Dealing with middle

child syndrome?” She stuck her tongue out at me, laughing at her bad joke. Her eyes darted to my mouth before resting back on my own eyes.

Laughing, I nudged her shoulder. “I don’t think so.

Mom and Dad did a great job giving equal attention. Four out of five are professional athletes. We’re just competitive, I think.”

“Well, don’t leave me hanging, TJ. Tell me about

your siblings.” Her eyes met mine again, and I felt so centered in that moment. Her gaze was soft, easy. I could see curiosity, not fishing. God, this woman.

“Sure.” I smiled as I thought about my family. They

were weird and wonderful, and I loved each of them. “My oldest brother is Eaton John—EJ. He’s a damned giant, plays point guard for the Dallas Innovators. Dad really struggled with that one. He was a huge Spacers fan, and Dad always felt like he was betraying Houston by rooting for his son. He would wear the traditional yellow and red to the games, not caring how obnoxious he looked. I missed him every day.

“Next up is Callahan Justin or CJ. He’s the shortest

one out of all of us but tough as nails. I know he’d have my back in a heartbeat. CJ’s a linebacker for the New Orleans Rooks, and he was defensive player of the year last year. Honestly, he definitely could give JJ Watt a run for his money,” I said proudly. I leaned back on the bench, resting my hands behind my head. Calm—that was the best way to describe how I felt in that moment.

“Then there’s me. After me is our non-athlete,

Dakota Jeffery or DJ. He’s finishing up his surgery

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internship at Brown University right now. He’s hoping to get residency at Memorial Hermann in Houston.

“Lastly, is the squirt, Adin Jones aka AJ. He’s

second baseman for the most hated team in baseball… the LA Dragons.” I laughed.

Aife laughed as well. She was a native Houstonian,

so she knew the Galaxy were really the most hated team right now. “You never said what your first name is.”

My cheeks flamed red. My first name was

incredibly embarrassing. Mom loved Celtic and Gaelic history, so we all had names that sounded weird or outdated. My brothers, at least, had first names they could relatively work with. Mine was just awkward, resulting in countless teasing and silly names growing up. “Um…”

“Oh, come on. My name is Aife. I’ve had to fight

with that my entire life. Yours cannot be that bad.” She nudged my shoulder. Her hand had finally returned to her own lap, and I missed the warmth and connection to her.

“Talon.” I sighed. “Talon James Walker.”