SIX MONTHS LATER
Claudia
I’m sittingin the middle of the living room, months’ worth of photo albums in front of me.
Our First Thanksgiving, with both our families.
Our wedding on Christmas Eve, with the team and everyone we love.
Love, once that word was out there, there was no hiding it in the shadows, and you know what happens when something comes out of the dark and into the light? It grows. Love grows big and beautiful when it’s true and real.No matter the pain and heartbreaks you suffer.I could not have gotten through this without him, I mean, I could have, but not in a way that didn’t change the course of my life.
Our First Christmas, again with our families, but here at our home on Waverly.
Both holidays were photographed in staged perfection. Deacon became the PR king, and Savannah his little princess.
It was so hard at first to put ourselves out there, but Sofie running the PR campaign sold us as the perfect little family, while Hugo, Costello, and Dr. Mara Benetti put the pieces together.
It’s taken months of postponing court dates, but when the Shaw family lawyers were presented with the evidence, they knew they didn’t have a chance in hell without it muddying the pristine picture they painted. Yet they didn’t budge. When we uncovered the connection between Emma and Rathburn, we then dug into Rathburn’s dealings. What we found was horrifying. The harm she caused to so many players for what? Power and money? Deacon was heartbroken; he didn’t see it. Especially with one player.
The door opens, and he looks at me, surrounded by albums.
“Are we remodeling again already?”
I shake my head no and stand. “How was he?”
“He’s gonna have to sit with it a bit. She fucked him up so bad, Doc,” he wraps his arms around me. “He doesn’t want to testify.”
“He thinks it makes him look weak.”
He nods, “He did say he’d start sessions with you. Wanted to know how fast he can get back up here.”
“Did you tell him?”
He nods, “Needed to give him something to look forward to.”
“And you need to remind yourself that you can’t control how they react. This is not on you. Johnson is a grown man.”
“The kid wanted to die, Doc.”
“And she’s losing her license and god willing will be spending time in jail.”
He kisses me. “It’s official.”
“It is,” I step back. “Tonight, I’m going to be banging the Bears’ new assistant coach.”
“Why wait until tonight?” He calls after me as I slip into what will one day be my office, because right now, we don’t have the time.
I turn as he grabs my hips, and I hand him the envelope.
He looks at the return address, “You’re smiling, so this is good news.”
I nod as he pulls out the paperwork. Kyle signed his rights away.
Deacon’s eyes mist over.
“Oh no, you don’t get to do that yet because there’s more,” I grab the other envelope off the desk and hand it to him, and watch as my husband pulls out the photo.
His eyes immediately flick to mine. “We’re pregnant.
