“My custody petition should be resolved shortly.”
“So you actually did it?”
“The court will mandate regular visitation according to my work schedule, and I will pay Jana a fair monthly child support amount. It’s done.”
“And Jana is okay with that?”
“Hell no, but she’s going to have to be okay with it. She has no choice. I’m going to always fight for the life that I want and the people I want in it. That includes Bella, and that includes you.”
“Say yes!” a woman shouts from the crowd. “Or I’ll take him.”
There is laughter around us.
“Let me open the box,” he smirks, his thumb tracing circles on the back of my hand. “And then you give me your answer.”
The quiet confidence in his voice makes my heart flutter. I see in his eyes the same Dak I fell in love with, the same man I missed so much. The answer is already an obvious yes, but at this point we’ve got to play to the crowd.
He opens the box, and inside is the most flawless solitaire diamond I’ve ever seen. It’s large but mounted on a simple prong setting, making the diamond the center of attention.
“It’s beautiful,” I say, my voice filled with emotion as he slides the ring on my left ring finger. It fits perfectly. “My answer is yes. Let’s fight for us together.”
As the crowd around us breaks into applause, Dak pulls me into a tight embrace, promising in front of the entire city that he will love me until we’re old and gray. And as I lean into the strong arms of this man, I know I’m ready to love him and his daughter with all that I’ve got.
“Who should we call and tell first?” He grins from ear to ear.
“It should probably be your parents, but after Pat sees this grandiose proposal on the blogs, she’s going to go ballistic.”
“So we call big sis, then?”
“Yeah, but maybe you should be the one to do it. After me, I think Pat may just be your biggest fan.”
“Oh yeah? Then I can’t wait to meet her.”
I give my sister a FaceTime call as Dak drives me back to my place. He has a team meeting today and needs to get going.
“Hey you little–“
“Dak meet my sister. Pat meet my new fiancé, bitch!” I scream in excitement.
“You’re shitting me.”
“Nope.”
“I gotta tell the mom group I’m in.”
“Wait, don’t you have something to tell us?” I laugh.
“Sorry about that. Congratulations, you two! And Dak?”
“Yes, mam?” He smiles.
“Welcome to the family but if you hurt her again, I’ll kill you.”
“Got it!”
dak
I always knewI would write my redemption in sweat and grime, under the blaze of a thousand stadium lights in Arizona. But I hadn’t imagined that my journey would lead me to this particular moment, my heart pounding like a runaway drum, and the roars of a hundred thousand spectators flooding my ears.
