“I know. And now, I want to do it for me. For our daughter, so that one day I can tell her how I didn’t let a man scare me away from doing what I love nor control what I do. I’ve debated releasing a statement online with what really happened, but…”
“You want to know what else he’s been hiding,” he speaks exactly what I was thinking.
“Exactly. I can’t be the only gymnast he’s blackmailed. If I’m going to go after the biggest gymnastics coach in the country, I need more than my words against his. Sadly, our world doesn’t accept a woman’s word alone.”
“This whole thing is fucking bullshit. I can’t believe you’ve been dealing with this all on your own. Does anyone else know?”
“My friends and my agent know. They were upset for me but knew what competing again meant to me, so they didn’t say anything to the public,” I admit, hating everything about this situation. “Maybe it is my fault, though. I probably should not have told the judge to go fuck himself.”
“Teagan, none of this is your fault. Clearly, you were fed up deep down, and that’s why you exploded. Your coach could’ve given you a talk about letting him deal with judges, not blackmail you and kick you off the team. You’ve done nothing wrong. I need you to know that. None of this is your fault, okay?” he says with so much sincerity that it makes my eyes well up with tears once more.
“Thank you,” I whisper as I collapse onto his chest, letting him stroke my back.
“Let me talk to Idris, and we’ll get through this together. Okay? You’re not in this alone.”
I’m not alone.
And I’m so thankful that he’s by my side in this.
Whenever things have been messy, he’s always been there, rock solid and ready to tackle whatever it is.
And I think it’s made me fall hopelessly in love with him.
Chapter 45
Teagan
Iblow out a breath as I look at myself in the mirror, double-checking my hair and makeup are good to go.
Clara and Kaya are downstairs with Camille and Olivia, getting my very small baby shower ready. I originally told Clara I only wanted it to be with her and Kaya, but I’ve grown close to Camille and Olivia as we’ve been hanging out more recently, and insisted that they be included.
The boys are also coming after their meeting today, including Ryker, Ian, and Quentin’s two friends, Pauly and Cole. Just like how Ian is letting more people into his life, so am I. And it feels good.
It’s still small and exactly what I want. A day surrounded with the people I love, celebrating our baby.
There’s a soft knock at the door, followed by Clara’s and Kaya’s voices.
“Can we come in?”
“Yes,” I say as I stand from the vanity and turn to the doorway.
Clara’s hand flies to her mouth as Kaya’s hands go to her chest while they both look at me in awe.
“Relax, you two.” I roll my eyes while a smile pulls at my cheeks.
“How can I relax when I have the most beautiful best friend?” Clara exclaims.
“You look amazing,” Kaya affirms.
“I’ve missed you two,” I say as I pull them into a hug.
“Did you…just say you missed us?” Clara asks, seeming baffled.
“I think she did. Are you feeling okay?” Kaya puts her hand to my forehead.
“I’ve never felt better, actually,” I tell them, and it’s true.
While these have been the most insane few months of my life, they’ve also somehow have been exactly what I needed.
