Jackie’s smile slowly faded as the reality of their situation dawned on her. Apprehension was gnawing at her emotions. “But you’ll be in LA. What does that mean?” She’d never done a long-distance relationship before. She’d never thought she could mentally handle that.
“That means I’ll have to cash in those frequent flier miles.” Antonio smiled, then kissed Jackie’s cheek. “What’s a few miles apart? I’m not letting that keep me from being with you. Trust me. I got you, baby.”
“You got me?” Jackie bit the corner of her lip as he looked up into Antonio’s eyes. As she stared at him, the worry slowly began to fade.
“Trust me,” Antonio whispered. “I got you.” He resumed his slow and steady strokes inside her, reigniting the flames of desire between them. “Tell me, how long do I have you, Lucky?”
Jackie grabbed hold of Antonio’s biceps, looking into his eyes. Another jolt of electricity flooded her veins and aligned her rapidly beating heart with his. She stared at him until her heart finally answered him, speaking one simple word.
“Forever.”
EPILOGUE
Jackie watched Tanika and Gideon dance to what was now the fourth or fifth line dance the DJ had played. She couldn’t keep up with the steps of this one. Something about fans and cowboys. These new Trail Ride line dances were too complicated—even for Jackie, who absolutely loved to dance. Right now, her pinky toe in these Miu Miu sandals was giving her the blues, and she had to take a break. She didn’t mind, though. From her vantage point, Jackie had the best seat in the house as she watched her cousin and best friend enjoy their first moments as newlyweds.
Tanika had been a radiant bride in her gorgeous dress, trading her signature black glasses for clear glasses in a similar style, and wearing custom, blinged-out Air Force 1s. She opted for no veil and a simple, huge magnolia flower in her hair. PeeWee trotted down the aisle in a custom tuxedo, rings tied around his neck, much to Jackie’s delight. Including him in the wedding was, surprisingly, Gideon’s idea. He’d long since forgiven PeeWee for the chewed-up sneaker incident. Gideon was cool and dapper in his cream, lightweight suit and matching cream retro Dunks. Jackie teased him and called it “Obama tan.” He was not pleased with the comparison.
The intimate ceremony—with barely fifty guests—had a picturesque view of the mountains of Costa Rica as the backdrop. It was almost perfect. The only problem was that Celeste, Gideon’s former sister-in-law, couldn’t stop wailing with joy, which made it difficult to hear the vows. PeeWee tried to match Celeste’s wails with his own howls, to hilarious effect.
Mya came floating over to Jackie, her now pink-colored afro braided into intricate Fulani braids down to her waist. Always the fashionista, her hair matched the color of her bridesmaid dress. “Jackie, I know you aren’t sitting down! Girl, the party is just getting started.”
“C’mon, Mya! I’ve been up since like 6:00 a.m.! Getting Tanika calmed down and ready was no easy feat. Not to mention, my dogs are killing me!”
“Nobody told you to wear those sandals!” Mya fussed. “And don’t go blaming your lack of energy on Tanika. You were too busy with your nose in your laptop. No one told you to work on vacation either!”
In the four months since leaving AMW-Elite, Jackie had been working overtime to prove herself and establish Miles Management. A week after Mo’s fight, Jackie resigned. Just as Tanika suspected, Patrick was flabbergasted that Jackie actually called his bluff. He tried his best to convince her to stay, increasing her bonuses and offering her a significant raise, but she wouldn’t be moved. She had the leverage: the majority of her clients decided to sign with her exclusively, including Mo and PJ.
With Mo coming off his title win, and PJ winning Rookie of the Year, Jackie was the hottest agent in the field. A feature about Jackie on WWSN, including a sit-down interview with Sara, also helped. Jackie even snagged Calvin as her assistant. He may have been a meddling jerk, but he was damn good at his job.
Jackie was now prominent in an elite group of people like Nicole Lynn—Black female sports agents who represented premiere athletes. Granted, Jackie was older than her colleagues in the industry, but age meant nothing. This had been a long time coming, and it felt good. Jackie was going to shine bright. She was no longer going to dim her light.
“Girl, you know the pre-season is around the corner, and I have several clients whose deals I need to finalize. Why are you worried about me?” Jackie nodded toward the dance floor where Colin Bello was doing his best impression of Beanie Man. “Shouldn’t you be out there dancing with Colin?”
Colin and Mya had been joined at the hip since arriving in Costa Rica. Sneaking off on excursions. Disappearing after the rehearsal dinner. For some reason, Mya was trying to be coy, but everyone could tell that something was going on between the two of them.
Mya rolled her eyes. “Once again, we are just friends. I don’t need to be under his thumb. Let that man have fun! Like you should be.” She nodded toward the dance floor. “Look! Antonio is having fun!”
At the mention of his name, Jackie smiled. Trying to start a new business and a new relationship simultaneously should have been a nightmare, especially with the whole navigating-a-bicoastal-relationship element thrown in. But being with Antonio had been one of the easiest things in the world. He was spontaneous and kind. Patient and understanding. That was saying a lot, because Jackie knew how difficult she could be.
There had been a lot of long-distance flights and late-night phone calls—some of which were so hot she was surprised the processor in her phone was still intact. When they were together, it was as if time stood still. She enjoyed the private chefs, box seats at games, and personal shopping experiences that Antonio meticulously planned. But it was the quiet moments—watching reruns of20/20nestled on the couch with empty takeout boxes strewn around, a snoring PeeWee between them—that she loved the most. Apparently, Antonio had consulted an allergist before they ever made things official, just in case he’d be spending time with a certain Frenchie in his near future. He truly went the distance to make Jackie happy. It was the safest she’d felt in her entire life.
