Fair Game: A Football Romance (20 page)

Holy shit, she was secretly protecting her, the same way I’ve been secretly protecting Amethyst for years.

“How did she die?”

“She was shot in the chest point blank by a member of the Mafia when she exposed a monster blackmailing scam they had been running for twenty years. She had Vinnie locked up, and she was going to get Harper when they grabbed her off the street.”

I’m speechless. How could I have been so wrong about her? Nothing is right, up isn’t up and down isn’t down. It’s like finding out you’re adopted, a different race, and the opposite gender all at once.

“She’s been working on this case for seven years. You were the perfect in for her, but she never intended to get pregnant. It did make her cover all that much better though, they never suspected her until she handed Vinnie over to the cops. He was a bitch, he agreed to give up his boss and his boss’s boss for a pardon.”

“So it’s over? He’s in jail and the blackmailing will stop?”

“Yes, they dismantled the scam when things got too hot. The Mafia decided it wasn’t worth it, they’ve got their fingers in a million illegal moneymaking scams, and this was a drop in the bucket. A huge drop, but nobody’s interested in going to prison for it.”

“And Vinnie?”

“Oh, he won’t last long on the inside. He’s a snitch, I’d be surprised if he weren’t already dead.”

“Wow. I can’t wrap my head around it all.”

“It was a long, complicated case. It’s a shame Annika couldn’t be here to take credit for all of her life-sacrificing work.”

“Annika? That’s Cherry’s real name?”

“Yes, Annika Asrid Blom. She was Swedish. Her parents brought her here when she was three. They are both gone now. Her name has several beautiful meanings. I wrote them down for you in case you wanted to use them on her tombstone.”

He hands me a piece of paper folded in half. I open it and for the first time, I feel something other than hate for the woman who brought my daughter into the world. I feel respect and reverence, and most of all, I am grateful to her for giving her life to get me out of this mess.

On the paper, each of her names are listed with its beautiful meaning.

Annika – Favor, Grace

Asrid – God, Beautiful

Blom – Bloom

Tears stream down my cheeks and the paper floats from my hand to the floor. Never judge a book by its cover was my mother’s favorite saying, just like everything happens for a reason is Amethyst’s mother’s favorite. Smart women they are.

“I’ll leave you alone. Security will be here for another week or two as a precaution.” I prop my elbow on the arm of the wheelchair and cover my face with my hand. Grant pats me on the shoulder and picks up the paper, setting it on my desk before he leaves, closing the door behind him with a soft click.

Harper’s mother was an upstanding federal agent protecting and serving her country and her family. Unbelievable.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Amethyst

I open the door to tell Adam breakfast is ready and find him crying. I’ve only seen him cry two, maybe three times in my life, and never like this. His shoulders are shaking and his face is in his hands.

“Adam?” I say softly, slipping in the door and closing it behind me so Harper won’t wander in. She’s at the breakfast table with Lady and the stand-in housekeeper Maria, but you never know what kids will do.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” I say, kneeling down between his legs holding his knees. He shakes his head back and forth, unable to speak, and my heart breaks for this man that I love so much. I stand and pull him against me, his arms wrap around my waist and he buries his face into my tummy.

“Shush, it’s going to be all right. Tell me what’s wrong so I can help,” I say, stroking his hair with one hand and rubbing his back with the other.

“Cherry was FBI.”

I must have heard him wrong. My shirt muffles his voice, he didn’t just say Cherry was FBI, he couldn’t have.

But he did.

I sit down and listen to him tell me the story.

“Adam, I’m so sorry.”

“I was so cruel to her. I called her horrible things, I tried to take Harper from her, I kicked her out of my guesthouse.”

“You didn’t know. You weren’t supposed to know. She was good at her job. Anybody would have felt the way you did. Can you imagine living your life as someone else? And for so long.” I shake my head.

“And she was so close to finishing. She solved the case and they murdered her the same day.”

“Do you think she would have been able to go back to living a normal life? I mean she was tied to you forever because of Harper. It’s not like she could just pick up and go back to wherever she’s from and be Annika Blom again. Are you going to tell Harper that her mommy was a cop?”

“Yes, absolutely. I want her to be proud of what her mother did for her and for me.”

“She’s a hero.”

“I never thought I’d say this but yes, she was an awesome woman.”

“Poor Harper will have to grow up without her.”

“She’s going to have the best stepmother though.” He takes my hands in his and kisses my knuckles.

“I’ll do the best I can, but I’m no Annika.”

“No, you’re not, and I’m glad. I want you safe and sound here with us, not pretending to be a criminal.”

He looks down at my hands in his. “Hey, will you help me with something?”

“Of course.”

“Push me over there to that burgundy chair.”

“Okay,” I say and wheel him to the corner of the room where a wingback chair sits all alone.

He reaches in and pulls on a piece of molding, exposing a hidden panel where his safe is located. He looks up and smiles at me while I wonder what in the world he is up to.

He flips the combination rollers and opens the safe. Inside, a light pops on and from here, I can see envelopes and a small stack of cash. He reaches in and pulls out a small, square, black velvet box. Is that what I think it is? How could he have a ring for me when he proposed so spontaneously last night?

“I know it’s strange, but I bought this years ago when I still had hope that we would get back together, and I never took it back.”

“I’m glad you didn’t.”

“If you don’t like it, we can get you something different. And since you’ve already said yes, I’ll skip the big production.”

He opens the box and it makes a little creaking sound. I don’t even look at the ring, I’m focused on his face as he removes it from the box and slides it on my finger.

“I love it.”

“You haven’t looked at it yet.”

“I don’t care, I love it.”

I bend down and press my mouth over his and get lost in a kiss that says I will love you forever and ever.

“Daddy? Maria says breakfast will be asqueroso if we don’t eat soon,” Harper says, peeking around the office door.

“We’re coming,” he says.

“Uh, uh, you’re kissing,” she says.

“We are done kissing, Princess. We will come and eat, I promise.”

“Are you gonna make me a baby sister?”

Adam and I both throw our heads back and laugh. Kids sure do know a lot at five years old these days.

“Not right now honey, maybe someday,” Adam says, and my heart skips a beat. The future we planned so long ago on a blanket in my front yard under the stars is finally coming true. It’s incredible.

Another incredible thing is this ring on my finger. When I go to push Adam to the kitchen, I glance down at my left hand. There on my left finger is a salmon-colored pear cut diamond flanked with two white diamonds in the same cut. It’s breathtaking, and big, so big I think about that article and grip the handle tighter.

“If you’re afraid someone’s going to cut your finger off, we can exchange it,” he says as if he were reading my mind.

“No, I love it, it’s mine. I’ll just stay home forever so I can keep it and my finger.”

He chuckles and reaches back to hold my hand as we enter the kitchen. The smell of cinnamon wafts in the air and my stomach growls.

“You can do that if you want, it’s fine by me. You can stay home with me and the kids and your ring.”

“I’m not quitting my job. I love my work.”

“I hope not. I need you to get me back on the field so we can get busy catching up on our life plan. Aren’t we a couple kids behind already?”

“Yes, we should have two and one on the way by now.”

“Well, we aren’t that far off then, we have one and I’m sure I can arrange the one on the way.”

“How about a wedding first? We haven’t done that yet either.”

“Yes. A wedding. How does April 1
st
sound to you?”

“April fools day?”

“Yep, I like it. And I’ll be able to walk down the aisle by then.”

“Okay, April 1
st
. That’s a pretty ambitious goal.”

“I’m an ambitious guy and you’re a miracle worker, we got this.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

Adam

A week later, we laid Harper’s mother to rest. It was an emotional day full of tears and memories, as is every funeral. Harper was sad when she found out her mother had died, but not devastated.

She had fond memories of her mother, but they weren’t very close. Annika lived for her job and her job was her life. Being a mother was never in her plans, and subsequently Harper became a chore instead of a joy.

I flew our families, minus my father, to Virginia to commemorate her life. Amethyst and I said our goodbyes to the woman who freed us from the Mafia’s grip. Harper said goodbye to the woman who did the best she could raising a child in an undercover world of crime. 

When it was over, we went back to the house to have lunch and do some serious catching up and make a very important announcement, or two.

“Could I get everyone’s attention please?” Amethyst says when we are all seated in the dining room.

“We realize this is a day of mourning the life of Annika, but we don’t think she would mind if we stole the show a little bit with some good news.”

Murmurs come from both sides of the table, and my brother Jacob says, “Bring it on.”

It’s amazing how everyone has fallen back into good graces with each other. When the truth about the gambling debt and the threats came out, all was forgiven except for my father of course. Good ol’ dad finally figured out he wasn’t wanted and took off to Vegas, where they will eat him alive before the year is out. Good riddance.

“Okay, okay, so as you know Adam and I are engaged to be married April 1
st
,” she says, holding up her hand and gesturing to her ring like Vanna White. She flashes her perfect white smile and does some little curtsy thing while the family hoots and hollers in approval.

“Settle down, there’s more,” I say, and a hush falls over the table.

“Harper, do you want to tell them?”

Her eyes light up and she slides off her chair to come stand between Ame and I.

“Ame’s gonna adopt me so she will be my new mommy,” she says proudly, sticking her little chest out.

“Aw, that’s wonderful sweetie,” Ame’s mother Natalie says.

“Catching up already and you’re not even married,” Brea shouts from the opposite end of the table.

Waving her hand, Ame says, “You hush.”

“Congratulations to all three of you,” my mother says with tears in her eyes. This is as much her dream as it is ours.

“And there’s more,” Ame says.

“We are having a baby,” I say, sliding my arm around Ame’s hips and pulling her close.

“What?” echoes from one person to the next.

“It’s unexpected, but hey, we’re behind and I’m a superstar overachiever, so I got the job done.”

“
We
got the job done, thank you very much.” Amethyst pushes her hip against me and I squeeze her tighter.

“All right, you helped,” I say, rolling my eyes, and everyone chuckles.

“How far along are you, honey?” Natalie asks.

“Oh, about five minutes,” she says, and everyone is quiet.

“I’m kidding, it’s early though so bear with us, it’s going to be a long pregnancy.”

“It better not be longer than ten months. I need to keep knocking you up so we can have a football team before you’re thirty-five.”

“Ah, so that’s your plan huh? I hate to burst your bubble, but I do not plan on having more than three kids.”

“Five.”

“Three.”

“Four.”

“Three!” everyone at the table yells.

“Okay, damn, I’m seriously outnumbered here, this isn’t fair!”

“The game of life isn’t fair, baby, but we all still play,” Amethyst says, leaning down to kiss me senseless in front of our families. She’s right though, life hasn’t been fair to us so far, but I see a fair game in our future.

The End
…