Epilogue
Eight Months Later
Marriage is a lot like football. It’s a game of trust. You support your team and you help them take risks.
Sometimes it pays off. And sometimes it doesn’t.
You celebrate every victory and you grieve every loss.
But then you get back up and you do it again.
Because the end result is a family you only ever dreamed of.
Groups of London’s homeless are currently filing into a large white tent we have set up in Hyde Park.
We’re serving food and drinks and have a table with donated clothing that they can grab from to help with job interviews.
There’s also a job fair area where grounds managers from various London stadiums are doing on the spot interviews.
It was Sedgwick’s idea to extend the job outreach programme beyond Tower Park, and I was stunned when other stadiums quickly jumped on board.
There are no promises that anybody will be hired today, but getting face to face time with people in position is an opportunity that many on the street would have never had otherwise.
My entire family is here, dressed and ready to run.
Even Hayden’s family and friends are out here to show support.
Vi brought Rocky in a pram, and she’s all suited up in a little track suit and sweat band, just like her Uncle Tanner.
Gareth and Camden were able to secure several of their teammates to join in on the run, and they’re all mingling with the homeless, eating and learning about their backgrounds. It’s inspiring.
We’ve raised over one hundred thousand pounds so far between donations and entry tickets. It’s only half of my goal, which is disappointing. But Belle continues to reassure me that for a first annual, it’s a great start.
At nine o’clock, I’ll say a few words and then a gun will sound for the official race to start.
I stride over to Belle at the table. She’s just finished registering DeWalt, who gives me a polite nod. The prat wasn’t invited to the wedding.
“Hello, wife,” I say proudly. “How are things over here?”
She looks up at me with a smile, her dark eyes glittering with pride. “It’s going great, isn’t it Sedgwick?”
“It really is,” Sedg beams from beside her. “And you just missed it, but I got to hold Rocky.” His eyes twinkle with delight. “Your sister thrust her into my hands, not afraid at all. She’s just heavenly, Tanner.”
I smile and agree completely. It’s nice to have my family all meet Sedgwick today. I don’t know what I would have done without him these last few months. He’s practically become the unofficial vice president of our operation here.
Our hope is to turn Shirt Off My Back into a nonprofit with a location that would allow the homeless to shower and wash their clothes.
We’ve brainstormed ideas, like an onsite clothing closet for job interviews and whatever else people might need to gain back some dignity.
I’d love to give Sedgwick a new job as operations manager.
Though, he’s still more than happy working the grounds at Tower Park.
“Oh! I have to talk to you,” Belle says, standing up from her chair. “Are you good here, Sedg?”
He looks around. “I think we’ve got everyone registered. I’m just going to grab a quick bite before they put the food away.”
“Excellent.” Belle picks up a bag from the ground and swerves around to grab me by the arm. “Let’s go somewhere a bit more private.”
Her voice sounds funny. I don’t like it when her voice sounds funny.
“The media tent is empty,” I offer.
“Brilliant.”
We walk over there and when she turns to face me, she has a frightening twinkle in her eyes. It’s that same dangerous one she gets when she’s getting ready to go down on me. Where I can’t quite tell if she’s going to suck me like a champion or bite it off and dance on my grave.
I grab her and pull her toward me.
“I’m not here for that.” She pulls away from my lips.
“What?” I murmur against her neck. “You said you wanted privacy and you have that look in your eyes. You know where my mind goes.”
“Tanner, be serious,” she states as I run my finger over the scrawling text on her forearm.
On the night of our wedding, Belle and I got matching tattoos. Mine is scrawling text perfectly entwined in my sleeve that says, “Love her but leave her wild.”
Belle had her ink cherry popped with, “Love him but leave him wild.”
It’s the perfect mantra to our marriage. We fight and we push each other to our breaking points, but we’ve learned that fighting is our foreplay. And I do so enjoy playing with Belle.
“Tanner, we need to have Deep Talk right now,” she states, pulling my mind out of the gutter.
“Yes, my wife?” I half smirk at her, removing my hands from her arse.
She licks her lips. “What if I told you that I found a donor to double all of the funds we raised today with one simple stipulation?”
“I’d tell you I love you and ask you where we can go for a victory shag,” I rush out, grabbing her around the waist.
She gives me a look. “We’re not shagging, Tanner.”
I sigh heavily. “So another dream dies.”
“Do you know a Frank McElroy?”
I frown. “A mate of Hayden’s, right? Yeah, I met him at Vi and Hayden’s engagement party. He’s a funny bloke. Not exactly your type seeing how he bats for the other side.”
She rolls her eyes. “Well, apparently he comes from loads of money. I’ve heard the McElroy name in my father’s circle, but he’s not a prat like them and he had an idea to make today an even bigger splash.”
“Okay…” I say, my curiosity more than piqued.
“If you and your brothers do this, he’ll match all the proceeds raised today.”
“I’m listening!” I exclaim. This is incredible.
“And remember that time I picked you up naked on a street corner and you said you’d owe me one?”
“Yes…”
“Attending my hospital fundraiser wasn’t nearly enough, so…” She giggles and bends over to pick up the bag. She pulls out a bright neon green strip of fabric.
“What’s that?”
Belle smiles. “A mankini.”
“A what?” I ask, completely confused.
She holds it up more clearly. It’s a tiny strip of underwear with straps that go up over your shoulders. The back is—
“Belle, the back is a thong!” I say incredulously. “What on earth are you going to do with that thing?”
She gets that look in her eyes again. Pure fucking evil.
“If you and your brothers wear a mankini to start off the 5k, we’ve officially made our goal for the charity.”
My jaw drops. “You want me and my brothers to wear that thing and run a 5k?”
She nods. “It’s for a great cause.”
“I’m out. This is ridiculous. I quit being a Harris.” Booker groans, pulling on the tight fabric beneath his sweats, awkwardly adjusting his package.
“I don’t even fit in mine,” Gareth says, tweaking his athletic shorts and pulling his T-shirt down over his head. “We need an addendum to this clause. We have to wear shorts or something.”
“Yeah, same problem here, bro,” Camden states, striding out from behind the makeshift changing room we created in the vacated media tent.
He’s not covering anything up. Literally. I wince at the sight of his nut sack spilling out the sides. At least he shaved I guess.
Okay, I’ll admit, this idea is ridiculous. But first of all, I would do just about anything for my wife. And second of all, when Belle told me the amount of money we could make with a viral YouTube video, I suddenly became a lot less embarrassed.
I pin my three brothers with a serious look.
More serious than I feel, standing here in a pair of joggers with two neon straps over my shoulders that cover my nipples.
“Look. I know this is crazy. I know that we’re going to look like a bunch of wankers out there.
But we’re Harrises. We rise above it. We’re not too proud to do something a little outside the box.
Those people are out there on the street with a lot less, and we would give the shirt off our backs to anyone who needed it and that’s what this represents. ”
I snap the neon fabric on my chest and Gareth’s shoulders shake with silent laughter. Camden and Booker are less concealed in their blatant amusement.
I continue, “It’s a hundred thousand pounds with major potential for so much more.”
“But we could pay the difference,” Gareth states.
I sigh and shake my head. “It’s not just about the money. It’s about making a splash. Going big. This ridiculous idea will set up the charity for life. It’s going to go viral, and that will enable us to help even more people.”
“Or scare people away,” Booker grumbles.
“Not if we do it right. Not if we do it loud and proud as only Harrises can.”
Camden leans over to Gareth’s ear. “Is it just me or are you getting a Braveheart freedom speech vibe right now?”
“It’s for a great cause!” I roar. “Now let’s go out there, bro up, cup our nutty buddies, and do this!”
We cover up the rest of ourselves and make our way out of the tent to the makeshift stage where crowds of people are gathered to watch the start of the race.
If I was nervous before, now I’m completely cool as a cucumber.
There’s something kind of empowering about wearing this mankini. I might have to make this a thing.
My whole family is standing in front of the crowd of several hundred people. Hayden has Rocky in his arms; Indie and Vi are talking quietly to Dad; and Booker, Gareth, and Camden walk up to join them, looking awkward as fuck.
My eyes land on a bright red mane of hair, recognising the man immediately.
Frank.
He tips his head to me with a sneaky smirk, and I shake my own back at him. He might be the most brilliant pervert I’ve ever met.
I clear my throat to speak into the mic.
“I don’t have a lot to say, but I do have some people I want to thank.
First of all, thank you all for coming, either as athletes participating in the run, friends and family here to show support, or all of you who donated today.
We’ve raised a lot of money and it makes me incredibly proud because I know it’s only the beginning.