Chapter 30 Covey
Covey
A Few Months Later
I thought we’d have to go to court and have a long drawn-out case with Josh.
He tried to ruin my reputation, but it didn’t work out in his favor.
I quickly threatened to sue him for slander and he backed down.
I was shocked when the lawyer called us two weeks after I went back to work.
He said Josh pled guilty to sexual assault and attempted rape.
I didn’t know what to think or say. I really thought he’d draw this out as long as possible and keep claiming innocence.
Cici’s been doing slightly better since we got the call.
I think knowing Josh is in prison and will remain there for quite a while is helping her feel more comfortable again.
Today is her first day back to the work building.
Somehow Parker, Luke, and Owen convinced her to work from home for an entire month. I really don’t know how they did it.
Every morning, I drop her off at work before I head to the stadium.
I know she’ll be safe with Parker and Luke around.
Parker told me she’ll be working in his office.
He had another desk moved in there and he doesn’t plan on her returning to her office until there’s zero hesitation on her part.
He says if he has to share an office for the rest of his career, he’ll be ok with that.
I think Parker and Luke feel slightly to blame for everything that happened with Josh. They hired him to work at Scott, Powell, and Coleman. They thought they were handling the issue, but in the end, they failed to keep Josh away from Cici.
“Hey, man, I hear the house is finally finished.” Wyatt grins as he sits up on the weight bench.
“I haven’t seen it yet, but that’s what your dad said. I can’t wait. Once we get engaged, we’ll be moving in there and selling Cici’s house.”
“I call dibs!” Jackson McLaren’s hand shoots into the air as he glances around for Holden. The two of them have been arguing over who gets the next house that goes up for sale in our development.
We don’t live in a massive development and every property is a few acres. The majority of the houses are owned by Pit Bull players or Python players. It’s pretty nice living around mostly professional athletes.
Since Mason’s security company manages the gate, they know both teams’ schedules and make sure to check in on the empty houses a little bit more than they regularly check the homes.
It’s great and we pay them well to do it.
I love having peace of mind when I'm out of town for a longer stretch of time and not having to worry about some crazy fan breaking into my house.
“You can’t call dibs! It’s whoever puts in the better bid!” Holden scowls at Jackson. The two of them think they have a say. I would die laughing if Cici sold her house to some random person or someone from the Pythons. Anything so Holden and Jackson can’t have it.
“How long did it take for them to finish the house?” Cord asks.
“So long,” Wyatt chuckles.
“Hey, I didn’t complain one time.” I hold up a hand, making sure he knows I appreciate what his dad and Charlie’s did for me. “I’ll never be able to thank Blake and Wes enough for all of the work they did… and then did more.” I chuckle.
“It was smarter to get it all gutted while you weren’t living there.” Cord shrugs. “Especially if you plan on having your future family live there. It’s so much easier to renovate when you’re not actually in that house yet.”
“And when will you have a family?” Wyatt smirks.
“Owen made me promise I wouldn’t propose until we’ve been dating for six months.”
“Owen said at least six months. It’s ok if you wait longer,” Owen calls from his office.
“Nah, I think I'm ok!” I call back. “I’d be cool with moving up that timeline.”
“Nah, I think I'm ok,” he repeats my words, making me chuckle under my breath.
“Man, I couldn’t imagine having Owen as my father-in-law,” Schmidt whispers.
“Really? I think it will be amazing.” I shrug. Owen doesn’t bother me one bit. Sure, he oversteps… a lot, but it’s only because he cares. He wants to be included in everything and I'm ok with that.
My parents died a few years ago and I'm an only child. As soon as I joined the Pit Bulls, Owen became like a father figure to me and I’ve always appreciated him more than he’ll ever know.
“He’s totally going to overstep boundaries,” Holden points out.
“Please, there are no boundaries when it comes to Owen Powell,” Cord chuckles.
“He’ll constantly be at your house, especially if you live next to Cord,” Leo adds.
“If you ever hurt Cici, he’ll kill you.” Wheeler grins.
“First off, screw you. I’d never do anything to hurt Cici. She’s my entire world. Second, I don’t mind if Owen leaps over boundaries like a freaking ballerina. He can have a room at my house for all I care. He’s important to Cici and he’s important to me.”
“And that’s why you’re the perfect man for her.
” Owen clasps me on the shoulder, making me jump.
“She’d never go for a man who didn’t love her family fiercely…
I thought this was workout time. I didn’t know it was gossip like middle school girls’ time.
” Owen folds his thick arms across his chest and narrows his eyes on us.
Most of the guys grumble a sorry under their breath before getting back to the weight machines. The starting line-up? They roll their eyes and continue talking like Owen isn’t even there.
“It’s finished?” Cici’s practically bounding in her seat.
“Yeah, I think we have just enough time to check it out before we head to Liliana’s studio to do our interview.” I glance over at my girl when I get to a red light. She’s so happy and full of life today.
After the attack, I was really worried about her. It was like the life was drained out of her. I'm thrilled she’s getting back to normal.
“I’m so excited.” She threads her fingers through mine and stares up at me with so much love in her gaze.
“I’ll be excited when you’re living there with me. Until then, I’ll be sad to lose my roommate.”
“You don’t have to move out.” She smirks. “I like having you sleep down the hall from me. It makes me feel safer.”
“Then I’ll stay until we get married and move into my house.” I lift our hands to my lips and press a kiss to each of her knuckles. I’ve noticed it calms her down and helps her relax.
“Or we could move into it now.” She throws her head back and laughs.
“Nah, I don’t want us living there until we’re sharing a room and a bed. I want it to be special.”
“How many months are left on my dad’s countdown?”
“One.” I grin.
“Can we start planning the wedding now? Get married like two days after you propose?”
“I like the way you think, beautiful.”
We pull up in front of the house a few minutes later. I hop out and rush around to Cici’s side so I can open the door for her. I take her hand in mine and lead her towards the front door. When we step inside, we both gasp.
“It’s gorgeous! Oh my gosh, Covey! This is everything I’ve ever dreamed of!”
I asked Titan if he and his crew could move everything from my house into a storage unit. I paid them separately, knowing this wasn’t something Kasey Construction would do. I appreciate everything they did for me and Titan for going above and beyond.
I didn’t want any of my things left in the house. I want Cici and I to pick out furniture together. To be able to create this home instead of trying to merge our things. I'm sure there’s some furniture she’ll want from her house too.
“You like it?” I slip my arms around her waist from behind and rest my chin on her shoulder. She doesn’t hesitate to lean into me, making me feel like the luckiest man in the world.
“I love it. I can’t wait to live here.”
“Good. Let’s go see the rest of the house. I can’t wait to see the master bedroom. Blake said it’s amazing.”