Chapter 38
thirty-eight
. . .
Riley
The little townhouse is packed full. When Al’s team captain texted to find out the results of the hearing, that somehow turned into the entire team descending on the place for a party. Not to mention Al’s family. Two aunts and five cousins have joined us, plus Cari, Tony, Viv, and Chuck.
It was a fortuitous twist of fate that Colorado is playing in Boston tomorrow night, so although he’s technically breaking curfew by hanging out with the Grizzlies rather than his team, his coach was fine with it as long as he doesn’t get wasted.
With the rest of the guys playing tomorrow, there’s a lot less alcohol flowing than I anticipated.
Vanessa, Audrey, and Mel have all brought their kids, and Tyler’s around here somewhere with his husband and Ainsley. Rachel’s newborn is strapped to her husband Jake’s chest in a wrap, separating only to feed.
It’s a loud, crazy, chaotic group, packed into too-tight quarters, given the icy weather outside, but somehow… it’s right.
When I knocked on his door a few months ago, I was prepared to do anything to keep Emmy in my life. I didn’t expect that marrying Al would give me a family. And I definitely didn’t plan on the extended Grizzlies family adopting me either. But I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
My mother-in-law—call me Luz, she said—has monopolized Emmy, only sharing her with Tony, her favorite person.
Being dethroned as the number one or two person in my daughter’s world doesn’t upset me too much; I know that when it’s three o’clock in the morning, Al and I are the only ones she wants to take care of her.
Besides, I love to see the extended family doting on her.
It’s something I never had, and I never want to take it away.
Cari steps up next to me, offering me a smile. “How are you holding up?”
“I’m good.”
She side-eyes me. “Okay, but for real.”
“I’m overstimulated and overwhelmed, but I’m so freaking happy that the custody issue is resolved, so I can hang out for a little while longer.”
Once everyone is gone and Emmy is in bed, I’ll take a long soak in Al’s Jacuzzi tub and light a candle. Maybe I can even convince him to join me in the bath.
“My mother isn’t driving you crazy?”
“Not at all.” Luz has given me about ten thousand hugs since the hearing. She introduced me to her sisters and the cousins as her daughter. Not daughter-in-law. Daughter.
Anyone else might be turned off by how quickly she’s drawn me into her circle, but it’s been almost twenty years since I’ve had a mother. I didn’t know how much I wanted one until she accepted me unconditionally.
Even if it means having to put on an elaborate wedding and wear a poofy white princess dress next summer.
“If she crosses a line, you have to tell her,” Cari says. “She’s not great with boundaries, but she’s getting better. As long as you tell her what you’re not okay with, she will usually listen.”
“Any chance we have of getting out of this wedding?” I’m half joking. I’ve never been comfortable in churches, and Al isn’t exactly religious. Plus, I wouldn’t have anyone there to support me; they’d all be his friends and family.
She laughs. “Yeah, not a chance in hell. You’re out of luck.”
Although, at the end of the day, I still get to be married to Al. So maybe I am the lucky one after all.
An arm slides around my waist, and I breathe in the cedar and firewood of his cologne, the scent as comforting as the first day we met. Maybe that was a sign it would all work out, even then.
Al kisses my temple. “Can I borrow you for a moment?”
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah. I just want to talk to you without an audience.” He offers his hand, and I take it as he leads me up the stairs to our bedroom.
“What’s going on?”
His hands land on my shoulders, gently guiding me to sit on the edge of the bed. Then he starts pacing.
“Is something wrong?”
Just tell me. Don’t make me worry.
He skids to a stop, then turns to face me. “Riley. I love you, and I’m excited to expand our family, and I can’t wait for what’s to come,” he drawls.
My heart threatens to beat right out of my chest. This doesn’t sound like he’s changed his mind. We’ve committed to each other, and we have our daughter together. We’ve agreed to try for more kids.
So why does my stomach fill with dread at the serious expression on his face?
“We’re doing this all backward. I know my mother wants us to have the big wedding of her dreams—not yours and mine, hers—and I recognize that might not be what you want.
But what I would like is to stand in front of our friends and family and proclaim to everyone that we’re together, that we’re in this, that it isn’t just convenient.
Even if it’s something small. I want to celebrate us. ”
Tears spring to my eyes, and I rub at them with the back of my hand.
This isn’t the end of us. It’s only the beginning of our next chapter.
I can find the courage to wear the white dress and stand up in a church—for him. I’d do anything for him. For us.
He drops to one knee. “Riley, will you marry me again?”
From his pocket, he pulls out a velvet box, opening it to reveal a gorgeous ring. It’s an emerald-shaped amethyst that matches the necklace he gave me, the huge stone circled by a halo of pavé diamonds.
“It should stack with your wedding band,” he says, running his thumb over the ring on my hand. “They’re supposed to go together.”
A lump forms in my throat. “Al—”
“If you’re not ready, if you don’t want a big wedding, we can—”
“Yes,” I blurt. “Yes. I’ll marry you. Again and again and again.”
I tug him to his feet, he slips the ring onto my finger, and I fling myself at him. He catches me—he always does.
Wrapping my arms around his neck, I reach up to kiss him, and the soft press of his lips to mine feels so perfect, so right, I can’t imagine how I ever survived without him. I was stumbling in the dark, and he lit the way to this wonderful, perfectly imperfect life we share.
A familiar cry sounds from downstairs, followed by an echoing wail, and with a laugh, we separate.
“Come on. Let’s go rescue our daughter from my evil, no good brother.” He chuckles. “I think she loves him more than me.”
“Never. You’re her dad. You’re her number one fan.” I run my thumb over the new ring on my finger. “But I’ll always be yours.”
Al stops on the stairs, turning to face me. “Fuck, I love you,” he mutters, before he kisses me again.
Emmy’s cries put a stop to anything further. We hurry down the stairs, surveying the situation. Tony is bouncing the baby, trying to soothe her. Leo is crying, too, inconsolable in Sven’s arms. Cora is chewing on her fist. And Ainsley? She’s trying to drink Tyler’s beer.
Al strides forward, pulling our daughter into his arms. “It’s okay, princess,” he says. “Daddy’s got you.”
I swear at least four women let out an aww. I might be one of them.
Crossing the room, I stand beside them, my hand on Al’s arm. “Does she need a change?”
Cari’s eagle eye narrows on my hand. “What is that?”
“What’s what?”
“The ring.” She grins triumphantly. “He finally asked?”
Al looks at me sheepishly. “I suppose we should tell everyone…”
“We’re getting married. Again,” I announce.
Luz lets out a shriek of delight. Now I see where Emmy gets it from. “A wedding!”
“Dibs on best man,” Chuck yells.
Tony laughs. “You can’t call dibs. Besides, we’re brothers. It should be me.”
“You can fight it out later,” Al says. “We literally just decided this five minutes ago, so maybe let’s put a pin in the wedding talk until after the All Star break.” He eyes his mother warily.
“Deal,” Luz says with a nod.
When he slides his hand into mine, those familiar butterflies erupt in my belly. “You ready for this?” he murmurs.
I laugh. “Not at all. But let’s do it anyway.”
The grin that stretches across Al’s lips could light up the whole city. Maybe even the entire state. “I love this life we share.”
“Me too.”
I don’t know what’s in store for us. Whether we have another baby or four, whether we stay in Boston or he gets traded to another team, or even how long he’ll be playing.
If I’ll try to find a job or continue to stay home.
If we’ll stay in his childhood home or if we’ll move to a bigger house to fit our expanding family.
The one thing I know? As long as he’s by my side, we can get through anything. Because we’ll get through it together.