Bonus Epilogue
Lawrence Poe
The engagement party for TJ and Lucy is in full swing when my phone rings.
I reach into my pocket to silence the call, but my sister’s name is on the screen, so I take the stairs up and out of the atrium, away from where Anton’s in charge of the playlist that’s currently blasting Taylor Swift’s “Love Story.”
I glance back at the scene, and I can’t help but smile. TJ, certified player, both on the field and off, has turned into a one-woman man, and he couldn’t look happier about it. He and Lucy are a great match. They balance each other out and function like a true team.
I’d love to find a partner like that, but I’m enough of a control freak to know that I don’t do well having to share with anyone, so I’m not sure a long-term relationship is in the cards for me.
I turn away from the explosion of love and happiness and accept my sister’s call. “Hey, Felicity.”
“Hey. Am I interrupting?”
I glance over my shoulder. The true answer is yes, but I never want to make Felicity feel like a burden.
She’s a single mom with so many variables stacked against her.
I do everything I can to help her out, even though she lives on the East Coast and I live here in Green Bay. “You’re good. What’s up?”
It’s quiet on the line, and I check my phone to make sure the call didn’t drop. “Felicity? Is everything okay?”
I hear her exhale. “Yes. No. It could be, but I need a favor.”
“Name it.”
She laughs nervously. “Remember you said that.”
I lean against the wall. “Spit it out, Lis.”
“Okay. I got orders, and I’m deploying, and I need help with Ana, so I was hoping she could come and stay with you.”
The words come out in a rush, and it takes me a beat to process them. When I do, my mind immediately starts cataloging, organizing, and delegating.
“When?” I ask first.
Felicity sucks in a breath. “Middle of June.”
Every muscle in my body tenses. “That’s OTAs, minicamps, and then I’ve got training camp and the preseason, Lis.”
“I know. I know. I thought of that, too. But I’ve figured out a workaround.”
I can’t help but smile at that. Felicity and I were raised in the same household. She’s not quite as task-minded and systematic as I am, but it’s close.
“I’m listening.”
“Beni will come with Ana. She can stay with you and—”
“What? No.”
My mind glitches at the mention of Anastasia’s godmother and Felicity’s best friend from high school, Beni Fitzgerald.
She is my polar opposite. She hates me, which she’s made abundantly clear over the years.
In her defense, I said some things I’m not proud of, but I thought we were past that, until she raked me over the coals.
She proved herself revengeful and spiteful, and quite frankly, I don’t think she’s a great influence on my niece.
“Lawrence.” Felicity sounds tired. “I know you two don’t get along, but I need your help. Neither of you can watch Ana full-time. If Beni stays with you, she can cover when you’re at work, and vice versa.”
“I could hire someone,” I argue. “Easily. I’ll get the best nanny I can find.”
“If I wanted Ana to hang out with a stranger, I would leave her here on base,” Felicity says, and I know she’s right.
“Look. This is a huge ask. I get it. But please, Lawrence. This deployment will go a long way in ensuring that I get to spend some more time shoreside in the future, which means more time with Ana. Can you set aside your beef with Beni for three months?”
Three months. It’s a mini deployment. Felicity has been on a ship for as long as nine months at a time. Usually our mom watches Ana, but she’ll be living in Europe for the summer with her best friend.
I rub the back of my neck, not seeing a way to get out of this.
“Lawrence?”
I grit my teeth. “Fine. We’ll make it work.”
“Thank you.” The relief in Felicity’s voice is palpable, even from hundreds of miles away. “You’re the best big brother a girl could ask for.”
I chuckle. “You’re lucky I love my niece.”
“And she loves you! She’ll be so excited to come and stay. She and Beni will fly your way in June. I’ll work out all the details. Don’t worry about a thing.”
I squeeze my eyes shut. Does my sister know me at all?
I worry about all the things, all the time.
I’m going to have the most precocious, precious three-year-old in the world underfoot.
I’m a good uncle. I truly believe that. But caring full-time for a child is a huge deal. I need to bring my A-game.
Especially since my partner in this is Beni Fitzgerald. An unreliable slob. A careless free spirit. And the only woman who has ever made a complete fool of me.
Yeah, I’ll have a lot to worry about with her living under my roof.
Don't miss Lawrence and Beni's story in Second Down and Second Chances! To see how Anton and Rose reconnected, check out Exes Don't.