Epilogue
DAMON
“Whoa, Chicago, two years in a row!” Ronnie Michaels shouts into the microphone at the crowd as orange and blue confetti falls from the rafters. “We’re thrilled to bring this home to you again!” He raises our championship trophy in the air.
Rip Klein, one of the sports commentators, comes to the microphone. “And we have one more trophy to give away—the MVP!”
The crowd goes crazy.
I’m not expecting to win MVP. I had a good game, but not outstanding like Miles did last year. That was some crazy shit.
Adeline finally reaches me in the crowd, clutching Clover. They’re both wearing my jersey, and Clover’s got on her pink headphones for the noise. “This is crazy! We barely got here, but I’m glad we did before they announced the MVP. Congratulations!”
I bend down and kiss her. “I’ve won enough this year.”
“You played amazing, right, Clover?”
Clover gives me a sloppy kiss. She’s nine months old already and has started being more mobile, having just learned to crawl.
“Definitely the luckiest guy in the world right here.”
Rip clears his throat. “Here, Ronnie, go ahead and announce it.” He hands the Grizzlies’ GM a piece of paper.
“This guy, huh?” Ronnie says. “He’s given me a lot of trouble over the years.
Had to bail him out more than once. But he’s one helluva player on the field, and I’m happy to say, this year, he finally got his life figured out, both on and off the field.
Now he’s got a beautiful woman and an adorable kid by his side. Damon Siska, everyone!”
Holy shit.
My stomach gets that roller-coaster-swooping while the crowd goes crazy again. I drag Adeline up to the stage with Clover in her arms. All my teammates pat me on the shoulders as I pass them.
Taking the trophy, I lean into the microphone. “I just told Adeline I had everything a man could want, but I will admit this makes this past year even sweeter. I love playing for Chicago, and I hope it never ends. Go Grizzlies! Thank you.”
The crowd cheers, and I bring Adeline’s lips to mine in a kiss I know will be broadcast to tens of millions of people.
Ronnie gets back on the microphone. “If there were any women out there thinking Damon Siska is still available, I think this is proof he’s not.”
As I kiss Adeline, a small hand lands on my cheek. I open my eyes to see Clover put her other hand on her mom’s cheek, as though she wants us to keep kissing.
The crowd all awws and goes wild.
Isn’t that just like a Siska, to steal the show? That’s my good girl.
Instead of staying in town that night, we head back to Chicago with my parents on their plane. Bowl celebrations aren’t made for babies, and the two people I want to celebrate with the most are with me.
My parents insisted on taking Clover to their rental after we landed to give us some time alone, so the next morning, I wake up alone with Adeline in my apartment.
We’ll live in Adeline’s house for the remainder of the school year, then she’ll move into The Den permanently and find a job teaching in the city.
After I retire, we’ll move out of the city, but I don’t think we’ll stay in this apartment much longer.
We need more space and a small yard since we plan on having more kids.
I roll over onto Adeline, using my thigh to separate her legs.
“Is this how you always plan on waking me up after I move back in?” she asks, her voice still a little groggy.
“I think so.” The tip of my dick settles at her opening, and she scootches back.
“Unless you want another Clover, big guy, I suggest you put something on that thing.”
“Since when is my dick a thing? And is another so bad?”
She holds up her left hand. “I gave you the first one for free, but there will not be a second until there’s a ring on this finger.”
“I guess you mean a diamond ring, right?”
“Yes, and not one you win as a prize in one of those toy things.” She chuckles.
I rest my head on her chest for a moment, then pick it up and look into her eyes. She looks worried now.
“That wasn’t an ultimatum. I’m not asking for you to propose to me. I’m happy right where we are,” she clarifies—probably because she knows that nowadays, I’d do anything to make her happy.
She says she wants me to jump, and I jump. I still have so much to make up for for being such an idiot. But she doesn’t know everything like she thinks she does.
Like the fact that I planned for my parents to say they wanted Clover last night.
Nor the fact that we’re leaving today for a trip and Clover will go back to Connecticut with my parents.
I already talked to Adeline’s principal and made the arrangements for her to be off for a week.
I’m really hoping she’s excited about us going to the Caribbean and not upset that I took things into my own hands.
But first things first.
“So if I put a ring on that finger right now, I can fuck you without a condom?”
She stares at me and inhales. “Do you really want another one? Clover’s not even one. I mean, two kids so close in age…”
I kiss her quickly and shrug a shoulder. “Maybe we’d get a boy.”
“Is that what this is about? You want a boy?”
“Don’t do that. I’m more than happy with my girls. I could be a girl dad to five, and I’d be thrilled. All right, since you seem so against it…” I stretch over the nightstand drawer and grab the box of condoms.
Rising to my knees, pretending I’m actually going to put one on, I open the box and pull out the case holding the large engagement ring I stashed there. I place it on her chest, open, so that the diamond sparkles.
“Damon!” Adeline slides up, and the box falls to the mattress.
“Okay, let’s try that again.” I chuckle and pick up the box and hold it out in front of her.
She looks at the diamond and then back at me. “Seriously?”
“Adeline, marry me. Let’s make this official. I want to spend the rest of our lives together.”
“Is this so you don’t have to use a condom?” she asks, and I laugh.
“No, baby, that was just to get us here. We’re using a condom because I’m not ready to share you with more than Clover right now.” I lean forward and kiss her. “Marry me because you want to spend the rest of your life being spoiled by me, being loved by me.”
“Well, I don’t know… I have one condition.” She smirks.
Adeline gets up out of bed and struts over to the closet. We’ve been making room for her things and getting rid of mine. I lie down, admiring the view of her naked body, until she puts on a hat from inside the closet and turns around.
“You need to get rid of these hats first.” The trucker hat on her head says “Den Member” on it. Coming back over to the bed, she straddles my waist. “Found these the other day. Were they souvenirs for your conquests to take with them?”
I laugh. “We can keep one, right?”
“Why would we do that?” She arches an eyebrow.
I take her left ring finger and slide the diamond ring on because we both know she’s going to say yes. “Because you were a Den Member and a mama bear before you were my wife. We can call it coming full circle.”
She shakes her head and chuckles. “Why do you make it so hard to stay mad at you?”
“Because I’m adorable. Now, say the word I need to hear.” I fiddle with the ring.
“My life would be nothing without you and Clover. Yes, of course I’ll marry you.”
I wind my hand around the back of her head and bring her lips down to mine. And then I grab a condom and make love to my fiancée.
Four hours later, I’m on an airplane with my parents, Adeline’s parents, and Clover because Adeline’s not ready to leave Clover for that long.
But this way, everyone can have a vacation.
I just put my foot down and insisted that we sleep by ourselves.
Even if I know that probably won’t happen, I’m okay with it.
We land, and my phone dings with a message from Miles. What the hell? He knows I planned to get away with Adeline for a week. Why is he messaging me?
Check this out.
He sends me a screenshot of a picture from the bowl game. It shows our teammate Bradley, the other wide receiver for the Grizzlies, all relaxed and leaning on a metal gate and talking to Ellery while Cooper talks to the press in the background.
Does Bradley know Ellery and Coop?
Don’t think so since he’s new to the team, but maybe this will force Cooper to actually make his move.
We can only hope.
I’ll see you in two days.
He includes a winky emoji.
I turn to look at my fiancée as we approach the customs desk. “Adeline, why will Miles see me in two days?”
She gives me her sweet smile.
“Jesus, we’re never going to be alone,” I whine.
“I told you about foul language in front of the baby,” Cooper says, joining us sans Ellery.
I give Adeline a pleading look. “Did everyone hijack our vacation?”