Epilogue
BYRON
February…
Light stretchingand strengthening exercises are now part of my daily routine. While I’m focused on rehab, the time away from the court has given me time to think—to ponder my life and our life together.
Franklin and Penny gave me advice and asked me what was nonnegotiable. Without me giving them an answer, they implied I needed to find flexibility in my other commitments if I wanted a successful relationship. Basketball controlled me.The more I stay away from the court, the more I realize it was an unhealthy obsession. I love the game, but I want the control to be mine—to keep the ball in my court and the freedom to decide how I want to play the game. Months ago, Jobe spoke about me being a pawn when I thought I had control. Now, it all makes sense.
It’s something I’ll discuss with my agent.
I squeeze Giana’s hand as we enter my parents’ home and slowly make our way to the formal sitting room. My limp is less noticeable now. My family stands, and hugs are shared. “Sorry we’re late.”
“You’re not late, darling,” Mom says, holding both my shoulders after we hug. She looks over me. The same eyes as mine shine with concern. “How are you? Are you on track with your rehab?”
“I am. Oddly, I’m enjoying it.”
“Wonderful.” She turns to Giana. “And how is your painting coming along?”
“I’m almost finished.” Giana looks bashfully at me.
“What painting?”
Mom looks coy. “Giana is painting something special for our bedroom.”
I smile at my beautiful girl.
“And…” Mom spins, making the light fabric of her floral gown swish and sway. “What do you think?”
“It suits you perfectly. You look stunning.” Hearing the excitement in Giana’s voice, I look at Mom more closely.
“Is it one of yours?” I ask Giana.
“Byron,” Charlotte chastises. “You should know this.”
I shrug and walk over to stand beside Jobe chatting with Penny.
Penny rests a hand on his forearm. “Thank you. I appreciate it.” She then moves to stand beside her husband.
“You’re popular tonight. Handing out favors to everyone.”
“She’s upset. I couldn’t say no.”
“About what?” I push.
“Her friend, Zara, moved to London, and she only told Penny a week before she left. Some things were said in the heat of the moment, and now Penny is worried about her. She asked me to check in on her while I’m there.”
“Will you?”
Jobe groans. “Have you ever said no to Penny?”
I huff out a laugh. “About favors… do you have an update?”
“It’s a done deal.” He hands me a key.
I pat his shoulder. “I appreciate it.” I slip the key into my pocket. “So, any clue why we’re all here?”
He shakes his head. “I thought you’d have some insight.”
“Nope.”
“I can’t stay anyway. I have a business arrangement.”
“On a Sunday?” I study my brother’s face, and the mask cracks. “You seem to have a lot of business appointments on weekends. Maybe it’s an excuse to leave.”
His brow furrows.
“No judgment here. Eventually, your secret will get out, and we’ll find out who she is.”
“There’s never just one,” he says dryly. He looks over to Franklin and Penny as though he is hiding something.
Something tugs on the leg of my trousers. “What the…” I look down to Summer crawling over my feet. “Hey, princess.” I scoop her up, holding her in the air before lowering her to my face and planting a kiss on her cheek. Giana holds out her hands, and Summer goes to her without hesitation. I turn back to Jobe, but he has moved toward Dad, who is pouring four glasses of whiskey. Mom pops a bottle of champagne.
I take the whiskey from Dad as Lola walks through the room with a silver tray of appetizers. “Thank you, Lola.” I pop a mini lobster roll in my mouth. We must be celebrating something special.
Penny comes to take Summer from Giana. “She moves so fast I can barely keep up.”
“She is so cute,” Giana coos. They talk briefly, then Mom signals that she wants to say something, so Penny moves to stand beside her husband.
“We have exciting news,” Mom announces as she moves to stand beside Charlotte. “You all know Carson and I intend to travel more, this time for leisure,” she emphasizes. My father spent half his life flying around the globe for work. “And Frank is stepping away from the team to spend more time with his family and to focus on Hendricks Capital Management. He’s had too many fingers in the pie and, unlike his father, knows the right time to let things go.”
I’m not surprised. But wait, who will be heading up the LA Sharks?
“While we have loved our journey owning a basketball team, we are promoting Charlotte to CEO before taking over the ownership.” Mom looks fondly at Charlotte.
“Please raise your glass to your sister…” my father adds, “… and her ideas on how to propel the team forward and maximize our success.”
“Congratulations” sounds around the room as everyone toasts. I throw my whiskey back, then move toward Charlotte. She flashes a big smile, the pride oozing out of her. “Well done, Lottie.” I lean in and hug her. “I hope you enjoy babysitting grown men.”
She laughs and clinks her glass with mine. “I’m used to it. Older brothers who behaved like idiots helped the transition.”
I pat her back. “What’s the first change you intend to enforce?” Every new CEO has ideas of how they want to revolutionize procedures, even if it’s not broken.
“I’m going to have more say with player selection and oversee the coach’s decisions.”
I nod, thinking it’s a ballsy move. “Good luck with that.”
“I was going to ask you to pop into my office. I have a proposition for you.”
“Yeah, what is it?”
“I won’t go into detail here, but I’m hoping you might be part of the offensive coaching team, at least until you’re fit enough to play. It’s also about the future and our family’s future with you remaining with the team when your playing days are over.”
Giana comes to stand beside me. “Sorry, I couldn’t help overhearing.”
Wrapping an arm around her shoulder, I kiss her forehead and pull her into my side. “What do you think?”
“Something to consider. Coaching is strategic, right?” I nod. “And you’re a math genius. It makes sense to coach and use your strategy intelligence off the court.”
“Maybe.” I love the idea, though getting back on the court is still a priority. For the future, it could be a viable option to coach and remain in the game.
“Give it a shot. Even for a month,” Charlotte suggests.
“He will…” Giana says for me, “… and he’ll excel like he does at everything.”
I shake my head and smile at Charlotte. “She makes me the happiest man on the planet. How am I so lucky?”
Charlotte touches both of our arms. Her eyes flick from mine to Giana’s. “You’re both lucky to have each other. Never forget that.”
A piece of my heart cracks for my sister, knowing she still hurts.
“Everything happens for a reason,” Giana says gently. “I know the pain, but you’ll be stronger for it. For now, I think you’re meant to be right where you are… the CEO and the face of the LA Sharks. You’re good at what you do. Keep your eyes open, and when you least expect it, love will hit you smack in the face.”
Charlotte gives Giana a quick hug. “I hope so. It will be the only time I’d welcome a broken nose.”
“Is that what happened to us?”
She places a hand on my shoulder. “You came at me so fast?—”
“Like a wrecking ball,” Charlotte finishes, and they laugh.
I’ll take it as a compliment, especially if it makes my sister smile. Charlotte gives a gentle punch to my shoulder and works her way over to Jobe.
Giana curls into me, then leans back and holds my gaze.
I reach for her body, bracketing her waist and rubbing her hip bones with my thumbs. “I know that look.”
“What look?” Her voice is sweet and smooth like honey.
“The one where you want to take me out back and fuck me,” I murmur against her lips.
“Clearly, you don’t know me,” she says in carefully spaced words. What? “Because I was about to tell you I love you.”
A rush of adrenaline tingles through my body. It takes my breath away, and I’m stuck for words. “Finally,” I murmur, unable to hide the huge grin growing on my lips. We got our special moment, and I wasn’t expecting it at all.
Three months later…
Instead of diningat Blooms for a date as promised, I surprise Giana by taking her in the helicopter along with my instructor to Downtown LA. My instructor speaks to me as we fly toward the helipad of Hendricks Capital Management building. Since Frank is owner and CEO of HCM, he leases the lower floors to other businesses. When the first-floor business vacated, he spoke to Jobe about leasing it. Instead, I bought the entire floor from my brother as an investment.
“It’s going to take a while for me to get used to this,” Giana shouts. “But I love it. The view is sensational.”
“It is.” Her excitement has me grinning all while maintaining my focus and listening to the instructor. A set down surrounded by skyscrapers has adrenaline pumping through my veins.
“Where are we landing?”
“On the HCM building.”
“Are we visiting Franklin?”
The instructor’s voice cuts in for the vertical landing set down.
We balance out, descend slowly, slower until we have set down. “I’ll see you next week,” I say to my instructor, spring out of the side door, take Giana’s hand, and help her down. Bent over, we run, her hand blowing over her face with the force of wind from the blades whipping around our bodies. Inside the doors, she flings her arms around me. “That was exhilarating.” She leans into me and kisses me. “Thank you.”
“No, thank you,” I murmur against her lips.
“For what?”
“Trusting me.” My voice cracks as my words are not only for today. “For giving me another chance.” Her gaze flicks over my face, and before she can say anything, I take her hand and lead her to the elevator.
“Why are we here?” she whispers.
I grin, thinking about her reaction. “It’s a surprise.”
“For Franklin or me?”
“You.” We are not visiting Franklin. The elevator door opens. The three-month renovation has proved to be the best impulsive decision I ever made. Stepping forward, I squeeze her hand as we walk into a foyer where a chandelier hangs above us.
“What is this?” she asks, her head turning back and forth, taking in the room.
The bare walls are all white, the high ceiling is white, and the hardwood floors were laid only a few weeks ago, the scent of paint still lingering in the air.
“It’s for you,” I whisper. “All you need to do is think of a name for the signage.”
Her eyes widen as she studies my face. Her delicate hand goes to her throat as though she is incapable of speaking.
“Giana Monroe’s art gallery. A place to house your famous work for display or to sell.” I lead her to a room at the back that has floor-to-ceiling glass windows looking out to the bustling streets. It’s a corner room and has the best view. “This is your studio for you to work when you please.”
Giana throws her arms around my neck. She hugs me, then slowly, I realize she’s not laughing. Muffled sobs sound against my chest.
“Hey, hey, hey, I thought you’d be happy.” I take both her shoulders and pry her off me. Tears stream down her flushed cheeks. Fuck, have I messed up?
She shakes her head. A sharp pain grows in my gut. Jesus, she has a different vision for her future. Fuck, she’s returning to Italy? Giana continues to choke out sobs.
“Talk to me, Gi.”
She lifts a finger and flicks tears off both cheeks. “My makeup is ruined.”
“Here.” With my thumbs, I wipe the black lines from beneath her pretty eyes. “Perfect.”
She coughs out a single laugh. Her lashes flutter, and she gives me her standard bashful look. “How am I so lucky to have you?”
My shoulders loosen, and I blow out the tension in a breath. “Fuck, Gi. I almost called Jobe and said we need to sell.”
Her soft hands cup my face. Her gaze fixes on mine, staring deep, full of love. “You are the most thoughtful, loving, caring man on this planet.”
I grin at her. “I enjoy being upgraded from selfish.” Moving her hands to my mouth, I kiss her knuckles while holding her gaze. “If I knew how good it felt, I would’ve stopped being an asshole years ago.”
She pulls her hands from my lips and loops them around my neck. “Truth is you were never an asshole, merely focused on your dream. And now, I feel like the asshole, with you doing this for me, for my dream.” Her chin dips, and I rest my chin on the crown of her head.
“It’s for us, Gi. Our future. Not just for you.”
“Our future,” she whispers and snuggles into my chest. “To repay the favor, do I need to buy you a team to coach?”
I laugh, then wrap my arms around her and hold her tight. “I already have that,” I say, contentment settling in my chest. “I only need you.”