Page 56

Epilogue

Brooks

Eleven Months Later

“This campus is gorgeous,” Lia admires while we walk hand in hand.

It’s November in Michigan, so naturally, it’s freezing. The courtyard is covered in snow but that doesn’t mean there aren’t enthusiastic college kids with their bodies painted, running to get to the first home basketball game of the season.

“Are you nervous?” I ask, looking over at Lia.

She turns, smiling at me with full brightness—my favorite kind. “Yes, I could throw up, but I won’t. I just want Wes to play like I know he can. I love that we can be here for his first college home game.”

I pull her gloved hand into mine, putting a kiss to the outside. “He’s going to be great. Don’t even sweat it,” I reassure her.

After I watched Wes play for the first time, I knew he was something special. I called my old college coach about a kid in Jersey that was worth seeing, and he couldn’t come to scout him fast enough. He had an offer for Wes a few weeks later, but it wasn’t for The University of Alabama. It was for his new school: Great Lakes University. Typically known for hockey, the basketball program was making some moves and found themselves a hell of a coach to build a legacy.

Tonight, we get to cheer Wes on as he takes the court, starting as a highly touted freshman. I can’t fucking wait.

Lia shakes her free hand, the way she does when they’re sore .

“How are the wrists?” I ask gently.

She looks at me with a hesitant smile. “I’m sore. Maybe from the cold? Or the travel? But I feel like the injections are helping.”

It’s been a long road over this last year with figuring out what was going on with Lia. We saw a few different specialists, did more tests than I thought were possible, and it seems like we’ve finally got enough information to try and help her. She was formally diagnosed with severe plaque psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis—both autoimmune conditions that have been wreaking havoc on her body for much longer than she probably noticed.

Everything is a delicate balance. She has days where she seems completely fine, followed by a string of days where she can barely hold herself up because of the pain. The thing we’ve both been trying to get better at is resting. Lia is learning how important it is to regularly take naps during her flares, and I do my best to make it feel like she isn’t missing out on anything.

We don’t have all the answers, but I’m damn proud of her for what she’s been through and how she takes each day in stride.

“Oh! I almost forgot to tell you,” she squeals suddenly. When I turn to look at her, Lia grins like she could lighten the darkest of days or moods. “I’m going to be an extra commentator for NBA TV next week!”

“That’s going to be a blast! Can’t wait.” I love cheering her on as she does the thing she loves—and when she’s in the booth, not much can top that.

After the fallout with the leaked pictures and our relationship going public, the Jags pulled together a few other local sports teams in the region and created a subsidiary completely focused on women in sports. They’re not employed by a single team, which gives them the freedom to operate similarly to a TV or radio network. Sometimes it’s events with like DO IT FOR THE DOGS, or other campaigns which focus on bringing more women into the sports realm. This summer, Lia got to be in the booth for a few WNBA games, and though she’ll never admit to it, I feel like she loved it more than any of the NBA games she’s done.

“Tell me you see this…” Lia says, nodding ahead.

There’s a crowd of people around someone who is signing jerseys and giving high fives. I get close enough to see it’s Zack. He’s wearing a Great Lakes U Otter jersey, #18—Wes’ number. Shaking my head, I laugh and Emilie sees us immediately.

“I told him we could go inside and wait for you, but you know Zack.” Emilie hugs Lia just as Zack spots us and lifts his hand in a wave.

Zack breaks away from the group and wraps me in a hug. “You ready to do the otter chant I taught you?” His excitement for Wes makes me want to hug him and never let go. It would be impossible to keep him still that long but, fuck, he has a way of pulling at my heart strings.

“Yes, we’re ready,” Lia answers and Zack hugs her next.

“Did you wear your championship ring?!” Zack asks, reaching for my hand.

I shake my head. “No, it’s not something you wear, like, out in public.”

“Fuck that. I wore my Super Bowl ring for basically an entire year.”

“You would.” I roll my eyes as he lightly punches my arm.

The moment is brief, barely a second long, but it’s large enough to bring me to my knees. My life is full and fucking remarkable. I never saw this coming. Zack. My dad. Lia. Rocky. Wes. An NBA Championship.

The dark days still happen, but they’re few and far between. And when the claws come for me, there is always someone there to help me get through it.

We walk into the building and the energy is everything. It’s electric, sharp and zipping through the air. Before we go to the suite, Lia walks to the first entrance for seats and gets to the railing, looking at the court below .

Immediately she finds Wes and squeals, covering her mouth and jumping and down.

There he is, warming up and locked in. I want him to fucking go off tonight—like I know he can. Just like we talked about.

Lia reaches for my hand and squeezes. “I love you.”

I pull her to me, placing a kiss on her mouth that has the fans around us letting out audible “oohs” and low whistles. “Can I tell you a secret?” I whisper. When Lia nods, I look into her shimmering emerald eyes—the ones I plan to gaze into for the rest of my life. “I love you more.”

And I fucking mean it.

THE END