“Of course.”
“But if I do sign, it’ll be under one non-negotiable condition.”
“Anything.”
“Everything okay?” Stevie asks from my bed, where’s she’s sprawled out, wearing only my T-shirt.
I wander over to her in a disbelieved daze. “Chicago wants to sign me.”
“What?” She sits up with excitement.
Laying down, I swing my leg over her, pulling her in. “Apparently, there’s been an offer on the table all season, but Rich didn’t say anything.”
“Fucking Rich.”
“What do you think I should do?”
She delicately traces her fingertips across my cheek. “What do you want to do?”
“I’m not sure.”
She lightly laughs. “Yes, you are. You don’t want to leave Chicago, the same way I don’t. Your family is here. You can’t look me in the eye and tell me that Uncle Zee would be okay moving away from Ella.”
My head falls back. “God, no. She’s already four. What am I going to do, only see her over the summers until I retire?”
“Exactly. If Chicago is offering you what you want, take it. This is your home.”
My face softens. “You going to let me officially make you ‘Auntie Vee’ or what?”
“You better.”
We share a moment, holding eye contact as Stevie delicately traces her fingertips along my jaw.
“If you want a fresh start on a new team, I’ll follow you anywhere, but I can’t imagine you being happier somewhere other than Chicago. This is what you’ve wanted all season.”
“Yeah, but I’ve been preparing myself, mentally detaching.”
“I think that’s good enough, Zee. When we first met, leaving Chicago was your biggest fear. Now, you’re ready to go if you need to, but just because you’ve grown enough to know you’ll be okay somewhere else doesn’t mean you have to leave.”
“Do you want to stay here?” My tone is laced with hope.
“Ryan is here and the shelter. If I have a say, then yes, I want to stay.”
“You always have a say, Stevie. This is our decision, not just mine.”
“Are they offering you what you want?”
I nod to tell her yes. “But I told them I’d only sign under one condition.”
“What is it?”
EPILOGUE
ZANDERS
Four Months Later-October
“Zee, we have to go. You’re going to be late for your game, and we still need to stop by SDOC.”
I wrap my arm around Stevie, pulling her in, so her head is lying on my chest and not just my bicep.
“A few more minutes.” I delicately twirl a single curl between my forefinger and thumb. “I’m not ready to leave. This will be my first time without you since June.”
Rosie’s sweet amber eyes look up at me, resting her head on my stomach as I hold my two girls in bed for a little longer.
“It’s only for three days.”
“Don’t remind me,” I whine. “I can’t believe I used to like road games.”
Stevie laughs, turning my chin towards her. “I don’t know when you became this giant needy man.” She presses her soft lips to mine. “But it’s adorable.”
“That was about a year ago when I met you, sweetheart.”
She toys with the rings on my fingers, lingering a little longer on the one I stole from her. “It’ll go by quickly.”
“What are you going to do while I’m gone?”
“I don’t know. Probably have a girls’ night with Logan, Ella, and Rosie.”
My head jerks back. “Without me?”
“We’ll try not to make you too jealous.” She pats my chest. “I’m going to Ryan’s game tomorrow. I’ll be at the shelter on Friday. Then I have our family therapy session on Saturday.”
I slightly turn as I tuck her hair behind her ear. “How are you doing with that?”
“I’m good. It’s going well. It’s not like I never wanted to have a relationship with my mom again, but it couldn’t keep going as it was.”
I offer her a proud smile. I thought I would have to create some boundaries for her, but Stevie has been able to do it all on her own.
Her mother continued to reach out all summer, but Stevie kept her distance. It wasn’t until late August that she started mentioning opening that line of communication again. My biggest worry was that her mom would have easy access to say whatever she’d like. But Stevie surprised us all when she suggested they could start speaking again only if it was during family therapy sessions that always included either her brother or dad.
This will be week four of their sessions over video chat, and she seems good with it—happy even. The therapist was a referral from Eddie, and every Saturday afternoon, after Stevie gets off the computer, she looks lighter, as if more and more of that toxic relationship is disappearing with each passing week.
I wasn’t stoked about it, that’s for sure, but Stevie’s dad, Neal, came to visit a few times this summer and eased me into the idea. He might be one of the best guys I know and just wants his family to be whole again, so I can’t blame him for trying.
“Okay, Zee. We have to get up. We’re late.” Stevie is off our bed before I can stop her.
I give one more deep scratch to Rosie’s head before I usher her off so I can stand. I trade my T-shirt for a button-down, tuck it into my suit pants, and throw on my blazer. Heading into the living room, I gather anything I forgot to pack—headphones, phone charger, sunglasses. After staying in Chicago all summer, I almost forgot how to travel. Either that or I just don’t want to.
“Don’t forget your dad is driving in on Sunday morning with his girlfriend, and we have MJ’s birthday party that afternoon,” Stevie calls out from our bedroom.
“I know. I got MJ’s gift from us already.”
Stevie pops her head out of the bedroom, brows pinched in confusion. “No. I got MJ’s gift from us already. What did you get him?”
“I found this cool little Prada tracksuit in his size.”
Stevie bursts into laughter.
“What?”
“Zee, he’s turning one.”
“Sweetheart, I’ve got to start them young. What did you get him?”
“A few books and some toys. Things he can play with.” She says it slowly as if the words need to sink in.
“Well, you put your name on that gift, and I’ll put my name on mine. We’ll see which one MJ likes better.”
She playfully rolls her eyes, heading back into our bedroom, but before she’s too far, I hear her say, “You don’t need to label yours. They’ll have no problem figuring out who bought Prada for a one-year-old.”
If shit-talking is a love language, then it’s ours, and I thoroughly plan on bantering with my wild girl for the rest of my life.