Maggie walked over to her, wrestling her hands. The moment they finally met, I couldn’t hear what was said as Colton and I were so far away…
But I saw the hug.
We all did. It’d been quickly engaged too, Grandma Rose the reason. The older woman hugged Maggie tight, and soon, Robin joined in too, Maggie’s sister.
“Are you going to go over?” I asked Colton, and he shook his head.
“This is their time,” he said, sliding back into the dance with me, and I noticed his brothers did the same. Of course they noticed their mom as well, took inventory, but in the end, they went for the same position as their younger brother. They got back together with their spouses, the dance continuing, and even though Colton’s pop was aware of Maggie, his ex-wife, he too took up where he’d left off. He danced with his own wife, stayed with her. There would no doubt be talking later, for things later to happen. There was a lot of pain in this room because of Maggie, a lot of history, but in that moment, there was tranquility.
There were just sisters, a mom and her daughters. There were three people who hadn’t seen each other in a long time, and the Chandler men and their wives were all letting them have that moment. They were putting others’ needs first before their own, and I wasn’t surprised. That was the family I would soon be entering into…
And I couldn’t wait.
Epilogue
One Year Later
Colton
The crowd buzzed in the stadium, the energy flowing through my veins even from the locker room. My new team chanted as well, all of us huddled in a circle as a unit. We’d said our prayers, allowed those blessings to flow through the air, and now… it was time to do this.
We broke with a war cry, heading out to the arena.
The fans didn’t let us down.
The room dimmed, the Miami stadium filled with spectators’ light, cellphones in the stands like twinkling stars, and one by one, the announcer called us players in. My teammates and I got to drink in all that fan energy, our biggest supporters with us during each and every win. We hadn’t lost a game since I got here last year, and though the arrogant son of a bitch beside me—my brother Griffin—could take a lot of credit for that, I’d give credit where credit was due. We were all fucking badasses.
I just happened to be related to the one who reigned supreme.
Griff had helped me so much with my transition here, given me a connection to blood while I played the game I loved. Having him, Roxie, and Jackson alongside my move here with Cami had just been the icing on the cake for an experience I never should have let become obstructed by my own demons. I used to get in my own way but no more.
Griffin slammed his hands down on my shoulders from behind, buzzing just as much as the crowd out there in the arena. He didn’t say anything about his nerves prior to this moment, but he had to have them. Tonight was a big night, a huge one for him. Squeezing my shoulders, he remained patient while each and every one of our teammates were called to the court. The pair of us were last. They usually announced by alphabetical order before a game, but again, tonight was special. It was my brother’s final game, his final night on the court. He had decided to retire early to fully immerse himself in Pop’s business and, eventually, move back to Texas where it all began. I was nervous about that, being on my own after playing alongside him, but then, I realized I didn’t need to be. He left me some awesome stuff here.
Now, I just had to take it.
“You nervous, Mini Me?” he asked, his nickname for me as kids. He used to use it all the time, and I’d never admit I missed that. I’d miss this guy a lot, my all-star brother.
I cocked my head. “You?” I asked, nudging him.
My name called, I charged out to center court, and the fans roared at my arrival, roared for me. I’d had a good run here so far, and a lot of that had to do with that blue backlight.
Cami made her cellphone light blue on purpose, making it so I’d always see her. She waved her signal at me, and I found her immediately courtside.
Shaking her light, I saw her smile and those lips I couldn’t wait to kiss tonight. We were freshly newlyweds, our wedding fucking explosive a few months ago, and folks were still talking about it. We didn’t end up getting married at my gram’s ranch, but in Bali. We’d always been kind of different, but people showed. They cared about us and wanted to be there. We had to make it quick since Griff and I had games back in the States, but that had been okay too. Cami had been my support system through all of this, and I was hers. She was quickly climbing up the ladder at Roxie’s firm, living out her own path.
The two of us were a team, and tonight, my other supporters clustered around her.
I knew by the signs.
My family’s were always the biggest and illuminated as well. Today, Go Griff + We love our boys! shimmered right in my eyes. The entire crew was there, Pop and my stepmom, Ann, Gram and Aunt Robin, as well as my brothers and their wives, along with their kids. Roxie, of course, had Jackson tonight too, the boy on her shoulders to see his poppa’s final game. I panned, and the final person I looked for I easily spotted. She’d come to many of our games, so many despite her living across the country.
Momma, our mom, never took anything from us. She hadn’t since she arrived back into our lives. There’d been a lot of tears at Brody’s vow renewal last year, a lot of pain, and though it’d taken a lot of time, we were all getting there. Maggie was making her way back to us, and though developing a solid relationship with her wouldn’t occur overnight, all my brothers were willing, even our pop. She’d hurt him, yes, but that pain eased a little upon the arrival of my stepmom, Ann. He was so happy now, Ann his true soul mate. All of us Chandlers had literally moved to new heights, gotten over hurdles and found our happiness. The only link to us who hadn’t was our mom… Momma.
We felt she deserved a second chance too.
She raised her sign higher when Griff came out, and there was a reason I got to be announced right before him. He was passing on the torch to me, and the stadium blew up for this moment, his final walk he made toward his younger bro.
He lifted his hand to me in center court, literally ready to hand things off. His legacy was now mine. I had a lot to live up to, but I was ready. I wanted that honor and to prove to him I was worthy of it.
I took his hand, and the crowd roared, my brother bringing me into a hug. We were about to play our final game together, and to make this whole evening even more perfect, it’d be against my old pal Jesse. He’d been traded to NYC, something he wanted after he finally got back on the court himself after treatment. He’d ended up meeting his boyfriend in his new city.
And goddamn was I happy for him.
Things had turned out so well for all of us, and I hoped my friend was prepared for tonight. He was about to go against not one, but two Chandler men, and I had to say…
He better be ready.
Dear, reader,
Thank you so much for taking this journey with this wonderful family with me. I’ll miss the Chandler men and their feisty heroines, but I’m happy I got to show them to you! Take care and make sure to click through the rest of the book for information on how to stay connected with me as well as a release day giveaway!
- Victoria <3
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Victoria H. Smith, Colton (Found by You Book 7)
Colton (Found by You Book 7) Page 19