by Andrea Rose
“You didn’t renew it?”
“I couldn’t foresee any romantic getaways in my future so bought groceries with the money instead.”
His mouth oh’ed. “Your life is falling apart.”
“Help me then.” I hushed him with a kiss, gripping my arms behind his head.
A sharp inhale and I pulled back to see him. “Of course I saw your dumb press conference, by the way.”
“You did?”
He muscled me atop the counter, making me straddle his torso while he poked at my ribs.
“Where to instead of Australia, then? Hawaii, maybe?” he asked over my breathy gasps of ticklist laughter.
“No! Stop!”
“Canada? Mexico?”
“No! No! Nowhere!” I said. “Right here is where I wanna be.”
“Here?”
“Never been more sure of anything in my life.”
He, swung me in an arm, dialing someone on his phone, eyes on me. “Yo…Yeah, I found her…She hasn’t given me a hard answer yet but…I think I got it under control…”
I heard girlish screams down the line.
“Yeah, yeah…Chrissy…You know that trip you planned…Me and Ari can’t make it…No, don’t cancel it. Take a friend and go enjoy yourself, get away from your mad boss a while. I should be able to manage my affairs the next few weeks. You’re long overdue for it.”
“Months?!” I heard her yell.
He hung up the phone and dipped me to the floor.
“My whole world’s tearing down around me,” I said, “and I’ve never felt more like I’m where I’m supposed to be.”
“That’s because you were wrong, babe. I’m not a storm, I’m the eye of yours,” he said holding my neck. “Wherever you stand, I’m the calm around you.”
“Do you have a book of smooth lines in that back pocket or…?”
“You want more, Maldova? I knew the second you dominated my dick with that binder you were exactly where I was supposed to be.”
I cupped his face and snickered. “I thought I’d lost you, big guy.”
Tyler looked at me knowingly. “Ari, look at me—You can’t lose me. Never. I’m far too tall, I tower above everybody in a crowd…”
His eyes fell to the floor then back up at me.
“…And also I love you so it’ll be extra hard to get rid of me now.”
Cu-thunk, cu-thunk, cu-thunk in my ears.
I swooned into him and he moved my hair from my lashes. “Too soon? I don’t give a fuck. Soon as that ass saved me that day, I knew you were my girl.”
“You wanna bring up your hospital boner right now?”
“Maldova, you’re not makin’ this easy.”
My own laughter dissipated enough to ease his worry. “I love you,” I said, tugging my fingers through his hair.
“One more time now…”
“I. Love. You.”
“I love you, Queenie” he said. “I love the way that sounds.”
He planted my floating body back to the floor. “Ari or Ariana,” I reminded. “That still stands.”
“Whatever, Queenie. You love it. I love you. See you at dinner.”
He walked out the ranch-slider onto the back patio. I panicked seeing him walking away again.
“It won’t stick!” I yelled after him. “The nickname…I won’t…let it stick!”
“We’ll see! Bye, Queenie!”
“W—Where are you going?!”
“You won’t do dinner half-way across the world, at least do it half-way across the field, eight this evening!”
“You’re…leaving right now?!”
“I’m playing a gentleman and doing as I said I’d do: Inviting you on that date first. I’m staying down at the stable quarters. I’m sorry gnocchi is as far as my YouTube culinary skills extend.”
“Tyler King…”
“Wha-at?” he laughed and continued wandering off towards the distant field.
“You know how to use YouTube?!” I shouted after him.
“You’ll find out at eight, won’t you! Besides, you look a little underdressed! I’ll give you more time!”
“This is the most clothed I’ve been in this backyard I think!”
He lifted me a high raised wave and carried on toward the stable house.
I stormed half-naked into the cold air after him.
My socks picked up their pace in the dewy grass.
Tyler heard me running, spun and lifted me again into his warm arms to swing my legs around his waist.
“I better get a yes after you teasing me like this,” he said.
“You tell me—Do you feel you deserve it yet like I always have?”
He nuzzled his head in my arms. “Sweetheart, I’ve come to accept no man in history deserves you.”
Fingertips brushed up my arms and my hairs stood on end.
“…But I’ll live my life trying to be the first man who finally does.”
I shoved him back on the outdoor lounge.
My love’s hand stroked over my hips, kisses traced down my stomach, fingertips interlocked, breaths raced…
The sun shone down upon us.
No tomorrow dragging me forward.
No yesterday holding me back.
I looked up for a last time before diving headfirst into the thing that scared me most before I met Tyler:
The overflowing fountain of the present moment.
48
THREE YEARS LATER…
“Mommy, Daddy, commercial!”
Ariana caught one of my spirals out on the back lawn of the ranch where we lived full-time these days. I grabbed her in my arms and walked us inside to our precious daughters, Rose and Meghan, sat on the sofa.
Daddy’s girl, Meghan, climbed over Ari’s lap toward me dressed in her mini-King Lightning jersey.
“Owieee! Mommaaa,” she cried as Ari’s wedding ring tangled in her hair again.
“Hey, don’t blame me,” Ariana said, unwinding her hair then snatching her into a tickle. “You’re the one whose such a busybody.”
“No!” she giggled. “Nooo!”
Dino waddled from their lazy pile on the corner to fall on my lap. Bentley lifted his head telling me he’d join us eventually. The old boys were weary these days but always made sure to keep the family warm on Winter nights.
The Bowl’s pregame show went to commercial.
Cymbals crashed over the stereo.
The scene faded in on a wet street.
The average actor playing me and the actress with the impossible task of living up to Ari ran down courtroom steps in slow motion…
Ari’s character spun her head.
“They didn’t get the ass quite right,” I said.
Mommy backhanded my chest.
The heart-wrenching bass note of a double bass…
Fast editing, cheesy soundbites, dramatized conversations pulled from our lives flashed across our TV.
I felt a whole new man from that time— The drama, the big money, the big secrets and the lies. It felt easy to be free.
Ari and I shared a snort together at the melodramatic final touchdown pass that Movie Tyler fumbled. His knees dropped to the dirt, sweat disguising the tears in his eyes as the cheering crowd fell quiet around him.
“Deafening silence? Try booing.”
“Shh, Daddy.”
Heartbeat low angle cuts of a large, backlit silhouette walking towards camera…
Title cards:
‘Based on true events…’
‘Academy Award nominee Vincent Braun is…’
“The Kingmaker,” the deep voiceover crooned as the far-too-attractive actor playing Gavin Spiros lifted his face to the light and dusted off his hands.
‘Coming Soon’
The screen cut to credits then went black.
“Can’t believe they listed him an executive producer of the damn thing,” Ari said, carrying the baby toward the kitchen.
Me and Meghan stopped our clapping.
/> “That’s what you got outta that? Babe, that’s you, your story on TV. Isn’t that crazy?”
“No, that’s some actress playing the fictional role of Annie Carlisle. None of that story is me or the truth. He’s not a badass— He’s a criminal and a bad person.”
“Why do you sound so bitter?”
“I am bitter, Ty. I’ll always be bitter remembering what he did to you.”
“Meg, turn the volume up!” I yelled.
“OK!”
“You physically threw up at the money Gavin offered you for the rights to your book. I thought you’d be excited about seeing it on such a big stage.”
“I threw up at that number in relief that he almost compensated you for the pain he caused. Not because I was excited to see my story twisted into… that. He looks like some slick Robin Hood. The public love a good anti-hero, they’re gonna lap that up. Ugh, can’t believe that effer out-spun me…with my own book!”
She finished cutting up the fruit for our intimate party.
The Lightning got another chance to defend the championship title for their first season since I retired. That meant family night at the Maldova-King residence.
“He got a movie deal, diabetes and a jail cell,” I said, helping Ari with a jar of cherries. “We got a fat payout, our freedom and a family. I wouldn’t say he won, sweetheart.”
“The bad apples get off too easy with their punishments. Him and Braydon…” She stomped and covered Rose’s ears. “It’s fucking bullshit. I should’ve put my foot down for once.”
The wall phone rang.
“My dear,” I said and rubbed Ari’s freaked out dimple above her eye. “Easier does not equal better. In fact, I’d say the other way were true. Harder is worth it in the end.”
She rolled her eyes, squeezed the phone between her ear and shoulder and carried on preparing food. “King residence, Ariana speaking…Yuri, hey…Mm-hm.”
I stayed to listen and cuddled in behind her.
“I’m glad you agree with me! Tyler here thinks I should be happy about it…It’s fucked, right? Fucked. But lots of things are fucked in this world, I guess…”
I squeezed her tighter.
“…Thank you for checking in. I might pop by Wednesday if you’re in…Chrissy’s got some ideas for the latest book. We need your keen eye.”
The creak of the front door stole our attention.
“Where’s my favorite fucking family?!”
“Yep, that is indeed KK…I will speak to you soon…Love you too.”
Ari squealed at her best friend, KK, standing in the doorway. The dogs waggled tails and wheezed their way over to greet their Aunt and Uncle Derek.
My dad trailed after them, dragging two large suitcases across the cobbled drive.
“KK!” Meghan screamed and zipped through my legs.
I took dad’s shoulder, guiding him away from the ruckus to help him with the bags.
“Don’t wreck yourself, Pop,” I said, taking a handle of one of them.
“Fuck off. I’ve been doing what you said—strength training at the rec center. Gimme some fuckin’ credit here.”
I gave him a pat on the back. “Take ‘em to the guest house for me. How was the airport?”
“Fucking awful. But we’re all here now. That’s what counts.”
“That is what counts.”
Further long awaited guests arrived throughout the afternoon:
Phoebe came at six, as was annual Tricycle tradition.
“How you doin’ love?” she said kissing my cheek.
“What’s up with your hair?” Ari asked getting a spank on her ass from Phoebe.
“I did tell my landlord last week that my water kept running orange.”
Phoebe tackled cackling Meg to the floor. Ari slapped her hand to her head. “Phoebe, I totally forgot to call the building people! I’ve been so lost in this next book!”
I stepped in and pulled Ari’s palm from her face. “Phoebe, I’ll have the estate agents sort it for you first thing tomorrow. Send all that busywork shit through me for the next few months.”
“Relax, both of you,” Phoebe said. “I’ve been practically living at the theatre lately, it’s not a big deal.”
“Are you…kis—kissing?” Meg asked.
Phoebe grumbled and poked her tummy. “Yes, I’m still kissing girls and the public are loving it! Come on, Meggie-poo. Help me say hi to the other lot.”
Coming out publicly opened far more doors for Phoebe than our sham relationship ever could.
Ari gave Phoebe advice on recovering from her leaked photo scandal. What came of it? Phoebe became a poster girl of the LGBT community. A hyped playwright offered her a racy lesbian role in an off-broadway show and I’ve never seen the kid happier.
Ari screamed from the living room.
I ran to help her.
Ariana’s assistant and newly appointed co-author, Chrissy Wong, gave the party a fright when she slammed against the ranch slider glass from the dark.
Ari slid it open to greet her. “Funny,” she said. “Not.”
She helped balance her while Chrissy removed her boots.
“How was the walk?”
“Cold. Really cold.”
Chrissy moved into the stable house two weeks ago so she could have more writing time with my wife. I both commended and resented how much a better boss Ari made than me. But this setup suit everyone better.
Ariana’s parents were the last to arrive from Baltimore. They could be heard by the loud sports car revving in the drive way followed by a loud horn.
HOOOOONNKKK!!!
“You like, Ty?” said Ari’s dad pulling in with his brand new ride.
“She’s too much.”
Alex Maldova had been waiting a month to show off the car his daughter bought him as a late apology gift for Braydon. We fought tooth and nail that it was way over the top. Ari squireled away savings in secret anyway.
Who was I to stop her from making her own grand gestures for the ones she loves?
Our odd family crowded the TV to watch Josh Hale and the Lightning fight for another Bowl. Not that Josh needed to— He’d more than proven a worthy man to have carried on my torch.
The starter whistle blew.
With the Lightning ten points up, Hale—the classy motherfucker in my number jersey—scored another effortless touchdown. I stood up from the sofa and Ari caught my hand.
“Everything OK?”
“Everything’s perfect. Just getting some fresh air.”
I exited out the door to look back over my kingdom, not from envy but out of faith that Josh had my team under control.
Every year since meeting my now-wife, Ariana Grace Maldova-King, this Sunday became my time for reflection. My own new year to look back on all that brought me here to where I stand— Two years sober, three angels under my roof and endless love from people I don’t have to pay.
My breath wafted into the air in a sigh. My queen snuck up behind me to watch our loved ones in the brightly lit home.
“They won,” she said excitedly and curled her arms over my shoulder.
“No, babe. I think we did.”
“You’re dangerously cute but I meant the Lightning, goofball.”
We swayed along with each other. I closed my eyes.
“What do you say to an unprofessional jacuzzi,” Ari said into my ear, “…later…in secret?”
Her smile glinted in the moonlight.
“I say some of us have to be up early tomorrow.”
“Come on, King. Live in the moment once in a while.”
I picked her up into my arms. “There isn’t much time for the moment anymore with clients as hard to manage as mine.”
“You think those two are more work than you were for me, do you?”
“Yesterday, I dived into that sub-temperature pool there to save Meg’s Princess Paige.”
“Why not use the scoop?”
“She’s Princess Paige, babe. A net can’t
save her. Only a King can, apparently, or you’ll have a tantrum on your hands.”
She laughed and took my cheek in pity. “Aww…”
“Big sis also taught Rosie how fun it is to ride Daddy like a horse. Then showed her how you throw another tantrum when he says it’s time to stop.”
“Sounds like you’re burning out.”
“Burning out? I’m having the time of my life. We vowed we’d only run towards a challenge.”
“I remember,” Ari said and traced her thumb along my lip. “Maybe now is a good time to ask if you’d consider running headfirst into a new challenge?”
“What’s that?”
“Signing on…another client.” Ari took my hands to put on her belly. I froze in disbelief.
“Three?”
“Mm-hm.”
I rubbed her and set my chin on her head. “What if it’s another girl?”
“Then we have quite the challenge, don’t we?”
“Y’thought about it?”
“Mm-hm. The doctor gave the all clear.”
“You’re ready?”
“I’m ready for anything with you.”
“You’re killing me, Maldova,” I said and fell to my knees to kiss her hips and squeeze her toosh. “Y’sure?”
Her fingers played with my hair. “The jacuzzi. Midnight. No clothes required.”
“Straight in, no toe-dipping.”
I stood, followed my hands over her curves. “Headfirst, sweetheart,” I said.
“Headfirst.”
I leaned to her forehead.“Figuratively, of course. Hot tub’s not that deep.”
Ari made a pitiful chuckle at me— The reason I lived smiling.
I hope you loved The Hardest Yards, but you’re not done yet! Turn the page because I’ve included four sexy bonus novels, including my best friend Nikki’s bestselling book, Saved By The Bad Boy! Go to the table of contents for a full list of bonus books in this ebook, or turn the page for BROKEN ANARCHY!
Bonus 1: Broken Anarchy
For Blake… May he ride forever in hell.
☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼
For most of my life I wanted to be bad.
Everybody rebels against their parents somewhere along the line. They want to be different. My father was the most feared judge in the county, and that left me with only one direction to go. I tried shoplifting with the cool kids, smoking with the bad ones, and started dating the worst of them, a boy named Jude. Dad got me out of trouble when I got caught trying to sneak a CD player and some lacy underwear out of the mall. My mother’s lung cancer made me promise to give up the second bad habit.