by Jillian Dodd
Table Of Contents
Title
Copyright
About this book
Prologue
May 19th
October 25th
October 26th
October 27th
October 28th
October 29th
October 30th
October 31st
November 1st
THAT DIVORCE
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JILLIAN DODD
Copyright © 2018 by Jillian Dodd
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. This romance is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of the trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners. This ebook is licensed for you personal use only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with someone, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with, especially if you love swoon-worthy boys, strong heroines, and epic love stories.
Editor: Jovana Shirley, Unforeseen Editing
Photo by: Grey Ink
Cover Model: Ashley Gibson
Cover Design: Mae I Design
Jillian Dodd Inc.
Madeira Beach, FL
ISBN: 978-1-946793-14-0
ABOUT THIS BOOK:
Quarterback Danny Diamond loves to score. Touchdowns. Get those dirty thoughts out of your minds, ladies. Just because he has two Championship rings, model good looks, and a well-defined athletic body doesn’t mean he’s a player off the field. Sure, he has women swooning over his messy blond hair, brilliant blue eyes, and cocky smirk, but he’s been married to his college sweetheart since he was drafted, and they have two beautiful children.
Just when he’s gearing up for what he hopes is the best season of his career, his picture-perfect wife of fifteen years completely blindsides him when she asks for a divorce.
Award-winning actress Jennifer Edwards also lives a seemingly fairy-tale celebrity life with rock star and international DJ, Troy Malone. That is, until he’s caught on video in an Amsterdam brothel, and their love becomes tabloid fodder.
Years ago, Danny and Jennifer met at a party, and their chemistry was off the charts. After a few months of being just friends, he did the right thing—cut off all contact with her to focus on his family.
It was the right decision at the time. But they’ve never forgotten each other. Or the special connection they felt. And, when Danny’s next-door neighbor offers Jennifer a place to hide out from the paparazzi, they meet … again.
Will Jennifer and Danny find true love after getting sacked, or are they destined to watch from the sideline forever?
PROLOGUE
14 years earlier
Danny
“That kiss was like a freaking fairy tale,” Jennifer blurts out the second our lips part.
And I have to agree with her. I’ve kissed a lot of girls, but I’ve never experienced anything quite like this. Not this crazy, instant connection.
I’ve definitely experienced lust at first sight—but love at first kiss?
“I’ll be honest,” she continues. “I was hoping to come out here for a quick roll in the sand ’cause you’re hot and I’m tipsy, but, fuck, what am I supposed to do with you now, Danny Diamond?”
I smirk. Lord help me, I can think of so many things I’d like her to do to me. Except … I can’t.
“As much as I’m dying to know the answer to that, I’m married,” I reply, holding up my left hand in response, the wedding ring on my finger feeling like it’s burning a mark into my skin. I don’t know what I was thinking. I should not be on the beach with this girl. I shouldn’t have even let it go this far.
But Jennifer Edwards is funny and blunt and adorable. We’ve been laughing our asses off since the moment we were introduced at the party.
I think about my daughter—specifically, my wife’s threats to take her away from me if I ever stray.
Jennifer must see the internal struggle in my eyes. She runs her hand down my arm and says coyly, “If you can’t promise forever, just promise tonight.”
I suck in a deep breath, trying to slow down the hormones raging in my body. “I’m sorry. I can’t. I should probably get back to the party.”
“Oh, fine,” she says, rolling her gorgeous eyes up toward the moon. “We’ll just talk. Hang out. I love talking to you. And I swear, I won’t even try to kiss you again.” She kicks water toward me and says with a laugh, “At least, not tonight.”
May 19th
Danny
“How’s the shoulder holding up after surgery, Diamond?” Coach asks as I’m leaving the weight room from a preseason training session.
“I’m in the best shape of my life, and for the first time in forever, my shoulder doesn’t hurt. This could be our year,” I say with a grin.
“You want another ring?”
“Don’t you?”
“Hell yeah, I do,” he says. “I’m also really appreciative of the guidance you’ve been giving the rookie. I’m sure it made you nervous when we drafted him.”
“I’ve never been afraid of competition, Coach. You know that. And don’t forget, I was the hotshot rookie once, too.”
“We’ve had a good run here together in Kansas City. Add a third ring, and I just might think about retiring. Spend some time with the grandkids. What about you?”
“I’ll probably play as long as my body holds out,” I tell him. “But it would be good to go out on top. We’re going to have a strong offensive unit.”
“And the defense is coming together nicely. Hey, have a good trip. You taking any film to study while you’re gone?” he asks, but I can tell by the grin on his face that he’s joking.
“No way. This vacation is all about relaxation and celebration.”
“Good man,” Coach says as he heads to his office. “Have a great anniversary trip, and give your wife, Lori, my best.”
I walk outside of the practice facility where I’m greeted by numerous fans shouting my name. I sign autographs, shake hands, and take pictures. A small group of beautiful young women is in the mix, waiting until the kids have moved on to the next player to bounce up to me.
“Danny, will you sign my shirt?” one of them asks, pushing her chest out toward me to indicate which part of the shirt she wants signed.
She sexily flips her hair as I take the Sharpie from her and sign closer to her collarbone than her boob.
“I’m Lana,” she coos as I sign a football for her equally gorgeous friend. “What are you doing now? Wanna go party with us?”
I know exactly what she’s offering.
“Wish I could, ladies, but I have to get home to my wife. We’re celebrating our fifteenth anniversary.” I’m pretty sure I deserve to be sainted in the afterlife for all the women I’ve turned down over the years. But, when you have two amazing children and a beautiful wife, it’s not worth a few hours of fun. I chuckle to myself. Well, it might be, but I’d never do anything to embarrass my children.
I grab my offensive lineman, a recent divorcé who needs to g
et back out there. “But you should talk to Randy here. He loves to party.”
Randy rolls his eyes at me as I slip away. I know he won’t be going anywhere with the girls either but, if nothing else, it’s good for his ego.
On the way home, I pick up a bottle of Cristal, a bouquet of flowers, and a pair of custom-made earrings from the jewelers. Lori, who I sent to the spa to get her out of the house for the day, is going to be so shocked by everything I have planned. Our anniversary was a couple of weeks ago. We went out to dinner with friends and had a great time, but with the kids’ school year coming to an end, I knew we wouldn’t be able to get away until now. I thought about telling her then but decided to surprise her instead.
When I pull up to my house, I see there’s mass chaos going on as my parents and two children along with the four Mackenzie children and their grandparents are all trying to get loaded into the black SUVs that are taking them to the airport.
“Daddy, you made it in time to say good-bye!” my fourteen-year-old daughter Devaney says, running over to give me a hug.
Since the teen years hit, it’s become rare for her to call me Daddy. I take a moment to bask in the glorious sound of it.
“I couldn’t miss seeing you off.”
“And none of us spilled the beans!” my son, Damon, says. He’ll turn thirteen next month, and he is a chip off the old block—always looking for ways to have fun. Fun meaning trouble. “Mom will be so happy!”
The youngest Mackenzie, Madden, who just finished kindergarten, is running around like he’s on a sugar rush, knocking over the suitcases. I pick him up. This kid doesn’t need sugar. He’s got more energy than anyone I’ve ever met, and he is tough as nails.
“Hey, Crusher, how about we get you buckled in and ready to go? I'll put Ryder next to you," I say, mentioning his nine-year-old brother.
My best friend, Jadyn Mackenzie, smiles thankfully, handing another suitcase to the driver to load in the back as she gives instructions to her oldest son, Chase. He and Damon just finished the seventh grade and both play every sport they can.
“Who do you want to meet most on the Disney cruise?” I ask Haley James, the second-oldest Mackenzie.
“I’m a little old for all that, don’t you think?”
She’s eleven going on seventeen and a good athlete herself. Although you’d never know it by looking at her. Right now, she’s decked out in a pink satin romper, a furry jacket, and glittery shoes, and she has black sunglasses perched on her head. You’d think she was going to the French Riviera for the Cannes Film Festival, not on a Disney cruise with her grandparents.
“She wants to see the characters from Frozen,” Chase says, causing Haley to slug him. “You hit like a girl,” Chase says, pretending not to be effected even though I see him wince.
But that sets Haley off, and she rushes after him.
“All right!” Jadyn says. “Everyone who wants to go on the cruise with their grandparents needs to get in the car with their backpacks and get buckled up, or you’ll be staying home.”
All the kids immediately stop screwing around, march over to pick up their packs, and get into the SUVs without a fight.
“Are you sure you’re up for this?” she asks the grandparents.
“Of course we are,” Mrs. Mackenzie, her mother-in-law, says. “We can handle it.”
“We did manage to survive your childhoods on our own,” my mother adds.
She’s right. Jadyn, her husband, Phillip, and I were best friends growing up in Nebraska and were quite possibly handfuls ourselves.
We do hugs, kisses, and good-byes, and then they take off.
Jadyn sits down on the front step and takes in a deep, cleansing breath. I sit next to her, just like I used to when we were kids.
“Operation Surprise Anniversary Trip has officially commenced. I’ve gotta be honest,” she says. “I didn’t know if you and Lori would make it this far. Fifteen years of marriage is a big deal. Congrats.”
“Thanks. Our first years were a little rocky, but once we were done having babies, I won my first championship, and I got signed to a long-term contract, things got better. I think she’ll be excited about our trip.”
“I’m a little nervous she won’t love being surprised, but hopefully, she takes it in stride. The kids are sure excited.” She leans back and stretches her long legs. “Phillip and I aren’t sure what we’re going to do with a whole week to ourselves.”
I bump her shoulder with mine and grin. “Oh, I’m sure you’ll think of something. You should go somewhere. Take a trip.”
“No way. We travel all the time for work,” she says. Jadyn runs a commercial engineering and architectural design firm while Phillip is CEO of a white-glove freight company. “We’re going to stay home and enjoy the peace and quiet. Plus, I have a meeting on Wednesday that I can’t miss.”
“Who would have thought, the girl who skipped her college classes on Fridays to drink all afternoon would turn out to do what you have done? I’m really proud of you, Jay.”
“Thanks, Danny. That means a lot coming from a twice-winning Super Bowl champion. Can I borrow your rings, get naked, and try to help Phillip live out a fantasy of his?”
“What fantasy is that?”
“You know he always thought he’d play professional football with you someday. It was both of your dreams, growing up.”
“Until he blew out his knee senior year of high school. He’s done fine without football. Hell, he’s just hitting his stride. I’m getting too old for the game.”
“You’re only thirty-eight, Danny. That’s not old.”
“It is for a football player—or so my lovely wife tells me.”
“She’s just worried about you getting hurt.”
“Maybe,” I say.
“Are you all ready? Did you pack all her clothes exactly like I told you?”
“Yes, I did. I also picked up the champagne and flowers. And these.” I pull a box out of my pocket. As much as they cost, I’m not letting them out of my grasp.
Jadyn eyes the store name on the box. “Lori does love jewelry,” she says flatly.
“I was thinking I’d give these to her on the plane. Start things off right.” I open the box.
“Holy crap! Those had to cost a fortune!”
“Quarter of a million.” I shrug. “Fifteen years of putting up with me, she deserves something spectacular, don’t you think?”
“You’ve given her a spectacular life, Danny. She should be giving you a gift. Has she even said anything to you about your anniversary? I thought she would throw a fit about just having dinner with friends on the actual date. You usually plan something more extravagant.”
“And these earrings are just that. I’m hoping maybe the jewels will loosen up her lips, if you know what I mean.”
“You shouldn’t have to spend a quarter of a million dollars to get a freaking blow job, Danny,” Jadyn says, rolling her eyes. “You’re a professional football player. A woman should pay you to allow your championship-winning penis in her mouth.”
“Penis? Ugh, I hate that word. Please tell me, when you and Phillip get it on, you don’t call it that.”
“I’m trying to use the proper terms for the children. I don’t want my boys running around, telling people about their dicks. Or worse, using the C-word.”
“When did cock become a bad word?”
“When your six-year-old screams big, black cock over and over at a soccer game.” She laughs. “Even if he was referring to the rooster on the shirt you got in the Chianti region of Italy.”
“That was fucking funny.”
“I wanted to die. Actually, I might have. I’m pretty sure my heart stopped.”
“Oh no, don’t even joke about that,” I tell her, remembering when her heart did stop, and Phillip and I thought we’d lost her. She was in a car accident while pregnant with Chase, which caused a placental abruption, leading to an emergency C-section and her flatlining. Thankfully, they were able to rev
ive her, and both she and the baby survived. I honestly don’t know what I would have done without her in my life.
“It’s just an expression, Danny,” she says, lowering her voice.
I glance at my watch, wondering where my wife is.
“What time is Lori supposed to be home?” Jadyn asks, reading my mind.
“When I sent her to the spa, I told her to be home by five. That I’d made reservations.”
“It’s almost six. So, she thinks you’re going out for dinner?”
“Yeah. She has no idea that I’ll be whisking her away on a private jet to Fiji.”
A few minutes later, Lori’s sleek Mercedes convertible pulls into our driveway.
She gives Jadyn and me a wave but doesn’t come over, so I say, “It’s showtime.”
Jadyn stands up and gives me a tight hug. “I hope you and Lori have an amazing trip.”
What she verbalizes doesn’t match her body language, and that worries me.
“Do you think she’s going to be mad I sent the kids off and didn’t tell her?”
“She’s just not big on surprises. You know how she likes to be in control—or at least, have the illusion of control. Maybe give her the earrings first and then tell her about the trip.”
“Yeah, maybe you’re right.”
I walk across the yard, stopping to grab the bottle of champagne and the flowers from the car. When I go inside my house, I notice that my wife looks stressed. Not that you can tell much. Her face is so Botoxed that she can’t really frown. I’m not sure why she is so obsessed with looking young. But then I think back to the girls standing in line for autographs and know the answer. She sees every woman as competition. And I can’t fault her for wanting to keep her body perfect for her man.