He sighs. “Every day I’m a little more blown away by her. One of these days she’s going to come home and say, ‘Daddy, I figured out how to stop the polar ice caps from melting. It was a piece of cake.’”
“There’s no doubt in my mind she’s going to change the world. She’s so charismatic, just like Daddy was. People would follow her anywhere. All she has to do is lead. I just pray she keeps that innocence. She’s only eight. Once the teen years come, I have to hope she uses that influence for good.”
Serephina is not only brilliant, kind, creative, and one hundred percent genuine, she’s stunning. People can’t help but stare at her when she walks down the street. And the best part is that she has no idea how beautiful she is. If she ever does catch on, we could be in a world of trouble.
Chase kisses my shoulder. “She doesn’t have a bad bone in her body. She may look like me, but deep down, she’s all you. Always has to make the right decision or she can’t live with herself.”
I inspect the group of kids, taking count of how many of mine are in there. “Where is she? I don’t see her or Adalyn.”
“Last I saw, they were with Ariko in the school, unpacking the shipment of books that just came in.”
Standing, I brush the dirt off my shorts. “We should wrangle them all together and start packing. It’ll be dark soon, and once the bonfire starts, with all the dancing and singing, we’ll never get anything done.”
My kids’ favorite part of being here is the nightly bonfire. They love the music and all the singing and dancing. Especially Aiden. The vibrations from the drums put a spark in him like nothing I’ve ever seen. He’d dance all night if we’d let him.
I’m so proud of the way all five of them have embraced the culture here. From the moment we arrived, they immersed themselves in the village, asking questions, trying new things—soaking it all in like sponges. It thrills me beyond words that they’ve realized we aren’t just here to teach, that we have so much to learn as well. Seeing that my kids aren’t just well behaved or smart or polite, but that they’re good human beings is heartwarming. I don’t think it’s possible for me to be more proud of them.
Chase picks up my bag then slings it over his shoulder. “Addy told me she’s going to be farmer. She can’t wait to spend every summer in Dillon.”
Aiden’s twin sister, my little free spirit, always makes me smile. “Today it’s a farmer. Yesterday it was an architect. When we get home, she’ll want to be a soccer player.”
He offers me his arm for support as we walk down the rocky hill. “I forgot Henrik’s coming to town. Is he staying with us?”
“Yup,” I say popping the P. “For two whole weeks. He offered to teach a few of their soccer classes while he’s here. He’s even been practicing sign language. I think he got sick of not being able to keep up with the conversation.”
“Thank God we built that addition,” Chase replies. “Two weeks with Henrik is… a lot. We all need a little space or I’ll end up killing him.” His face lights up as though a light bulb just went off. “If he’s staying with us, I can drag him down to the field to work with our kicker. I still can’t believe we lost the NFC Championship by a fucking field goal.”
“Every time I close my eyes, I can see that ball going wide,” I reply, not bothering to hide my bitter contempt. “It still stings.” I shake my head, trying to get the image out of my mind.
“Is he bringing what’s-her-name?” He snaps his fingers. “Gitta? Helga? I can’t keep them straight.”
“Freya was the latest, and they broke up. I was thinking of setting him up with Sere’s swim coach.”
Looking at me as if I’m nuts, he scrunches his face. “Really?”
“Well, if she’s busy with Henrik, maybe she’ll stop looking at you as though she’d like to eat you for dinner.”
My husband only seems to get better-looking with age. While most guys our age are growing a spare tire, Chase is in the best shape of his life and gets more and more handsome every damn day. Not only that, but he’s an active dad. He knows all the kids’ friends and teachers, helps with carpool and playdates. He’s the epitome of the perfect co-parenting partner. The single moms at school swarm around him like vultures, just waiting for their chance at him.
Stopping, he turns to face me. “I thought she was a lesbian.”
“You might be the one to get her to switch-hit then. At the last meet, I was tempted to hand her a Shammy to wipe her drool.”
He places one hand on each of my shoulders. “Blondie, you’re the only woman in the world that I pay any attention to. The rest of them are just androgynous beings. You’re the only one I have eyes for.”
“Ohhh, good line, Brennan.”
He wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me close. “It’s not a line. It’s the truth. The entire world disappears when I’m with you.”
I give him a kiss. “I’ve never worried about wandering eyes, but you can’t pretend that if you don’t notice the world, the world doesn’t notice you.”
He rolls his eyes. “It’s just because of that damn picture.”
I chuckle as I start walking again. “It’s your own fault. Had you asked me first, I would have warned you that giving a nine-year-old an Instagram account would blow up in your face.”
About six months ago, Chase was having a tea party with Adalyn. She made sure he was dressed for the occasion with bows in his hair and clip-on earrings and a lovely set of pink and purple pearls. Colt snapped a picture and put it on Instagram, an account I didn’t know he had, and the picture went viral. Women all over the world swooned. How could they not? There’s nothing sexier than a man who’s man enough to wear pearls to make his little girl happy.
“He said he needed it to share pictures from that last tournament with the guys on the baseball team. He promised me he was only going to accept requests from friends.” Sighing, he waves. “That was totally my fault. I should have monitored it more closely. I learned that lesson the hard way, and now all the kids can thank Colt for the social media ban.”
We get to the bottom of the hill, and Chase wolf whistles to the kids. Once Cooper looks our way, Chase shouts, “Meet at the tents in thirty.”
Cooper nods then goes back to the game.
I motion for us to head to the school to get the girls.
“Just a heads-up, Cooper’s going to talk to you on the plane,” Chase says. Judging from his tentative tone, I’m not going to like this.
“About what?”
“He wants to play more.”
I’m caught so off guard, my toe catches a rock and I fall forward. Not this conversation again! “He came to you about this?”
Chase lunges and catches me before I faceplant in the dirt. “Yes, and before you freak out, he’s afraid to talk to you about it because… well, you always freak out.”
Annoyed, I push out of his arms and keep walking. “Saying no and sticking by our word is not freaking out.”
He has to jog a few steps to catch up with me. “Hey, Speed Racer, slow down. Look, the kid loves tennis and he’s good. I think you need to reconsider.”
I slow my gait from angry-sprint-walking. “I know he is. He’s better than I was at his age, but… I told you before they were born that they wouldn’t grow up like I did. No expectations. No pressure. They were never going to be forced into that life. We agreed, and I’m not changing my mind now. The answer is no.”
“But we’re not forcing him. He wants this,” Chase beseeches.
I throw my hands in the air. “He’s not even ten! He cannot possibly conceive what he’d be getting into. So far, tennis has been nothing but fun for him, and I want to keep it that way.”
“But it isn’t fun for him anymore,” Chase argues. “He’s bored! He wants to be challenged, and that’s not going to happen unless we let him compete at a higher level. Would you tell Colt he couldn’t advance in football? Or hold Sere back from swimming? No, you wouldn’t. And those are his words, not mine.”
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That stings like a slap in the face. “He said that?”
“He sure did. And it’s one hundred percent true. You’d warn them about everything that comes along with competing at a higher level, and if that’s still what they wanted, then you’d support them. You’re holding Coop back because of your own experiences, and that’s not fair.”
I always thought it would be Colt we’d have these issues with. Both boys have excelled at every sport they’ve played, but Colt gravitated to football and Cooper to tennis. Being the son of the owners of the Niners and the third in a line of Hall of Fame quarterbacks, I really thought Colt would feel the pressure to push himself and I’d have to rein him in to protect him. But he’s perfectly content keeping the game fun. Despite his already apparently exceptional skills as quarterback, football isn’t the only thing in his life. He also loves baseball, lacrosse, soccer, and playing doubles with his brother. Cooper plays other sports too, but he would rather play tennis all day.
Frustrated, I tuck the wild locks of hair behind my ears and glare at Chase. “He’s not even ten. I just want to preserve their childhoods for as long as I can. What’s wrong with that?” I fold my arms. “You used to agree with me.”
“I did, and to some extent, I still do,” he replies. “But after listening to him, I can’t ignore that as it’s his childhood, he should have some say in how it goes. He doesn’t want to start touring eleven months out of the year, but he does want to take it to the next level. Of course, I’ll remain a united front if you still feel strongly that this is the wrong move, but think about something before you make up your mind—holding him back won’t fix your parents’ mistakes. That’s not how this works.”
It breaks my heart that my son is afraid to talk to me about this. The last thing I ever want is for any of my kids to feel they can’t approach me or to feel as though their feelings haven’t been heard or respected. Letting Chase’s words simmer, I tug on a piece of tall grass then shred it as we walk toward the school. Chase knows me well enough to give me time to think without pushing the issue further.
We collect the girls, then we meet everyone back at the tent to pack up before dinner. The villagers have prepared a huge feast as a thank you for all we’ve done for them. Knowing this is probably the last time we’ll see each other, I want to spend as much time as I can tonight with the villagers I’ve grown close with. It’s so hard to say good-bye.
After dinner, I watch my children dance and sing, clapping along with the beat of the drums. They’re all so different, yet I see so much of Chase and myself in them. After a while, Cooper crawls into my lap.
I squeeze him tight. “You’re going to be too big for this soon. I need to get all my squeezes in while I still can.”
He leans into my hug. “Nah, I’ll never be too big to get hugs from you, Mommy.”
“Promise?”
“I promise.”
I pull back and look at his face. I have to brush the blond hair out of his eyes. Haircuts just moved to the top of the to-do list when we get home.
“Thank you for bringing us here, Mommy. I’ve had so much fun. And I built a shed and learned how to grow carrots. Can we have a garden at home?”
“Of course. We’ll just have to make sure the puppies stay out of there.”
“Silly Mommy. Heisman and Stanford aren’t puppies anymore.”
“They will always be my puppies, just like no matter how big you get, you’ll always be my baby.” I study his face and see how much he’s grown. It’s hard to believe the twins are almost ten. The time goes by so fast.
He lays his head on my chest. “Yup.”
My sweet, sweet boy. He’s still so young, so innocent. There’s no way he’s ready to face the horrors of the tennis circuit. Just last month, a parent was caught trying to drug one of her son’s competitors.
But then he looks at me with that big smile, and I want to do anything to make him happy. Being a parent is by far the toughest thing I’ve ever done. There are no right answers, no playbook to follow. The only thing I have to follow is my gut.
“You really want to play more tennis?” I ask.
He looks surprised but nods. “I’m good. I know I’m good, but I want to see how good, and I can’t do that the way I’m playing now.”
“It’s scary,” I reply. “There are mean people. I worry you’re going to get hurt.”
“Mean people don’t scare me. I’m not a kid anymore, you know.”
I knit my brow. “You’re not?”
He sits up straight. “I’m almost a whole decade old. I’ve seen the world. I know how things work.”
“Oh yeah? And how do things work?”
“Mean people can only hurt you if you let them. I know people do bad things to try to win, but I’m above that. I’m better than that. If I stay above it, they can’t touch me. And maybe I’ll teach them a thing or two. Lead by example, like you always say.”
Overcome with pride, I pull him close and kiss the top of his head. He’s so young, but he has such a good head on his shoulders and a big heart. “You’re a good kid, you know that?”
“You made me this way,” he replies.
I hold him tight and wish I never had to let go. But after a few minutes, he gets squirmy and pulls away.
He puts his hand on my stomach. “Let’s call the new baby Mud.”
I wipe the tears from my eyes. “Mud?”
“Yeah. Everyone likes mud, and I want everyone to like the new baby. Don’t name it Potato like Addy wants to. That’s a dumb name.”
“The new baby will not be named Potato.”
He beams. “You sure it’s only one this time? More twins would be awesome.”
“Just one this time.”
He snaps his fingers. “Poop. Well, if you change your mind, I’d really like it. Boys though, please. We have enough girls.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
He jumps off my lap then runs to catch up with his brothers and sisters. They each have a drum and are dancing around with the kids from the village. Their smiles and the sound of their laughter warms my heart.
Chase sits behind me then pulls me onto his lap. “You okay?” He puts his hand on my stomach. “You feeling all right?”
I lean back against him. “I’m fantastic. Happier than I ever thought possible.”
Coming Soon
Over the course of the three Love/Hate books, readers have fallen in love with Spencer and Charlie. This May, look for Charlie and Spencer’s book chronicling their infertility struggle and beating the odds by not only having one baby, but two.
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Acknowledgments
I promised you a wedding novella and I gave you a full fledged novel. I blame it on Tom Brady. When I was finishing up Love to Hate You, the Deflategate scandal was wrapping up and there were rumors flying about how the scandal was impacting his marriage. While I try not to buy into tabloid fodder, the rumors really got me thinking about how hard it would be to support someone going through such a hard time professionally. Especially with all the personal attacks in the media. No matter how hard I tried to focus on writing a simple wedding story, my brain kept coming back to this concept. One thing led to another and here we are.
But, let’s face it. Chase and Ari never do anything the easy way. There was NO WAY their wedding was ever going to be simple and easy.
I would have NEVER finished this book with out my editor, Cassie Cox of Joy Editing. She worked overtime and under the most crazy conditions so I could finish the manuscript by the deadline. She went so above and beyond for me, she was in another galaxy, not only as an editor but as my very dear friend.
Candace—there are no words. Your insight and support and lov
e kept me going even when I didn’t think I’d make it to the finish line. I love you and will forever be thankful.
Jenn—not only are you always there for me, but you came through in the clutch BIG TIME!! I would never have made it to the deadline without you. Your love for my characters and your friendship made this very stressful and chaotic time easier. I couldn’t have done it with out you.
Linda— my other half of this dynamic duo. The past few months have been intense to say the least, but you’ve done everything in your power to keep the train on the track. No matter how many times I’d buzz you and say, “I think I went eschew,” you’d always give me the confidence to keep going. I’d be a derailed mess with out you. I love you from the bottom of my heart.
Thank you to all the bloggers and readers who have an anxiously waiting for this novella. I’m so grateful for your patience. I know this is not what you were expecting, but I hope you enjoyed the ride anyway.
Thank you all for following Chase and Arianna’s journey. It’s been a long one, and it’s gone to places I don’t think any of us were expecting, but I just love where they ended. Thanks for joining me for the ride.
Love To Love You (Love/Hate #3) Page 47