EPILOGUE
Three years later
Rebecca
I was in the office, looking for an email that I printed out earlier in the week while I listened carefully to the rest of the house. I could hear small giggles and then the sound of something hitting the floor. I grimaced and just grabbed the entire folder. This was going to be much easier if I could work and keep an eye on AJ at the same time.
I walked into the living room and smiled at my son, just two years old with dark curly hair and his daddy’s eyes. Next to Austin, AJ was my world. He looked up at me and held up one of the wooden blocks he was playing with.
I took it with a big smile. “Thank you, baby boy,” I said and sat on the couch behind him.
He kept playing with his toys on the blanket. A cool breeze blew through the open windows. The farmhouse was beautiful, and everything Austin did to it made it that much more perfect for us. We had hardwood floors in the living room and kitchen, with a lot of colorful rugs to add some pizazz, as well as to cushion AJ’s falls when he got a little too wild. The bedrooms all had pretty carpeting.
AJ’s falls were often. I had my hands full with this boy, and even though I missed working at Grayson’s, I did love being home to raise my baby. It isn’t like I wasn’t working at all. Austin had started an organization here and named it the Harris Charitable Foundation, right after we moved into the house. I agreed to be his assistant as long as I wouldn’t have to travel more than two weeks a year for business. There were plenty of people to babysit for us, but I loved North Reed that much more now. I did let Austin take the family on some vacations to the beach and other states from time-to-time, but we mostly stayed in town.
Why not? It was a perfect town to raise a family in, and our family was here. There was no reason to leave for too long.
I returned to the folder, needing proof of an email for a school that we were donating money to soon. I was organized, and it only took me about five minutes to find it as I read over the paper. I could send that along to our accountant in a quick email and then start fixing the sides for dinner.
I picked AJ up with one of his rings and carried him into the office, where I scanned the paper and sent it to Preston. He’d quit acting as anyone’s personal assistant and decided on being an accountant, right around the time that Austin got this idea. Preston was quite good with numbers and helped both of us extensively with the foundation.
The computer dinged, and I clicked on the email.
“Rebecca, this is perfect. I am going to add it to your tax papers for the year, and you’ll be all set. I can’t wait to come back and see AJ soon.”
Preston was visiting his mother for an extended holiday, but he had moved here as well. He still had a place in New York, but Preston often joked about needing his country fix.
I wrote back a quick note.
“We can’t wait. Tell your mom hi for us, and we’ll see you soon.”
I stood and carried AJ back to his blanket, then headed into the kitchen to get the corn ready to grill. I glanced at my son and then outside where Austin stood with his father by the grill. Mel had recovered completely from the heart attacks, and he took excellent care of himself. He was cautious about his food intake and activity.
I smiled as I brushed on some butter and seasoned the corn before wrapping it in foil for Austin. He already had the steaks outside, and I was also serving a fruit salad and some baked beans that I’d started on the stove this morning.
Sally was heading here from the store, fussing about not having enough food. We were having some of the neighbors over, so I understood her restlessness today.
I glanced at AJ again and debated if I should wait until someone else got here before I took the corn out. I could toss the two huge salads that I’d made and get the dressing on them, since dinner was soon.
I heard the door open and glanced up to see Kim and Wade walking inside of the house. She giggled when she saw AJ, picking him up on the way to give me a hug. I was careful with the embrace since she was five months pregnant with her own baby. Then I hugged Wade, and he kissed me on the cheek. They’d been married for a year and a half now and lived just down the street.
“Would you mind keeping him alive while I take this out to Austin?” I asked her as I held up the foil packet.
“Not at all, Becs. I don’t see this little man enough.” That made me roll my eyes. Though Kim still worked at the new and improved library, she was here plenty to see her nephew and just visit with me. Marriage didn’t change that at all.
“I’ll be back,” I said as I headed towards the door that led to the backyard. I slid the screen open and stepped onto the soft grass in my sandals. I thought about what day it was and smiled to myself as I watched Mel walk over to some of the neighbors to say hello as they arrived. “Hey, baby.” I smiled at Austin as he glanced up at me with a loving gaze. “I brought you some corn for the grill. How’s it going out here?”
“Great.” He leaned in for a slow kiss as I memorized the feel of his lips against mine. “I missed you.”
“You missed me in the hour I’ve been inside of the house?” I teased him.
Austin laughed and pulled the ball cap tighter over his messy curls. Austin still wore a Yankees cap around the house since he claimed he’d fallen in love with the team while living in New York.
“Of course. I always miss you when you’re not by my side, Rebecca.” Austin kissed me again, and I grinned.
“It’s a special day for us today. I’m so glad that we’re having everyone over.”
He gave me a curious look. “It is?” Disappointment surged through me as he frowned thoughtfully. “No birthdays. It’s not our wedding anniversary, and we already celebrated the one for our very first date in high school.” Austin watched as my face fell before he barked out a laugh. “Gotcha, Rebecca. I know that I came to your parents’ door three years ago today begging for another chance. I’ll never forget that. It was the first time in my life that I ever felt complete.” He hugged me close to him, and I closed my eyes. “I love you, baby.”
“Any regrets?” I teased him as he kissed me softly and looked into my eyes.
“It will always be the same. Leaving you. I’ll never make it again.”
I heard a car and then the unmistakable sound of AJ calling my name. I playfully rolled my eyes.
“I love you. I am going to finish up in there and see what he needs,” I told him before Austin kissed me again. I turned to head back to the house, shaking my hips as I glanced back to see Austin watching me hungrily. I entered the kitchen, and AJ ran for my arms while Kim called me to the living room.
“Becs. You’ve got to see this!”
I carried my whimpering son, still tired from a nap, into the living room where our favorite gossip show was on. I took a seat as Sally came inside the house and greeted us before walking into the kitchen.
The segment was about Mia Laht. It seemed that her modeling career started to have problems a couple of years back, but now it tanked completely. She’d earned herself a bad reputation with her manipulative ways, and nobody believed a word that she had to say. Add some very high-profile social media mistakes, and the life that she knew was over. I looked at the picture of the woman, no longer hating her but feeling sorry for her.
She lost Austin a long time ago, and now it seemed that she’d lost everything. “Karma is a bitch for a bitch,” Kim told me softly.
I looked at her and shrugged. “I let that go a long time ago. I am happy with my life here, and I don’t worry about other people now, Kim.” I smiled at her, and she wrapped an arm around my shoulders.
I helped Sally with the strawberry shortcake she’d bought at the store, chopping up the berries and getting them into a bowl so we could just throw the dessert together later. She made a big bowl of coleslaw as well, making me laugh as I looked around at all the food. “You know that the neighbors are bringing stuff too, don’t you?”
“There should be more than enough food for a meal with friends. It leaves some to send home with everyone, and my son loves leftovers.” Sally shook her head. She was right. Austin had learned how to cook even more things since moving back, and we even watched shows together to get new recipes. I saw some of the people that he mentioned before and was surprised by how down to Earth Bobby Flay was when he came to North Reed to visit us. He and Austin spent hours in the kitchen just laughing and catching up, and we all ate very well that week. I loved seeing that little glimpse much more than the picture of Austin and Mia.
We lined up everything on the long counter inside of the house to keep the bugs from getting into the food. The twenty or so people that were there lined up to fill their plates, talking and laughing easily.
I felt the tears form in my eyes. This was everything that I’d ever wanted in life. Austin and I went last, getting a small plate for the baby before we headed outside.
Half an hour later, we all gathered outside at the tables that Austin built to eat, watching the sun set as our backdrop. It was perfect, and as I handed AJ another piece of fruit and Austin kissed me, I knew that everything was perfect for all of us.
After the last person went home with a full plate of leftovers, Sally helped me to get everything else into the fridge for us the next day. Dinner had been a hit, and I felt good as I gave the counter another wipe down and looked around.
“Thanks, Mom.” She hugged me as Mel watched us from the quiet living room since Austin was putting AJ down for the night.
“It makes me so happy to see you here with Austin. I hoped for years that he’d come back and realize what a fool he’d been for leaving.” I chuckled and shook my head. “Now you have that beautiful baby, and he’s so happy, Rebecca.”
“So am I,” I assured her. She smiled tearfully.
“Mom, what are you crying about now?” Austin asked her as he came into the kitchen, running a hand through his hair.
“I’m just so happy that y’all stayed here, that’s all. It’s so nice having nights like this.” She hugged him as I watched, leaning against the counter. We visited for a short while longer, talking about my parents’ visit in a few weeks and other things. Sally took the plates that she’d made after they hugged us both goodbye, and Austin walked them out as I checked on AJ.
My sweet baby. He looked so peaceful when he slept, and I stared at him from the doorway for a few moments, lost in thought. I felt someone wrap an arm around me and glanced over to see Austin smiling at me.
“How about we head to bed and maybe work on a brother or sister for him?” he asked me in a seductive voice.
Warmth flooded my body. We’d been talking about it since AJ’s birthday, and I leaned up to kiss him.
“That sounds like the perfect ending to a perfect evening.” I stepped back to close AJ’s door, and we walked together to the master bedroom that overlooked the beautiful mountains behind us. “I love you, Mr. Harris.”
“I love you, Mrs. Harris.” He pulled me close for a long kiss, and I smiled, knowing that everything was going to work out for us.
That’s the end of the Billionaire’s Second Chance. Below I included 4 of my previous books to read as a free bonus.
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By Claire Adams
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2016 Claire Adams
CONTRACT VOLUME I
Chapter One
August 2014
Dax
“Ladies and gentlemen, after a long and arduous process, it is my pleasure and honor to welcome the newest member of the NFL family into the fold tonight,” Commissioner Goodell said as he scanned the room of high-level executives, club owners, and athletes. “It’s taken more than two years to get to this point, but it’s been time well spent! Please join me in welcoming Dax Connor, the new owner of the Chicago Storm!”
The crowd went wild as I turned and high-fived my best friend, Finn O’Brien, then walked across the stage and accepted a number 0 jersey with the Storm logo on the front and my name across the shoulders. I smiled as I shook Goodall’s hand and then raised my arms over my head in a victory salute to all the members of the NFL Owners’ Club who had supported my application and then worked to convince the holdouts that I deserved the franchise.
“Thank you all,” I said leaning into the microphone. “I know there’s been a lot of talk about what it means to finally have two NFL teams in Chicago, and that there’s no way any team could compete with the Bears, but I promise that we will all work to bring you the best possible team we can, and that we’ll strive to make sure the Storm players are the best of the best in the NFL!”
The crowd was on its feet clapping and cheering as I held up the jersey and pumped my fist a few times for good measure. The flashes from thousands of cameras lit up the room as the press joined the frenzied action and tried to get shots of everyone in the room. From where I stood, I could see several people gathered in a tight knot at the edge of the room, throwing skeptical glances my way, and I knew they were the holdouts who’d been strong-armed into agreeing to award me the franchise. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Finn shooting me a thumb’s up before turning slightly and flipping the bird to the group in the corner with a wide grin.
“Screw it,” I muttered as I smiled back and shook the hands of those who were cheering my success. “Those old bastards can rot in hell for all I care.”
“Great, isn’t it?” Goodell said, smiling as we descended the stairs from the stage and the roar of the crowed swelled.
“Just fuckin’ awesome,” I said dryly, but he didn’t hear the distain in my voice because he was swallowed up by the crowd as we hit the bottom of the stairs. I smiled and shook hands as I worked my way across the room. I knew that at least half of these people hated me for having done what had once been deemed impossible, and the other half were looking for a way to worm their way into my new organization.
I didn’t trust a single one of them, but I knew better than to publicly voice my thoughts. Instead, I smiled and made inane small talk with the drunken has-beens and wannabes, and flirted with the women who rested their hands on my arm as they spoke. I knew what they wanted, and while the idea of taking one of these gorgeous and well-manicured ladies to my bed appeared to be a good idea, I knew better than to give in to the siren call of wealth and power. I’d worked way too hard to squander this all for a quickie that would likely result in bad press for the team when their rich husbands found out and sought revenge.
I scanned the room looking for Finn in the crowd, but he’d disappeared again. This whole night was the result of a bet we’d made several years ago when we’d sold the online gambling company we’d created. We were two poor-but-smart kids from Back of the Yards Chicago who’d done the impossible: made a fortune and gotten out. We’d sold the company for almost $10 billion and split the profits equally between us, thinking now we’d kick back and take it easy, but we’d spent our whole lives hustling on the South Side, and it wasn’t long before we were both itching for a new challenge.
Finn was a multitasker, and as a result he always had side deals going, but I was more of a single-issue hustler in love with the thrill of risk-taking. Finn always came up with the wildest ideas, and I’d calculate the risk involved as well as the potential payout, then we’d make a bet and I’d get to work. More often than not, I won the bets. Partly because I was far more patient about long-term payoffs, but as we got older, I found that I needed bigger and bigger bets in order to feel the thrill that accompanied winning. Finn was more than happy to supply me with ideas.
Acquiring the franchise that allowed me to create the Chicago Storm was the culmination of a bet that Finn and I made the week after we’d sold the business. Tonight, we’d celebrate my win, and Finn would pay the wager of $5 million. The money was nothing to either of us. It was the honor of winning the bet that mattered most, and even when he lost, Finn still acted like he’d won. Some things never changed.
I headed for the bar to get a refill on my scotch before I went looking for my date, who had somehow disappeared into the throng of people. I’d brought Gram with me since she’d been the one who’d raised me and encouraged me and Finn to push beyond the limits of what other people imagined we could do. Plus, she was a huge Chicago Bears fan, and she wanted to meet the players.
“You seen my grandmother?” I asked one of the security guys hanging around the bar. “Small, older woman with red hair dressed head to toe in blue and green?”
“Over there,” the mountain of a man said as he pointed toward the circle of Bears players gathered around a corner table. I nodded and headed toward the table, but a tall, dark-haired woman wearing a black evening gown that looked like it had been made out of ace-bandages intercepted me.
“Congratulations,” she said unenthusiastically.
Thank you, Mrs. Lasky,” I said staring at her without blinking. She was beautiful in a severe way that made me think of ice or the sharp edge of a knife. Her shiny, black hair and blood red lipstick gave her an otherworldly appearance, but I knew she very much of this world of football since, as the sole heir to the Halas legacy, she owned the Bears.
“I guess it’ll be good for the league to have both of our teams playing,” she said as she took a sip of champagne from the thin flute in her hand, leaving a crimson print on the rim of the glass that matched the color of her pointed nails. There was nothing soft about Joanna Halas Lasky.
“I guess it will be,” I nodded, wondering why she’d stopped me. She’d been the biggest detractor, but now she seemed downright friendly — for her.
“Mr. Connor, it’s no secret that I don’t like you or your team,” she said staring at me without smiling. “I didn’t want you here, nor do I think you are what the NFL wants in terms of an owner, but the deed is done, so we must all live with this colossal mistake.”
“Don’t hold back, Mrs. Lasky,” I said dryly. “Tell me how you really feel.”
“I think I’ve said all I need to say,” she said as she turned and moved toward the group of Bears players who seemed to have been thoroughly charmed by my grandmother. Mrs. Lasky looked at the group with narrowed eyes and then snapped her fingers as she icily addressed them, “Boys, your coach needs to see you out on the terrace. Now.”
The young men nodded and bid my grandmother a fond farewell under the watchful eye of their owner before heading to the terrace. Gram watched them go with a smile and then turned to me as she said, “Nice boys, but their owner is a real bitch.”
“Gram!” I scolded looking around to make sure no one was eavesdropping. “You can’t say those kinds of things in public.”
“Why not?” she pushed back. “I’m 85, for God’s sake. I don’t have to impress these people.”
“I know, but I need them not to hate me any more than they already do,” I laughed as I wrapped an arm around her shoulder and kissed the top of her head. “You gotta help me out here.”
“David, your generation is soft,” she said as she drained the last inch of beer from her glass and then set it on one of the tables. “Back in my day, we said what we thought and dealt with the consequences. We didn’t spend time pussy-footing around the truth trying to make sure we didn’t hurt anyone’s feelings.”
“Gram, you know as well as I do, that’s not the issue here,” I said as I squeezed her shoulder. “It’s more complicated than that.”
“More complicated than telling the truth?” she said looking around the room for one of the roaming servers who’d been carrying trays of drinks all evening. “Dammit, where’s my drink?”
“Don’t you think you’ve had enough to drink?” I asked as I silently wished for the servers to steer clear of us. Gram wasn’t anything close to an alcoholic, but the more she drank, the more honest she tended to get.
“You’re a real pain in my ass, kid,” Gram said with a grin. “But I love ya anyway.”
I laughed aloud as I steered her toward the exit and my waiting limo. I’d gotten what I’d come for, and now I wanted to go home and contemplate my next move in the silence of my own space. I hated these kinds of events, but over the years, I’d learned that they were a necessary evil if I wanted people to support my projects, so I gritted my teeth and endured them. I scanned the room one more time hoping to see my small, wiry redheaded friend, but Finn was nowhere to be found.
“Did you say goodbye to everyone?” Gram asked as I helped her into the Lincoln.
“Gram, no one cares whether I’m there or not,” I sighed as I climbed in behind her. “All they care about is that my money is there.”
“I think you underestimate your importance, David,” Gram said shaking her head slowly. “Your father did the same thing, and it was his undoing.”
“I don’t underestimate myself, Gram,” I replied. “I just don’t care about the accolades from people who don’t know me, and I don’t give a shit about impressing them. I wanted the team. I got the team. End of story.”
“You’re not fooling me one bit, David,” Gram said as she patted my hand. “You care. Now Finn, maybe not so much, but you just don’t want anyone to know you care. You think they’ll see you as weak.”
“It’s Dax, Gram,” I sighed. “Not David. I go by Dax now.”
“Oh, please, get down off your high horse,” she said rolling her eyes. “I’m your Grandmother. I’ve spanked you.”
“Please don’t tell anyone about that!” I laughed as I grabbed her hand and squeezed it.
“Your secret’s safe with me, kid,” Gram said as she returned the squeeze.
Once I’d made sure she was tucked in for the night in the small, stone house she and my grandfather had bought back in 1951, I had the driver take me back to my apartment on Michigan Avenue and drop me off before I dismissed him for the night.
“You’re not going out again, Mr. Connor?” Geo asked as he held the door for me.
“Not tonight, Geo,” I said. “But I’m going to need you early tomorrow morning. We’ve got a lot of business to take care of and I need to get started early. Be here by six.”
“Yes, sir,” he nodded before closing the door and walking around the car. He waited until I was inside the building before he drove off, and I smiled in appreciation of his attention to details. This was one of the many reasons why he earned a salary that allowed him to buy a house in Oak Park and send his daughters to private schools. It was also the reason he’d been with me for more than a decade. I valued the people who were loyal and did their jobs well.
The rest I eliminated.
I took the elevator to the penthouse, and sighed with relief when I stepped out into my own living room. I’d bought this place not long after Finn and I sold the business to Facebook for a record $9.5 billion.
We’d demanded 12 but had been willing to settle for six, so when they offered nine, and we took it and ran. We’d been building the business we sold for more than a decade with the sole purpose of being the newest owner of an NFL franchise team out of Chicago. It had been a brutal fight to keep ownership of the business when our original partners wanted to sell it, but Finn and I managed to scrape up the money and buy them all out after the first five years.
I knew they were kicking themselves right now, but I didn’t care. We were kids from the Back of the Yards, and had learned early on that loyalty and reward go hand in hand. Aside from Finn, I didn’t have many friends and I didn’t trust many people. I had Gram and a few loyal employees who could pinch hit as friends if the occasion called for it, but other than that, I kept to myself. Gram needled Finn and me about finding wives and settling down, and for years we’d assured her that we would as soon as the time was right, but as the years went by, neither of us made time for love. Business was our first love, and the thrill of the deal made every day an exciting adventure. Who needed a woman?
I walked across the room and poured myself a drink before opening the door to the terrace and walking out into the night air. It was a beautiful summer evening in Chicago and I could see the moonlight splashed across the lake as waves made the water sparkle and dance. I thought about calling one of the women I kept listed in a special file in my phone directory. I might not have found love, but I certainly wasn’t a monk, but somehow it didn’t seem like the night for that. I wanted to celebrate with someone who actually cared about me, not someone who was paid to hang on my every word.
“Fuck,” I muttered as I took a sip of the amber liquid in my glass. I stared out at the water for a few moments, and then raised my glass to the sky and quietly toasted, “Here’s to the future of the Chicago Storm and their Super Bowl championship.”