One Timer(An Nashville Assassins Novel)(19)

He looks up at me. “Yeah?”

“Yeah, and she said yes.”

“That’s wonderful, man,” he says, but like Harper suspected, he doesn’t care any more than Elli because of their own pain.

“She’s pregnant, too.”

His shoulders fall. “Well, don’t you have it all.”

“I do,” I say, setting him with a look. “And you could too. You just can’t give up.”

Because if he does, he’ll lose everything.

When you have it all, you want the same for the people you love.





I hold Harper’s hand as we wait for the ultrasound technician.

“I still can’t believe he showed up with someone.”

I cringe, unable to look Harper in the eye. That’s my fault. I should have told Shea we were trying to get Elli to come to the benefit; I just never thought he’d show up with a date. I swallow hard as I nod. “I can’t believe it either.”

“Elli is heartbroken.”

The guilt is eating me alive. Why didn’t I tell him? “I can imagine.”

“She’s going by Grace’s today. She’s giving Ryan all of Shea’s memorabilia. I think she might be done. I tried to talk her out of it, but it didn’t work.”

Fantastic. “I’m hoping Shea can figure something out.”

“Me too,” she says softly, and then the technician comes in.

“Mrs. and Mr. Titov?” We both nod, and I grin over at her. We aren’t married yet, but Harper doesn’t correct anyone. I don’t either. “Great, let’s see what we’ve got in here. We’re finding out the sex, right?”

“Yes, we need to know so we can paint,” Harper gushes, and I kiss the back of her hand, leaning on her hip bone. As much as I’m worried about Shea and Elli, watching my woman grow my child takes precedence over everything else. The Assassins are making one hell of a run to the play-offs, and I should be stoked, proud of us, but seeing this child grow is what fills me with the most pride. Harper glances at me, and when she cups my face, I beam over at her. This woman completes me.

We both watch as the tech puts some goop on Harper’s belly before moving the probe along it. When my child comes on the screen, everything inside me freezes. My jaw drops, and my heart damn near explodes in my chest. “That’s it?”

The tech grins and then points at the screen. “That’s her. Y’all’s daughter.”

Within seconds, an unbelievably protective feeling comes over me. Harper whips her gaze to mine, and our eyes lock in a loving and overpowering way. Tears gather in her eyes, and when they start to fall, I realize that I’m about to love two perfect females for the rest of my life. Really, no one can be that lucky, can they?

But then I look back at the screen, see my future, and I know it’s true.





Would He Be There for You?





Harper


I will never get over how gorgeous my daughter is. I might be biased, but I happen to think she is the most amazing and perfect human on this planet. I will also never forget the day I found out we were having a girl. I remember lying there, seeing my whole world come together as Jakob looked at me like I had given him the best gift ever. What he didn’t know was he had given me the same.

His love.

His forever.

Two kids later, our life is pretty great.

Has it been easy? Hell no. But we fought for each other. For our family. And I wouldn’t trade our hard days for anything. They shaped us into two great people who are raising two fantastic kids. This is one of those bad days, but I truly believe Ally will do what is right. And if she doesn’t, I’m blaming it all on Jakob.

He has spoiled us all.

“But Uncle Shea and Aunt Elli are together.” Ally looks confused as she glances between the two of us. “Like, super-together.”

I scoff. “Well, it didn’t look good for the home team.”

Jakob laughs.

“He showed up to that benefit with a girl, and it broke Aunt Elli’s heart. All over again.”

“We all know the story, though, of how he broke the glass to get her attention, and then she sang for him. I mean, we’ve all watched the tape,” Ally says, a perplexed look still on her face. “But I never knew they had broken up.”

Jakob nods. “Yeah. No one really knows that they were broken for a long time before all that happened. We all forget the bad because the good is so damn good.”

Ally just blinks. “It is insane that y’all only told us the good.”

“Because why would we tell you the bad, sweetheart?” I ask, holding her sweet gaze. “Maybe that’s where we messed up. All of you think things just work out, but the truth is, you have to work at this.”

“It isn’t easy,” Jakob says. “Mom had to stay beside me all the times we thought my career was over. I was not nice and I drove her crazy, but she loved me.”

“When I lost all those babies between you and Journey, and then with Jamie,” I say, my voice breaking at the thought of our stillborn baby. Man, it was a rough time, but Jakob was there with me. Always there. “I wanted to give up, but Daddy wouldn’t let me. He loved me.” Our eyes lock, and the last twenty some odd years fly by me. “When he got hurt that second time and got hooked on those pain meds, I thought I had lost the man I loved. But still, I never left his side. I helped him get back to my man.”

Jakob’s eyes widen. We don’t speak of that year. It was a rough time, and I saw my marriage ending just like his career had. But I think I’m too stubborn to have let that happen. I married this man for a reason, and that’s because he never gave up on me. I couldn’t do that to him. Not with how much I loved him. While I don’t know that Ally needs to know the details, I need her to realize that relationships aren’t easy. That unless Taco is going to fight for her like she is trying to fight for him, it won’t work. I already know he won’t. Look at what he is wanting her to do. That’s not looking out for her best interests, and I hope hearing this will make her realize that.

Jakob looks down at where he is holding my hand and squeezes. “And I wouldn’t have made it if your mom hadn’t loved me through it.”

Ally looks at her dad. “We all loved you through that.”

He nods, wrapping his arm around her neck and kissing her head. “Exactly. And we made it because we made sure not to give up on each other.”

She looks up at him, and soon, my eyes are filling with tears. I love how much he loves her. How much he loves us all. “I just want what y’all have.”

He kisses her head once more. “And we want the same for you. But, svet…”

Svet means light, and it’s something he has called her since she was born.

Jakob holds her tightly and says, “You have it all right now, and you’re working so hard for everything. Why do you want to give it up to go with this boy, losing all that you’ve worked for just to be with someone who won’t encourage you to pursue your dreams?”

I mean, I asked the same question and she didn’t listen to me, but I see her listening to her father. She leans her head into him and looks up at me. “I love Taco.”

Jakob shrugs as he hugs her. “I happen to be partial to Mexican pizzas now, but there was—”

“Dad,” she says dryly, and I can’t help but snicker.

He grins, holding her face. “You’re only twenty-two, svet, so young. Even at twenty-nine, your mom didn’t know I was it. Hell, I didn’t fall in love until I was almost thirty.”

I see the fight in her eyes, and I hold up my hands. “I know it can happen sooner, I know Shelli and Aiden are getting married, and blah, blah, blah. But honey, Shelli lived a lot before she settled down. Aiden, the same. We just want you to grow. To figure yourself out.”

“That’s all we want,” Jakob agrees. “So, you need to ask yourself—would he be there for you?”

Thank you, Jakob. I want to squash his face and kiss the shit out of him as I watch the wheels turn in Ally’s head. I squeeze her knee, and she looks up at me. “We are so proud of you. You are such an amazing human, Allison, and we love you more than all the words in the world. We want what’s best for you, and we truly believe finishing school is what is best. After that, you can decide if you want to start a life with Taco.”

She shakes her head, and my stomach drops. “He won’t want to do long-distance.”

“Then he isn’t the one. Your volleyball career and your studies are very important. Don’t you think so?”

She looks away and then nods slowly. “Yeah, but I love him.”

I hate this part of her. I love that she loves, but it makes her so irrational.

“But is it love for him to ask this of you?” Jakob asks, and she looks up at him. “I get it. Love is an addiction, especially when it comes to your mother.”

Wow, talk about hitting you in the feels. Even after over twenty years, this man leaves me breathless.

“I was ready to give it all up for her, but she wouldn’t let me. She wanted to grow together, and I think we did a damn good job of it.”

I nod. “We did.”

He winks, and my heart soars. This man is my life.

Ally clears her throat. “If y’all are gonna make eyes at each other, can you go into another room? I need to think.”