Epilogue

EPILOGUE

Ten years later…

The water slapped up against the boat house with a steady, relaxing rhythm. There was a breeze blowing across Lake Geneva making the air cooler along the shoreline than it was higher up toward the house. Not that Trey minded as he sat on his favorite bench contemplating the lake, the bright sunlight dancing off its swells. Beside him, however, his mother was a little more bothered by the chill.

“You’d think it was the middle of January and not June,” she groused, tugging her cashmere wrap up to her chin.

Trey wrapped his arm around her, pulling her closer to his body. “It’s that thin Miami blood of yours,” he teased. “This is a postcard day for this area. Brilliant blue skies. A nice breeze ruffling the water. And sixty-five-degree temps. You couldn’t ask for anything more.”

They both knew there was something more they could ask for.

More time with him.

Sighing, she rested her head on Trey’s shoulder. “He loved the water. I’m so grateful to have had the last decade with him.”

Trey fingered the urn on the bench beside him. He was still having trouble coming to terms with the loss of the man who meant so much to him. Despite knowing his death was imminent, Trey still felt blindsided by life without him. The pain of that reality would likely linger longer than the bruises after a game.

A cacophony of children’s laughter floated down from the terrace, its sound making him feel lighter, relaxing the boulder that had been lodged in the back of his throat the past week.

“And I’m glad he had the opportunity to know your children,” his mother said. “He loved them, you know.”

No more than Trey did.

Love.

He’d gone most of his life not believing in it. Not trusting it. Not wanting the pain that came with it. Then along came the bright light that was his beautiful wife. Her smile had hit him like a thunderbolt right here on this dock twenty years ago. He cursed himself regularly for being a fool and running away from it.

Not that the past decade of making up for lost time hadn’t been immensely pleasurable. He bit back a grin, recalling the enthusiastic way London and he had enjoyed each other last night. Except it wasn’t just her body he loved. It was her very being. She made life softer around the edges and every day worth waking up to.

Life with London showed him that football didn’t have to define him. In fact, the twilight years of his career hadn’t been as difficult to accept as he’d imagined. Mainly because he had London and their two kids at home to temper the landing. He wasn’t exactly sure what the future held, but he did know it would be filled with a lot of laughter and love.

“Uncle Bennie, my turn,” his daughter Avery screeched at a decibel only five-year-old girls could achieve.

“Don’t let them win, Grandpa Chuck,” her brother, Jace, shouted in reply.

Trey’s mother chuckled. “The apple didn’t fall far from the tree. You may not have saddled your son with the unfortunate name of Lars, but he’s definitely got the genes. He might even be more competitive than you.”

If Trey was skeptical of love at first sight when he met London, he’d certainly believed in it the first time he’d held his son in his arms seven years ago. The minute he stared into Jace’s blue eyes, he was a goner. Sure, the kid was competitive—with Van Horn as his last name, it was to be expected. But he also had his mother’s artistic eye and was fiercely protective of his little sister. Not that Trey could blame him. Avery had everyone in her orbit wrapped around her finger from her first breath. She was growing up fearless like her mother with the same impish smile.

“I should probably go up there before Bennie throws out his back,” Jay said from the interior of the boathouse.

“Don’t you go throwing out your back, mister. I have plans for you later.” His mother winked at her husband.

Trey groaned. “Jesus, Mom. TMI.”

London chuckled as she gathered up the paperwork she and Jay had been going over. It turned out their former agent, Marty, was right. Jay did have nine lives. To say that cancer changed Trey’s father would be an understatement. It turned out, the man simply needed a purpose. Once he had one, he became as relentless as Pops or Trey about being the best.

Since his diagnosis, Jay had worked tirelessly with the medical community to help fund studies and drug trials like the one that had prolonged his life. He served on the board of directors for three different cancer research groups and was a frequent witness before Congress advocating for more funding.

Collin had even convinced him to write a children’s book based on the cockamamie story he told his grandchildren about losing his ear to a pirate. It was an instant bestseller. He’d then teamed up with London to produce a documentary about the effects of global warming on skin cancer rates. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival last winter to rave reviews. There was even talk of an Oscar nomination.

Trey was so damn proud of his dad.

But he was even prouder of his wife. Not only had she given him the gift of two amazing kids, but she was realizing her dream every day. She was making the films that made a difference while still catering to the small mom and pop businesses in Milwaukee, treating them with the same respect and care as she would a global client. And she had several of those, too.

Her campaign for Gunther Cheese established her as one to watch in the industry. This summer, he and London were traveling to Italy so she could film an ad campaign for an Italian car company’s new EVs. They’d rented a gorgeous villa on Lake Como. Spending two weeks ravaging his wife in Italy would definitely make missing his first training camp in eighteen seasons worth it.

Her lips lifted into a sly smile as if she could read his mind.

“You aren’t going to dump that whole thing in the lake out there, are you?” Jay’s question refocused Trey’s salacious thoughts. “I thought you were going to save some of Pops’ ashes for Lake Como. He was so happy there with Olivia.”

His mother sighed again. “What a beautiful love story those two had. They spent the last ten years of their lives without being apart for a single night.” Her eyes glistened with unshed tears. “And then to die within hours of one another. So romantic.”

Jay tugged his wife to her feet and enveloped her into a tight hug. Even after all these years, it still blew Trey’s mind seeing the way his parents looked at each other, how, after all the bitterness of his childhood, they had found their way back to one another.

“I’d say theirs is a pretty sweet love story, too,” London whispered as she wrapped her arms around Trey’s waist and pressed her cheek to his chest. “And you thought the Van Horns weren’t capable of true love.”

He pressed his lips to the top of her head. “I’ve never been so happy to have been wrong about something. And remind me to show you how happy I am tonight.”

A boat horn sounded off in the distance. It was followed by screeches from the tribe of kids up on the terrace.

“It’s coming!” Lucy’s oldest daughter yelled.

Footsteps thundered down the wooden steps as everyone from the terrace made their way to the boat house.

“Calm down, Florence,” Lucy called after her daughter. “Or you’ll slip off the dock and miss Kyle’s maiden mail run.”

The Walworth came into view as it slowly cruised from around a blind bend in the lake. The captain sounded his horn again, making the kids cheer. Chuck stood at the railing of the dock with Avery on his shoulders. Kim beamed as she readied her cellphone camera. Bennie hefted Lucy’s youngest, Ivy, into his arms so the toddler would have a better view.

Jace stood arm and arm on the bench with Lucy and Mike’s twin boys. Everyone referred to them as the Triplets because they were born the same day. Trey felt something in his chest shift every time he looked at the three of them together. They weren’t related by blood, but by something just as powerful: love. It was the same fierce bond he felt for his teammates. Even after leaving the game. Fletcher. Kessler. They would always be part of his band of brothers. Hell, even Bergeron and his family were part of their social group.

“You need to keep the path clear, Florence, so the poor boy can have a spot to land,” Lucy chastised her daughter before turning to London. “She told me this morning she’s going to marry Kyle. Ten years old and she’s crushing on a boy headed to college.”

“Well, she is your daughter.” London shared a sympathetic grin with Mike.

“Uncle Kyle!” Avery swayed on Chuck’s shoulders as she waved at the incoming boat.

London gave Trey’s hand a squeeze before he headed out toward the end of the dock. He pulled the plastic baggy from the pocket of his shorts. Kyle worshiped Pops as much as Trey did. It was only fitting that he be given the honor of leaving a little bit of Pops’ memory at the center of the lake the old man had loved so much.

The kids were all clapping and chanting Kyle’s name when the boat pulled up beside the dock. Kyle jumped off its bow, easily landing on his feet, much to the delight of the onlookers. Most of the tourists on the boat had their phones pointed at Trey, several of them calling out to him to look their way. Trey gave them a smile and a wave as he took the pile of junk mail from Kyle.

“You sure you’re okay with this?” he asked his brother-in-law, now a healthy five foot eleven in height.

Kyle nodded. “Yeah. I know just the spot. We used to fish there.”

The Walworth continued to crawl slowly forward. Kyle tucked the bag of ashes into his pocket and waved to his fan club on the dock.

“Gotta go. My sister is the only one who gets the honor of falling into the lake from this dock,” he joked.

The kids and the passengers all cheered when he easily leaped back on board. London came to stand beside Trey as the boat pulled away. He placed his arm around her shoulders, grateful to have her by his side. She smiled up at him before stretching up on her toes and pressing a kiss to his cheek.

“You were worth taking a dunk in the lake for,” she told him.

He took in her face, even more beautiful than it had been twenty years ago. Then he glanced around at the chaotic crowd on the dock, all of them dancing to some tune Jay was playing on his phone. Trey loved these people. And they loved him.

“It was the first best day of my life,” he told her. “And every day with you keeps getting better and better. I love you, London.”

And then he kissed her exactly the way he’d dreamed of kissing her that first best day of his life.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed Trey and London’s story. If you are like me, I’m always sorry to say goodbye to the characters in books. How about a bonus chapter? It’s yours for subscribing to my newsletter.

If you want more day to day details about my books, my crazy writing life, and opportunities to name places and characters, come hang out with my reader group, the X’s and O’s, on Facebook.

Are you curious about Trey’s teammates? You can read Declan Fletcher’s marriage of convenience story in Just for Kicks. Then check out Luke Kessler’s book, Double Dog Dare.

And please, don’t forget to tell other readers how much you enjoyed Catch and Release by leaving a review on the site where you purchased it, as well as, Goodreads and BookBub.It’s the best way to show an author some love and I ALWAYS appreciate it!

Want more football romance? Check out the Baltimore Blaze:

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Foolish Games– a secret baby, marriage of convenience romance

Risky Game– a fake relationship sports romance

Sleeping with the Enemy– an enemies-to-lovers second chance sports romance

How about a little suspense with your romance?

Recipe for Disaster– a mistaken identity Secret Service romance

Shot in the Dark– a forced proximity Secret Service romance

Between Love and Honor– a second chance Secret Service romance

Do you enjoy books about small towns and big families—including some sports stars? Be sure to check out my Chances Inlet series:

Back to Before –a forced proximity romance

All they Ever Wanted– an enemies-to-lovers romance

Second Chance Christmas– age gap romance

It Had to Be You– a nanny romance