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Liam blows out a breath of frustration. “Nadia, I can’t replace you.”
“Of course you can,” I say. Even though I don’t mean it.
“I don’t want to,” Liam corrects himself. “What you bring to this organization is invaluable. You know my business inside out. You’ve been committed to our success since day one. I don’t see how an outsider can fill your shoes at this point.” He steeples his fingers on the table in front of him. “If you’re still interested in working here, I’d suggest that we just chalk up this whole episode as a lesson learned and move on.”
My ears are lying to me. I don’t believe a word I’m hearing right now.
“Are you…I don’t…I don’t know what to say,” I stammer.
Liam leans forward, dropping all the bullshit. “Look— I’m fucking pissed at how you handled the situation. It was really damn unprofessional, Nadia.” He collapses against the back of his seat and sighs. “But at the end of the day, I know just as well as anyone that we’re human. I know that logic doesn’t stand a chance when love enters the equation.” He laughs ruefully. “And I’d be the world’s biggest hypocrite to make a huge stink about this. Do you remember all the fucked up shit I did to make Eliza mine?”
I huff out a laugh. “How could I forget? I helped you clean up the HR and legal disaster that almost turned into.”
“And you did a damn good job.” He gives me a frank nod. “I respect you professionally. And Eliza and I value you as a friend. And I’d be immensely grateful if you stayed on as chief legal counsel here.”
I purse my lips for a second and pretend to consider all this. In reality, I’m just trying to keep myself from maniacally jumping up and down.
“I’ll stay,” I tell Liam eventually.
A relieved smile breaks out across his face. “Excellent. Excellent.”
We shake hands. Then he’s shooing me out. “Now, get out of here. Go tell Westbrook that he’s not going anywhere. Hurry.”
Laughing, I turn for the door. “I’m going. I’m going.” I pause and give him a grateful smile. “Thank you, Liam.”
Then I’m hustling to my office to gather my things.
We’re not home free just yet. We still have details to work through. We’ll have to come up with a plan to avoid all future conflicts of interest for sure. We’ll have to rebuild the trust in our work relationship. But at the end of the day, Harry gets to play for the Paragons. And I get to keep my job. And we get to love each other.
I have it all. I got every single thing that I need.
55
NADIA
Six months later…
Live music plays softly.
An ensemble of harps, I’m sure.
I step forward gracefully, in time with a breathtaking rendition of Taylor Swift’sLover.
My sparkly Jimmy Choos peek out from beneath the hem of my poofy white dress.
With a happy sigh, I float through the arched doorway and down the decorated aisle of the Honey Hill Cathedral on my dad’s arm, admiring the white roses and white daisies and white lilies all bunched together in my oversized bouquet. It’s all picture perfect.
My wedding day. And the best part? This time, it’s not a dream. It’s real.
I glance around the crowded cathedral. My entire family is here, lining the first few pews. My sister with her husband and kids, including bundle of joy number three who’s currently cooking up in her tummy. My mom cries gracefully into a waded linen napkin. My heart stutters when I see my grandmother, wiping at the joyful tears welling in her kind, foggy eyes.
Regina waves excitedly at me. Not sure if it’s appropriate but, yes—my therapist is here!
Then there’s the entire community center crew and I can practically feel the excitement bouncing off of them. Liam stands proudly with Eliza by his side. And there’s a group of my other coworkers who are here to show their support as my groom and I renew our vows today.
On Harry’s side of the aisle, half of his teammates take up three whole pews. And his gorgeous, loving, supportive family is there too. His parents, holding hands and grinning wide. His brothers and their wives, excited to have me in their fold. Nicky alternating covert peeks at Simon with blinding smiles directed toward me.
Everything is deliberate this time. Everything is planned. Nothing is left to chance. This time, this wedding is not an accident. This time, it’s a sober, life-long partnership commitment.
