“You were fucking pregnant, Tessa.” Jordan drew in a breath to calm the anger brewing in him. “You would have been my top priority. It’s not like I didn’t have a future if I didn’t play basketball.”
Tears swam in Tessa’s eyes as she relived the worst time in her life and saw Jordan’s strong reaction to it. She never would have guessed in a million years that he would’ve been this angry. She hauled in a breath and blinked away the tears.
“Playing basketball was your dream, and I didn’t want to be the one preventing you from achieving it.”
Tessa laid her hand over Jordan’s mouth when it sprang open. “No. I know I was wrong. I should have told you. I let your mom play on my fears, but I never would have let her convince me to abort our child. Our baby was the only thing I had of you, and I was determined to give her the best of everything, but life got in the way.”
She lowered her hand. “I only took the check because I needed it. I needed . . . everything for Jordis.”
Jordan pulled her in for a kiss, and Tessa appreciated the freedom to enjoy it instead of forcing herself to resist it. He slowly pulled away, and she couldn’t hold back any longer.
“I love you, Jordan.”
He remained still as he closed his eyes and breathed. When he opened them, she saw the return of the cocky, determined man she’d fallen in love with back in college.
“We’re going to get married again. This time you get the wedding you want and deserve. We can live here, or you can pick out the house you want. From here on out, you’re mine. Mine to protect and take care of. That means you tell me everything you’re feeling. We work things out together. No more hiding anything.”
His words were magic to her ears and her heart.
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Epilogue
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Tessa waddled to the door, and her charismatic father-in-law drew her in for a hug. This man had been there for her and never judged her. She would always remember his kindness when she’d needed it the most.
“You’re looking terrific, Tessa,” Eric declared after releasing her and looking at her bulging, eight-months-pregnant belly.
Tessa snorted. She was as big as a house. “Liar, but I love you for it.”
“Hi, Tessa,” Christina greeted her reservedly, standing to the side and slightly behind her husband.
“Hello, Christina,” she returned coolly. They would never be best friends, but they needed to be civil for Jordis.
As she led everyone to the great room, Jordan boomed out, “Tessa, where are you?”
Tessa rolled her eyes before yelling back, “I’m in the great room.”
Jordan strode in and asked, “Why did you leave?” Then he stopped when he saw his mom and dad.
“I didn’t hear the door.” He gave his dad a handshake and a solid back slap. “Dad!”
“Mom.” Jordan acknowledged Christina and then turned his attention back to Tessa.
“I told you that you need to be sitting.” Jordan put his hand on the small of her back, causing the familiar delicious shivers to run through her.
As her pregnancy had progressed, so had his hovering. Tessa knew she should be firmer with him, but the truth was that she enjoyed it. It was comforting to have someone worry about her.
She liked being taken care of, and Jordan needed to do it. It would drive him crazy to stand back and watch her do things without him. He wanted to feel needed, and Tessa did need him.
Jordis was five years old and still a bundle of energy, which meant she was always getting into mischief. Tessa wouldn’t have been able to rest much if Jordan hadn’t been there to keep their daughter out of trouble.
At the end of his season, Jordan had decided to leave basketball. It was ironic that she’d left him five years ago so he could pursue his basketball dream, but in the end all he wanted was to be close to his family.
He was taking over more and more of the software company, and Eric was happy to step down as he was ready for retirement.
“Jordis, you little sneak, get back here!”
Lindy shouting at Jordis made them all head back to the kitchen to see what was going on. Jordis was by the kitchen door, looking behind her with a smile on her face. As soon as she spotted Eric, she ran into his waiting arms.
Jordis had him wrapped around her finger, even more so than the rest of the family. Eric threw her up in the air, greeting her like he always did. Both of them pretended that they didn’t see Lindy stomping toward them.
Once Jordis was secure in Eric’s arms, they both turned innocent eyes to Lindy.
“What could my granddaughter have possibly done to make you so disgruntled?” he asked, even though they could all see Lindy was wet from her head down to her waist. Her husband strolled in from the backyard with a smirk on his face.
Lindy dismissed Eric and turned to Tessa. “Your little angel sprayed me with the garden hose.”
“Jordis!” Tessa exclaimed. “Why would you do that?”
Jordis popped her head off Eric’s shoulder and pointed at Lindy’s husband. “He told me to do it.”
The man in question sauntered farther into the kitchen and declared, “I didn’t tell you to do it. I simply said wouldn’t it be funny if someone did it?”
Jordis laughed. “It was funny!”
Lindy rounded on her husband with narrowed eyes. “You’re going to pay for that!”
Her mom and Sophia laughed with the rest of them from their spot at the kitchen island.
Sophia looked at her steaming daughter. “Lindy, Jordis could be your daughter. You were just as impish as she is.”
Tessa leaned back into Jordan’s rumbling chest, observing the love in the room. She reached up, and he leaned down.
“I love you, Jordan. Thank you for giving me all of this.”
He kissed her neck. “Thank you for giving me my family, Tessa. I love you.”
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Jordan's Justice: A New Adult Sport Romance (Tessa and Jordan Book 2) Page 24
