The Gate to Everything (Once Upon a Dare Book 1)

by Ava Miles

  “Tempers are running hot about what happened,” Tony said. “It’s all over the news. Everyone is wondering if the Rebels are going to have a press conference today to address what happened. The local morning news programs have been talking about fans being bullies and tabloids going too far to get pictures of celebrities’ kids. A few outraged fans have said they want to punch the people at the grocery store in the face. I share that sentiment.”

  When they reached Tony’s massive kitchen, Grace sank into one of the stainless steel bar chairs in front of the island. “I told Jordan I thought I should take Ella away from Atlanta and move to a different city—one that doesn’t care so much about him and his personal life.”

  Tony’s eyes went flat. “You’re going to let those bullies make you run? I thought you’d gotten beyond that, bella.”

  His words confirmed she might have overreacted yesterday. “After thinking about it all night, I’m having doubts.”

  He put his hands on his hips. “You can’t give people like that any power. They’re pissants. You would leave Marcellos and the man you love because of this?”

  The thought of leaving Marcellos had made her heart seriously hurt, but she’d realized something—she could be a chef anywhere while Jordan was facing the prospect of giving up his career. “I only want to protect my daughter, Tony,” she said. “I feel like I’m between a rock and a hard place.”

  He shook his head. “Blow up the hard place. You don’t give in to bullies, Grace. You fight back. You draw better boundaries. You shame people when they act like this. Trust me, the more ethical journalists and Jordan’s fans are already doing this. You need to join them.”

  Hearing people were on her side raised her spirits. Other than the Good Samaritan yesterday, she hadn’t thought it possible. “Jordan didn’t like my idea either,” she said, the taste in her mouth suddenly like bitter almonds. “He said he’d rather leave the NFL than lose Ella—regardless of whether I decide to stay with him.”

  “Only a rare man would leave the career he loves for his family.” Tony set Grace’s espresso before her. “If you’re questioning your relationship with him, those bullies have won, after all.”

  “He totally shocked me.” Grace’s hands were shaking too much for her to reach for the espresso. “I…I can’t bear the thought of us breaking up again. This time it would be for good, but Ella would always keep us tethered together.” How could she live with this decision, knowing how much they loved each other, knowing he finally wanted to marry her and have a family with her?

  “Then don’t break up with him,” Tony said, crossing his arms. “Jordan may not be a perfect man, but he’s not to blame for what happened. And yet you’re thinking about taking everything he loves away from him: you, his daughter, and football.”

  “I don’t see any good choices here,” she said, pressing her hand to her heart. “This is my daughter we’re talking about. Tony, she screamed. She hasn’t smiled. It’s…an impossible situation.”

  “You need to find a better solution,” Tony said tightly. “Right now you and Jordan are coming up with impossible choices. Grace. For all of your sakes. How do you think Ella will feel when she gets older and finally learns the truth behind your decisions? Do you think it’ll make her happy?”

  Her head spun. “I hope she would understand we did it out of love.”

  “Or she would be sad that you did something that could make everyone so unhappy because of her,” Tony said. “It would be a lot to lay on a child.”

  Grace blinked. “She wouldn’t think that.” But her daughter might, especially if her mom and dad continued to look at each other with love for the rest of their lives, filled with regret that they could have been a family, but weren’t.

  “I might,” Tony said, giving her a pointed look. “My mother gave up working at an antique shop in our town when she started her family. My father didn’t want his wife working outside the home. Family members later told me stories about how happy she’d been working in that little shop filled with beautiful things. I asked her one day why she never went inside that shop anymore, and she said it still made her a little sad. I would never have wanted my mother to make that choice if I’d been old enough to stop her. Neither would Ella.”

  Her throat clogged with emotion. “Do you really think Jordan and I could shame the media into backing off?”

  He made a fist in the air and waved it menacingly. “Yes! I know how much you hate bad language, but sometimes it’s the only way to get people’s attention. You say ‘Fuck you,’ to the bullies, and you do as much as you can to prevent them from bothering you again.”

  Grace flinched at the word. Tony had never used it in her presence after learning about how her first boss had used harsh, demeaning language to bully her. That chef, she realized, had goaded her into leaving a wonderful opportunity—just like Grace had almost let these bullies do to her now. No, she couldn’t keep running. It was time to stand her ground.

  “I don’t know if I can say that, but I understand the force behind the word.” Maybe she could muster that.

  He gave her a pointed look. “If you can’t say it now, you practice saying it until you can. But you don’t leave Marcellos, and you don’t let Jordan give up football. Most importantly, you don’t leave the man you love for the second time, Grace.”

  Grace firmed her shoulders. “Okay, I need to practice it.” She winced. “Fuck.”

  “That’s terrible,” Tony said, a slow smile appearing on his face. “Again.”

  She said it over and over again at his prompts until he clapped his hands. To her shock, she felt a million times lighter—and more empowered.

  “Bravo,” he said. “Now, find Jordan, Grace. Before he does something he can’t undo.”

  The urgency was rising inside her. “I…don’t know whether I can get to him. He’s in meetings.”

  Tony rolled his eyes. “You can get to him. And if anyone gets in your way, you use your word and punch them. Let me show you how to make a fist.” He tucked her fingers into her palm and arranged her thumb horizontally over them. “Family is worth fighting for. Love is worth fighting for. Don’t ever let anyone make you forget that.”

  “I’m going to fight, Tony,” she said, raising her fist. “For Jordan and me, and for our family.” It wouldn’t be easy or pleasant, but she couldn’t let those bullies take away everything. They’d already hurt her and her family enough.

  “Let us go then,” Tony said.

  She nodded and followed him out with both hands fisted by her side, ready to do battle for the people she loved.

  * * *

  The Rebels’ owner and Coach didn’t like Jordan’s plan for how to handle what everyone was calling the grocery store incident. In fact, they were downright pissed.

  “Son,” Coach said, standing at the edge of his desk in his office, “I know you think you’re protecting your family by retiring from the game, but this isn’t the way. You’re still a Super Bowl winner. No matter where you go, you’re going to be famous. Hell, I played ball with some pretty great guys in my time. People still ask them for autographs, and they’re bald and fat now.”

  The fact that Coach had called him ‘son’ three times in the last half hour while arguing with him didn’t unsettle Jordan so much as the stories he and Chaz had told him about marquee players never being able to return to a normal life. He wondered if that would be the case in Deadwood.

  “I hear what you’re saying,” Jordan said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I just don’t see another way to protect my family.” So far, he hadn’t shared Grace’s plan to leave Atlanta, not wanting to air their private personal business.

  “Let me get Coach Garretty on the line,” Coach said. “Or you can take a couple of days off this week to visit him in Ohio. You trust his opinion, right?”

  Coach Garretty was one of the most influential people in Jordan’s life, but he didn’t need to talk to his mentor to know what was right. “Coach Garretty
might agree with you and he might not. I respect Coach and both of you guys, but in the end, I have to follow my heart. That’s what Coach Garretty taught me, and in this situation, my heart is with my family.”

  Chaz narrowed his eyes. “If this is about more money…”

  “I’ve told you it’s not,” Jordan said, fighting his impatience. “You said you wanted to hear my thoughts about what to say to the press, and this is it.”

  Coach shook his head in frustration, his eyes locked with Chaz’s. A knock sounded on the door, and Coach went to open it. One of the assistant coaches leaned in, and the two conferred briefly before Coach straightened.

  “Chaz,” he said, jerking his head to the hall to get the man to follow him out of the room.

  Jordan sat back in his chair and took some deep breaths when they closed the door. Right now, he felt like he was fighting with everyone he cared about: Grace, his team, and himself.

  The door opened again, and he looked over, bracing himself for another round of arguments. But his mouth fell open when Grace closed the door behind her. He shot out of his seat.

  “Has something happened to Ella?” he asked, putting his hands on her shoulders, fear washing over him.

  “No, nothing’s happened to her,” she said, her brow wrinkling. “She’s okay, Jordan.”

  He blew out a long breath, adrenaline skyrocketing through his system. “Are you okay then? Why are you here, Grace? You never come here.”

  She hadn’t in ages. The last time was years ago—she’d come to watch him practice because he’d just joined the team and needed some moral support.

  Her right hand rose, and he realized it was clenched into a fist. “I want to fight for our family. I don’t want you to leave football. I don’t want to leave Atlanta. And I don’t want to break up with you again.”

  He stared at her, his heart rapping hard against his chest. “We’ve gone through this before, Grace,” he said, his walls anchored firmly in place. “Are you sure this time? I…I can’t go through that again.”

  “Since you know how much I hate foul language, maybe this will convince you.” She took a deep breath. “I plan to tell those bullies from the grocery store and any other ones who bother us to go…fuck themselves.”

  He was sure his mouth had dropped to the floor, but somehow he managed to choke out, “What did you say?”

  Her chest rose with another deep inhalation. “I said they should ‘go fuck themselves.’”

  His hands cupped her face, and he looked into her vibrant green eyes. “You just said fuck. You never say fuck. You never cuss. Holy shit! Are you sure you’re okay?”

  Maybe she’d cracked under the pressure. He knew how bone-crushing it could be.

  Her laugh sounded a little crazy, which concerned him, but then she lifted a shoulder. “I’m fine, I think. Oh, I forgot the other part. I need to raise my fist in the air and say it. Here. Let me try it again. I’ve been practicing. Go fuck yourselves.”

  “I can’t believe I’m hearing this,” he said, running his eyes over her face. She still looked a little pale to him, and her body was trembling. “Are you sure—”

  “Yes, I’m sure,” she said emphatically. “Whew! All this cussing makes my head swim, but honestly, it feels kind of good. It’s like this huge relief every time I say a bad word.”

  And to prove her point, she let out a whole slew of other words she’d never used before, pretty much blowing his mind.

  “Tony had me practice on the way over after we talked,” she told him.

  Things were starting to make more sense. “You’re a fast learner,” he said with complete admiration, forced to put her in one of the chairs in front of Coach’s desk when she started weaving in place.

  “Head between your legs,” he said, sinking to the floor in front of her and rubbing her back.

  She took deep breaths, and he angled closer to her, worried as hell. Cussing and close to passing out? She was not okay. When she raised her head, there were tears in her eyes, and they pretty much slayed him.

  “Grace.”

  “I love you,” she said, putting her hand to his cheek. “Jordan, I don’t want to give in to these horrible people. I want to find a better way to handle them. Heck…hell, I want to shame them for what they’ve done to our daughter. Together. I hate that we have to deal with this, but I won’t lose you. Not again. I can’t believe I almost let that happen.”

  He rested his forehead against hers. “Oh, Grace. I want to find a better way too, but I just don’t see it. Shaming the media and bad fans isn’t going to work for everyone. Leaving the NFL might be the only way to make sure it never happens again. That you and Ella are safe. I need you to be safe.”

  She pulled away. “I might be a little late to the party, but I was wrong to want to cut and run. Tony is right. We don’t give in to bullies. We raise our fists and say—”

  He put his hand over her mouth. “I don’t think I can handle hearing you drop the f bomb one more time today. I might pass out.”

  Her laughter sounded like it had been wrenched from her heart. “Then maybe let me say something else.” She grabbed his hands in hers and looked him straight in the eye. “Jordan Dean. Will you marry me?”

  He toppled backwards and landed on his backside. “What?”

  “I’m proposing to you,” she said, trying to smile over the vulnerability clouding her eyes. “I know you told me you finally wanted to ask me, but I want you to know how much I want us to be together. That I want to marry you for you—and that means you the football player too. I’m sorry I hurt you last night. Please forgive me.”

  That she would propose to him after waiting all these years humbled him fiercely. “Oh, Grace,” he said, picking himself up off the floor and putting his hand on her knee. “You were scared, and I went…crazy. You and Ella both just mean so much to me. The thought of losing you…”

  A tear rolled down her cheek. “I know,” she said, digging into her jeans pocket and producing a large masculine-looking ring. “That’s why I’m asking you to marry me. Ella is already yours.”

  He felt tears burn his eyes.

  “I was hoping I could be yours too,” she said, crying now. “Forever. In the beautiful yellow house you built for us.”

  She was pretty much squeezing his heart inside his chest. “You’re already mine,” he said, pulling her out of the chair and into his arms. “And I’m yours, but yes. I want to marry you and live in that house and raise Ella and our family. More than anything.”

  She smiled through the tears raining down her face as she reached for his hand. “This is Tony’s signet ring. It was the best I could do at the last minute.” She tried every one of his fingers before laughing harshly. “It doesn’t fit any of them.”

  He brought her to his chest. “That’s okay,” he told her, thinking about the ring he was going to buy her. “It’s probably someone’s way of saving my manhood a little—what with you proposing and all.”

  “I couldn’t think of a better way to make you understand why I decided to fight all of a sudden when all I wanted to do yesterday was run.”

  “I’ll need to thank Tony somehow,” he said, kissing her on the cheek and then moving to her lips.

  She sank into him, and he gave them both what they wanted: the hot, deep, wet, connected kiss that told them disaster had been averted between them and everything was going to be okay again.

  “You and Ella are my everything,” he whispered against her soft lips, kissing her again.

  Her body curled into his, and he luxuriated in running his hands along the sides of her waist and up her back. She moaned into his mouth, and he groaned when her tongue darted out to dance with his.

  “As much as I want to make love to you,” he said, giving them both a little space, “we’re in Coach’s office.”

  Her breath shuddered out. “Right. Cussing and having sex in Coach’s office. I don’t know if I could take both in the same day.”

  He laughed.
He couldn’t help it. “And proposing to me. Don’t forget that.”

  Those green eyes of hers turned luminous. “I couldn’t forget that.”

  “Neither will I,” he said softly. “Ever.” He eyed the door, wondering how much longer they had before someone interrupted them. Neither Chaz nor Coach were the kind of men to be kept waiting—even if they hoped Grace would help talk their marquee quarterback out of retiring.

  “I’m talking to the media this afternoon,” he said, holding her gaze. “Do you want me to tell the bullies to ‘fuck off’ on your behalf and say they should be ashamed of themselves?”

  She smiled. “I was hoping to say something along those lines myself while holding your hand, if you’re okay with that. I…need to speak for Ella too.”

  Of course she did. Their beautiful daughter had come into their lives unaware of all the changes she’d make inside them, just by being herself. “I’d be honored to have you by my side, Grace.”

  And so a few hours later when they faced the press together, they both stood for everything that was important to them: their daughter, their relationship, but most of all love and family.

  Epilogue

  Jordan and Grace’s wedding took place a couple of weeks later on a mild December day right before the holidays in a heated tent filled with family and close friends. Grace had agreed to let Jordan move heaven and earth to make their wedding come together so they could spend Christmas as husband and wife.

  Grace’s mom held Ella throughout the ceremony and then handed her to Jordan so that he and Grace could walk down the aisle as a family.

  This time, Jordan had a wedding ring that fit his finger. Grace’s engagement ring was a simple but elegant yellow diamond—according to him, he’d picked it to match her sunny demeanor.

  Grace wandered through the crowd with her hand on Jordan’s back as he held Ella. She was so happy that her father and brothers were making the effort to embrace Jordan again. Moments ago, her dad had finally said to Jordan, “You did a pretty good job with that house of yours.” Since her dad had been the one to build the original, it was high praise indeed. Her mom might have given her a quick wink, and Grace had pretty much smiled unabashedly when they’d left her family to make the rounds with their guests.