She had already inspected the upper level, the extended balcony covered in faux terracotta bricks, reminiscent of an authentic Cuban rooftop had some seating upstairs offering a more intimate setting. Giving the Tropicana dancers a thumbs up, they rested in place on the small platforms across the room waiting for Davie. Staring across the dance floor at the stage that was nothing more than plywood that morning, she smiled.
The stage was her masterpiece. Ross had told her she was nuts for trying to pull off such a large additional project, and despite placing the last faux terracotta brick only an hour ago, she knew it would be spectacular. And it was. The tall palm leaves and orchids cluttering the large platform added brilliance to the entire room, the green and white lights illuminating it dramatically. She also hoped that the new drafts would appreciate their names on the back of a Mavericks’ jerseys suspended in the middle of the stage, another motivational tool to force them to give it all they had come training camp.
“You did it, bitch,” Ross said, nudging her hip and wrapping his arm around her.
“No,” she said shaking her head, “we did it. Now let’s give our people an unforgettable night.”
* * *
If Jax hadn’t known any better, he would have sworn he was standing in the middle of a Miami nightclub. Walking into the ballroom with Trevor, Chelsea by his side, he had expected it to look just like that, a ballroom.
But it didn’t.
Liv had completely transformed the historical building into a private club. Unsure where to look first, he glanced up to the balcony to the dj he had met the night he and Liv went out dancing with their friends. The entire wall length bar lit up in purple with a water wall behind it as bartenders flipped shakers and filled glasses.
“Oh my gosh,” Chelsea yelled over the music, her eyes wide. He knew the feeling. He wasn’t surprised that Liv had pulled off such a grand party, it’s what she did. But this? This took things to a new level.
“Holy shit,” Myles hollered beside him, holding Charlotte into his side.
Smacking Trevor’s shoulder, he moved towards the bar.
“I’m going to get a drink,” he lied, heading towards the rapidly filling bar, but he wasn’t interested in a drink. He just needed to start covering space to find Liv. Running into a few more players and coaches, he stopped at the right side of the bar, looking around for the sight of yellow. Why was she so hard to find? Maybe Ross could help him track her down? But scanning the room he couldn’t find him either.
The party continued and Jax was restless. All he needed was to find Liv and get away from Vanessa’s daggered eyes following him around the room. She had a lot of gall to come up to him in the lobby earlier, but he refused to let his anger get the best of him. Not tonight. No, tonight was about Liv. Taking a long pull of his beer, he made his way towards the stage hoping Liv would be running around somewhere.
“Monaghan.”
Jax turned at the sound of his name just loud enough over the booming music seeing Flynn strolling towards him. He wasn’t in the mood to hear what Flynn had to say, still thoroughly pissed off at the man’s daughter for putting him in the current situation he was in. He wanted to blame Vanessa for all of it, but the truth was, he couldn’t. He was the one who let his control slip and had told Brody to file those papers. The papers that had absolutely no business being filed in the first place because he was never letting his wife go. And the sooner he got her to understand that, the better.
“I want to apologize respectfully for threatening your contract last week in my office,” he said, sipping his scotch. Appearing honest enough, his grey hair looked more prominent under the lights. “I know that my daughter can be,” he paused, searching for the right word. “Passionate,” he finished. “When she wants something, whether it be a car, a new pair shoes or… you,” he grinned. “I know she has caused you a lot of headaches in the past and for that I am sorry.”
Headache wouldn’t be the term he would have used to describe the issues Vanessa had created, but again, he couldn’t worry about that right now, he needed to find Liv.
“You were like a son to me years ago and I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t wish things could have worked out between you and my daughter. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to let her keep causing you trouble.” Flynn extended his hand and he knew it was as much of an apology as he was going to get from his boss. “I’ll keep a closer eye on her,” he promised.
Shaking his boss’s hand, he told him to enjoy his evening before heading for the steps. He didn’t want an all-out war with the team’s owner and if the man promised he would keep an eye on Vanessa keeping her away from him and more importantly, Liv, then it was an option he would be willing to accept.
Taking the steps to the upper deck he squeezed past Chelsea and Trevor slow dancing despite the dance song blaring around them and Charlotte and Myles having some kind a dance off in the other corner.
“Have you seen Liv?” he asked Shay, watching the brunette on his arm run her hands through his hair.
“Not up here, Cap. Sorry.”
Cupping Shay’s shoulder, he headed to the other side of the balcony, passing Whitney sitting on a leather chair looking tired while her idiot fiancé was on his phone. Bracing his arms against the rails he looked down at the crowd. Where the hell was she?
A small glimmer of yellow swept behind the curtain next to the stage catching his eye. He knew it was her. It had to be. Moving past his friends again he took the steps quickly, pushing through the crowd.
“Is everybody enjoying themselves tonight?” Davie yelled out into the crowd, spinning a record, sending the entire room into an uproar.
Pushing closer to the stage, the music shifted again, the lights getting bolder.
“Alright, alright, well more fun is on the way ladies and gentlemen,” the skinny dude laughed, “aside from celebrating all of you, there is another reason we are all here tonight.”
The crowd erupting again, everyone in the room inched closer towards the stage, making it more difficult to get to the other side.
Shit.
“So without further ado, everyone please put your hands together for your master of ceremonies and your Mavericks’ General Manager, Mr. Bill Mathisssssssssss.”
There was no way he was getting to Liv now. She would be accepting her award right after the rookie introductions and he loved her too much to corner her before her big honor. Excusing himself he pushed through the crowd making his way closer to the stage with some of the other players on the team. Feeling Trevor, Shay, and Myles behind him, they stood unified as a team, knowing it was all he could do for now. Just wait. Wait for the new recruits to be formally introduced, wait for Liv to accept her award, and wait until he could get her alone.
Watching Liv hand Mathis a microphone on the side of the stage, patting his back, Mathis waddled into the middle of the stage holding his arms up like Rocky. The man was so ridiculous it was almost impossible not to like him.
“How’s my Maverick family doing this evening?” the man yelled, looking out into the sea of members and their families. The damn man was so overweight the lights shining down on him already had him breaking into a sweat.
Glancing to his right over at Liv, he watched her talking into her headset. Smiling at something she heard, he felt a punch to the gut. It was the first time he had seen her smile in over a week and he wasn’t going to stop until he was the one putting that smile back on her face.
Tonight.
* * *
Peeking from behind the curtain, Alivia hissed loudly to get Mathis’s attention. The man was overly enjoying the microphone in his hands, using it to bask in the spotlight. At this rate they would all be there until the next season began. Mouthing “faster” to Mathis to get to the point, he chuckled.
“So let’s get to the real reason why we are all here tonight,” he announced, taking a sip of water.
“To celebrate and welcome a group of men whose lives could change
if they have what it takes to join the best damn organization in the national football league,” he yelled into the microphone sending everyone into an uproar of cheers once again.
She couldn’t help but giggle looking at the cheerful man getting so excited, so much pride sweeping his face. Remembering her first draft party, she hadn’t understood why the Mavs threw such an over the top party for a group of guys who hadn’t officially made the team, quickly learning that it was more about pride and morale. Community and support. These men had the opportunity to be a part of something great and the organization wanted to celebrate that greatness by motivating and supporting them, just a few things she had always found quite endearing.
Stealing another look down in front of the stage, she saw Chelsea’s arms wrap around Trevor’s waist quietly listening to Mathis ramble on. Myles’s chin rested into Charlotte’s platinum hair, towering over her, his hands on her hips. Shay seemed too preoccupied with the woman hanging on his arm to listen to anything Mathis had to say. Whitney cheered loudly with the crowd, a miserable Adam by her side. She didn’t need to look beside Trevor to know that Jax was standing there. She saw him searching for her earlier, restlessly circling the entire party. Both impatient and agitated. But she didn’t want to be cornered by him, listening to him explain all the reasons to ignore the divorce papers or worse, hear him say that he did want a divorce. He was too much a gentleman to let the papers do the talking for him, knowing full well he would want to do it in person and she didn’t have the strength, mentally or emotionally, to listen to him say the words. That he didn’t want her anymore. Didn’t want their family.
Temptation getting the best of her, she glanced at him. Watching him when he wasn’t looking was one of her favorite things to do, not quite sure how she was going to get by the rest of her life not being able to steal looks at him every chance she had, kiss him because he was all hers, or hold him and hear his voice every day. She had felt a similar way when he had left a year ago, but this time, oh this time, it felt so different. Stronger and more final. She had fought like hell to come back stronger for her family, for her husband, for herself, but the moment she opened that envelope everything following had seemed like a nightmare. Some sick joke that she wasn’t in on. And she wanted to wake up.
Shooting Mathis another warning look to hurry it up, she shifted her eyes to steal another glance at Jax, possibly the last one she would get for a long while; what she hadn’t expected was for him to be already staring back at her. Considering him a moment, his face unreadable, he crossed his arms across his chest. His eyes looked tired and restless, his face soft and pleading. The night she had met him, she had been blown away by him and by the time their first date had ended, she knew she would never be the same. And somewhere between then and now she had lost him.
She wanted to blame Vanessa for all the trouble she had caused, wanted to blame him for leaving her, but truth was, it was her fault. She had failed. Again. For whatever reason the men in her life didn’t stay around and no matter how hard she tried, how much she tried to perfect their chaotic life, she had come up short. The end result leaving her heart broken for the third time in her life. And for those reasons alone, she had to keep her distance.
Mathis’s booming voice was replaced by the sheer force of volume between the crowd and the music as bright rays of light in teal and white crossed the stage. The excited crowd forcing her out of her daydream, she quickly withdrew her eyes from Jax, refocusing.
“Please join me in welcoming the newest rookies for the upcoming season, our Carolina Maverick hopefuls,” Mathis trailed off, running off a list of players who flooded the stage standing underneath their jerseys. Waving to the crowd taking in the energy of their hopeful football family, the jerseys lit up behind them as the confetti popper went off from the ceiling.
Mr. Flynn and Coach Griffith walked on stage shaking all the players’ hands as Myles and a few other defensive players began the Mavericks’ chant. The crowd went wild, the music louder, and Alivia took in the moment. The moment that she helped create and one that she hoped would forever be imbedded into the players’ minds wherever their careers would take them.
“Confetti was a nice touch,” Ross smiled, glancing down at his schedule. Seeing that her award presentation was next, she felt a hurricane of emotions rip through her body.
“Go big or go home, right?” she laughed nervously, watching the players clear the stage. Still holding the microphone, Mathis took a sip of water sweating like he was sitting in the middle of a desert.
She wanted to be happy. Wanted to be excited, but with Jax not taking his eyes off her, she wasn’t positive she was going to be able to get through her speech. She’d be lying if she said she hadn’t been feeling an onset of a panic attack all day, determined to repress it. Work through it. Her mind swirling with too many thoughts, her body reacting to overwhelming emotions, she squeezed her hands to keep them from shaking, focusing on her breathing.
“Alright, alright.” Mathis paced the stage, every step he took making her heart painfully pick up pace. “Calm down you animals,” he teased.
“There is one more formality we need to get to before y’all dance until dawn and consume more alcohol than the population of some small countries,” he joked, causing the room to laugh.
“Most of you are aware of the Maverick Achievement Award that is presented each year to honor one person who has not only embraced our organization, but who has contributed to it in ways that it would never be the same without them.” Mathis paused taking another sip of water.
“This year in particular, the award has even more special meaning for me,” he said, his voice turning serious for the first time since he waddled on stage.
“Here,” Ross said, handing her the small tube of red lip gloss.
“You’re the best,” she sighed, quickly applying the sticky red paste, rubbing her lips together focusing on anything other than her eyes blurring and breath shaking.
“When this woman showed up in my office a week after putting together one of the most remarkable benefits I had ever attended, I was skeptical at first. But true to her persistent and extraordinary nature, she had insisted on planning the next women’s appreciation brunch, threatening not to leave my office until I agreed,” he chuckled, shaking his head at the memory and she couldn’t help but smile along with everyone else.
“Of course, I had an afternoon tee-off that I needed to get to,” he giggled with his belly, causing the crowd to chuckle again. “So I agreed,” he paused looking over at her and her heart squeezed. “And as I stand here today, I can say it was one of the best decisions I ever made for this organization.”
Alivia’s heart rammed inside her chest, the heartfelt words and the emotion on Mathis’s face making every sleepless night and chaotic event completely worth it. The kind words melting her heart. The same heart that had felt frozen the past week.
“Since that fateful day in my office, almost seven years ago she has planned and designed,” he paused, pulling out a sheet of paper and slipping on his reading glasses. “There’s a lot,” he laughed.
“Over two-hundred special events, twenty-four weddings for Maverick family members, over fifty birthday parties, seven draft parties, seven carnivals, along with countless charity benefits and lunches for players, coaches, and fifteen departments of staff.”
Some people in the crowd seemed surprised, but she still remembered every single one of those parties, weddings, and charities. Even the lunches too. Her work brought her joy and she couldn’t be more thankful for the opportunity to dedicate such a large portion of her career to the Mavericks. Just another thing that she owed to Jax.
“Not only does she provide this organization with excellent special events, but she has helped us make incredible strides in our Maverick charity foundation and raise awareness to over ten community programs.” Mathis paused shaking his head as everyone clapped, Ross beside her joining in.
“And she also just s
o happens to be the better half of our captain and quarterback, Jax Monaghan.” Mathis pointed his hand towards Jax in the front, whose hands were resting inside his pockets humbly taking the cheers, chants, and applause.
“But most importantly, she’s a terrific friend to everyone in this room.” Mathis smiled looking over at her and she knew that whatever happened in her personal life, she would always have this moment.
“So without further ado, it gives me great pleasure to personally honor this year’s Mavericks Achievement Award to the very talented, very beautiful, and the person responsible for our party this evening, our very own, Alivia Monaghan.”
* * *
Watching Liv’s eyes go wide, no doubt taken aback by the entire room erupting louder than it had for the rookies, Jax couldn’t hide his smile even if he wanted to. Walking out on stage, she paused before taking off her mic and quickly handing it to Ross. Moving across the stage she waved, treating him and everyone else in the room to her heart-stopping smile. Trevor and Myles’s whistles and screams going to battle against the noise in the room from everyone else, his heart pinched. He was so proud of her. Whispering something in her ear, she leaned back kissing Mathis on the cheek and giving him a big hug. Accepting the award graciously, she turned towards the crowd that erupted even wilder. The energy inside the room was contagious, the volume of the cheers deafening. He felt like he was back in the stadium. She created this. The vibe, the room, the energy and he couldn’t have been more proud. Clapping loudly he yelled keeping up with the crowd wanting her to feel loved and appreciated. Holding her chest, she laughed, her face turning bright red and he could see that she was genuinely surprised. Raising her arm, she stepped up to the microphone thanking everyone, but it didn’t stop anyone from calming down. She was the love of his life and seeing her getting the recognition that she deserved made him happy. Things between them were dicey, realization dawning on him that there was a real chance he could lose her. Forever.
False Start (Mavericks #1) Page 35
