Second Chance Scandal

Already missing the shit out of her.

* * *

And terrified of where this was going between us.

SIXTEEN

SOPHIE

NOW

I sat in our private box at the first football game of the season. The crowd didn’t just chant for Jax when he ran out with his new team, they stood and applauded. I’d never seen anything like it before. It was crazy to be experiencing it firsthand with him.

The energy and love he was receiving didn’t surprise me. Jax always had this ability to make people fall in love with him without even trying. His charisma radiated off of him through the stands. It was quite a sight to see. Jax was born for this life, and it was obvious to everyone including me.

In the last month since we’d signed our marriage license, everything about my life had drastically changed overnight. The number of reporters calling my publisher for an interview was insane. They couldn’t keep up with the demand of the calls. It became so intense they decided the best thing to do was to put together an event where readers and the press could be in attendance.

Next month would be my first public appearance to meet my fans. I’d sign their books and answer questions for them and then participate in a live Q&A where they could ask about my career and personal life.

To say I was nervous would be an understatement. I’d never met a reader before. I’d lived behind my computer screen, and that was the extent of my job. I didn’t know what to expect. What they would ask, how would I answer… It was overwhelming to say the least, and the fact that Jax would be there with me did nothing to relax my anxiety.

If anything, it made it worse.

My publisher and team were insistent on having America’s newest sweethearts together in one room. The media had turned into a circus. Every day there was something different being said about us. It never ended.

The press was already trying to knock me up. Speculation for my baby bump watch was surreal. Only a month into our fake marriage and they already wanted another sibling for Benjamin.

The way we handled the unexpected news of Jax Colton suddenly being the father of a six-year-old boy was by telling the world he had been taking care of him behind closed doors since we’d found out I was pregnant. Years later, we simply found our way back to each other. The media labeled us as the best second chance romance of all time.

Since Jax had always been a private man, they didn’t think twice about us being able to hide the fact that he had a son for the last six years. Autumn wasn’t kidding when she said the world would fall in love with our love story.

They did.

Hook, line, and sinker.

Nobody doubted our love for each other. We were on the cover of every international magazine. I couldn’t go out the gates of Jax’s estate without the paparazzi following my every move. It got so bad Jax had to hire bodyguards to accompany me anywhere I went.

My life used to be private, and now it was the topic everyone was discussing. I couldn’t imagine what it was going to be like after we announced our divorce. I tried not to think about it, focusing on getting through this fake marriage and not actually falling in love with Jax again.

He was laying it on thick. Despite him not being around a lot due to his football schedule, he still found ways to be with me.

Us.

He started leaving me love notes all over the house to find. They were quotes from some of my favorite books. The most was a quote from Alexander Barrington. I couldn’t believe how much he’d remembered. Especially since so much had happened in the last sixteen years from when we’d first met.

On top of the love notes, last week I woke up to my very own library in his home. I thought the remodel for that room was for his office, it was what he said it was for. Thinking back on that morning made my stomach flutter like it was occurring right then.

Slowly, I spun around taking in its beauty. Book after book lined the two-story floor along with a bright gold ladder. The shelves were filled with my favorite stories and then some.

Shaking my head, I breathed out, “I can’t believe he did this.”

His husky voice filled the quiet space. “I’d do anything for you. The bookshelf in the corner has all your paperbacks and hardbacks.”

I couldn’t turn.

This was too much, but when he asked, “So tell me, Baby Soph. How many books did you write where I was your muse?”

I abruptly snapped around. “You didn’t…”