Quarter's back secret

chapter six

Inside, I found her, my precious girl, tied to a chair, scared but unharmed.

“Daddy?” she whispered.

I fell to my knees, tears hitting the floor.

“I’m here, baby. Daddy’s here.”

I held her so tight I thought I’d never let go again.

But then

A gun c****d behind me.

“Touching,” a cold voice said. “But the reunion ends now.”

I turned slowly.

Tyson Kane.

He smirked, gun raised.

“You ruined my career, my marriage, my reputation,” he hissed. “Now I’m returning the favor.”

“You framed me,” I growled. “You killed Rachel

“She talked too much

My teeth clenched

.

“And Ava?” I whispered.

“What did she ever do to you?”

“Nothing,” Tyson said with a shrug. “She’s just leverage.”

Before he could pull the trigger

BANG.

Tyson screamed, dropping the gun.

Sofia stood behind him, breathing hard, her hands shaking violently.

“Touch my husband again,” she said through clenched teeth, “and I will end you myself.”

That was the first time I realized something terrifying:

Sofia wasn’t just playing a role.

She meant it.

Tyson was arrested on multiple charges, kidnapping, fraud, embezzlement, and murder conspiracy.

Victoria tried to escape the country but was intercepted at the airport.

Alex—Rachel’s husband, was exposed through Sofia’s investigation as an accomplice who forged documents and planted evidence.

Every puzzle piece clicked into place.

My name was cleared.

My reputation restored.

My team, the New York Nighthawks, issued an official apology and begged me to return.

Sponsors flooded back in.

The city embraced me again.

But something else was happening too.

Something I didn’t expect.

Sofia and I… grew closer.

Not because of our deal.

Not because of necessity.

Because we were becoming something real.

At night, we talked.

About life.

Pain.

Dreams.

Loss.

Love.

She told me how her father’s expectations crushed her.

I told her how football was the only thing that ever made me feel worth something.

We laughed.

We argued.

We healed together.

One night, after putting Ava to bed, I found Sofia on the balcony, looking at the city lights.

“You saved me,” I said quietly.

She turned, surprised. “You saved me too.”

I stepped closer.

Held her waist.

Felt her breath hitch.

Our faces inches apart

.

“Ryder…” she whispered, voice trembling.

“We’re married… but this is the first time it feels like it,” I said.

Her lips parted, and for the first time since this insane journey began

We kissed.

Soft.

Deep.

Slow.

Real.

A promise sealed without paperwork or witnesses.

Just when everything seemed perfect

Sofia’s brothers made their move.

The board meeting to confirm her as CEO was days away.

If they could disqualify her before then, the company was theirs.

They attempted bribery.

Blackmail.

Sabotage.

Until one night, they stormed into her penthouse.

“Little sister,” Mateo Rodriguez sneered. “You think marrying a washed-up football star will save you?”

“Back off,” I growled.

Mateo shoved me. “Stay out of this, Jackson.”

Sofia glared at him. “You’re not taking Father’s company.”

“You’re a woman,” the other brother, Diego spat. “You don’t belong in charge.”

Sofia lifted her chin, fearless. “Watch me.”

Mateo pulled out a document.

“A dissolution request. If Ryder signs this—annulling the marriage—your claim is invalid.”

“And why would I sign that?” I asked.

“Because we’ll take Ava,” Mateo said calmly. “And next time, we won’t return her alive.”

Time froze.

Before I could react, Sofia stepped in front of me.

“No one touches his daughter,” she snarled.

Her brothers laughed.

“She’s not your daughter,” Diego taunted.

Sofia looked at me.

Then at them.

And said, “She is my daughter now.”

Something inside me broke—then healed—at the same time.

Sofia grabbed a baseball trophy from the shelf and slammed it into Diego’s face, knocking him unconscious.

Mateo lunged, but I tackled him to the floor.

Security stormed in seconds later.

Both brothers were arrested for extortion, threats, and multiple corporate crimes.

Sofia collapsed into my arms, shaking.

“You could’ve lost Ava,” she whispered.

“We didn’t,” I replied, cupping her face. “Because you protected her.”

“Would you… let me be in her life?” she asked hesitantly.

I smiled softly.

The board voted unanimously.

Sofia Rodriguez-Jackson

was named

CEO of Rodriguez International.

The youngest.

The first woman.

The first to win the position through sheer courage.

I returned to the NFL, stronger than ever.

Ava began living with me full-time, calling Sofia “Mommy Sofia” within months.

Our marriage, once fake…

once a desperate deal

became the most real thing in my life.

One evening, under a golden sunset on the balcony where we first kissed, I took Sofia’s hands.

“No more pretending,” I whispered.

She looked up at me, eyes soft.

“I don’t want to pretend,” she said. “I want you.”

I knelt slowly.

Her hands flew to her mouth.

“Sofia… will you marry me? For real, this time?”

She burst into tears.

“Yes,” she whispered. “A thousand times yes.”

Ava ran to us, hugging us both.

And for the first time in a very long time…

My life felt whole.

My family is complete.

My future mine again.

From enemies… to allies… to lovers…

to a real family.

And nothing, not Tyson, not Victoria, not lies, not prison, not secrets

could change that again.

We won.

Together.