Only One Regret Read online

  Only One Regret

  Natasha Madison

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Epilogue One

  Epilogue Two

  FREE BOOK!

  Books By Natasha Madison

  Stone Family Tree

  SOMETHING SO, THIS IS AND ONLY ONE FAMILY TREE!

  * * *

  Hockey Series

  SOMETHING SO SERIES

  Something So Right

  Parker & Cooper Stone

  Matthew Grant (Something So Perfect)

  Allison Grant (Something So Irresistible)

  Zara Stone (This Is Crazy)

  Zoe Stone (This Is Wild)

  Justin Stone (This Is Forever)

  * * *

  Something So Perfect

  Matthew Grant & Karrie Cooley

  Cooper Grant (Only One Regret)

  Frances Grant (Only One Love)

  Vivienne Grant

  Chase Grant

  * * *

  Something So Irresistible

  Allison Grant & Max Horton

  Michael Horton (Only One Mistake)

  Alexandria Horton

  * * *

  Something So Unscripted

  Denise Horton & Zack Morrow

  Jack Morrow

  Joshua Morrow

  Elizabeth Morrow

  * * *

  THIS IS SERIES

  This Is Crazy

  Zara Stone & Evan Richards

  Zoey Richards

  * * *

  This Is Wild

  Zoe Stone & Viktor Petrov

  Matthew Petrov

  Zara Petrov

  * * *

  This Is Love

  Vivienne Paradis & Mark Dimitris

  Karrie Dimitris

  Stefano Dimitris

  Angelica Dimitris

  * * *

  This Is Forever

  Caroline Woods & Justin Stone

  Dylan Stone (Formally Woods)

  Christopher Stone

  Gabriella Stone

  Abigail Stone

  * * *

  ONLY ONE SERIES

  Only One Kiss

  Candace Richards & Ralph Weber

  Ariella Weber

  Brookes Weber

  * * *

  Only One Chance

  Layla Paterson & Miller Adams

  Clarke Adams

  * * *

  Only One Night

  Evelyn & Manning Stevenson

  Jaxon Stevenson

  Victoria Stevenson

  * * *

  Only One Touch

  Becca & Nico Harrison

  Phoenix Harrison

  Dallas Harrison

  * * *

  Only One Regret

  Erika Robinson & Cooper Grant

  Emma Grant

  Mia Grant

  Parker Grant

  Matthew Grant

  * * *

  Only One Mistake

  Jillian & Michael Horton

  Jamieson Horton

  Only One Love

  Frances Grant & Brad Wilson

  Copyright © 2021 Natasha Madison.

  E-Book and Print Edition

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used factiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons or living or dead, events or locals are entirely coincidental.

  The author acknowledges the trademark status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/ Use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owner.

  Cover Design: Jay Aheer

  Photo by Wander Photography

  Editing done by Jenny Sims Editing4Indies

  Proofing Julie Deaton by Deaton Author Services

  Proofing by Judy’s Proofreading

  Chapter 1

  Cooper

  With a heavy heart, I pull up to the daycare. Putting a smile on my face, I look in the back seat at my girls. "You guys ready for school?" Looking at me with big smiles and crystal blue eyes that match mine, Emma and Mia, dressed in pink skirts and white tops, couldn’t be more princess if they tried. I’m hoping at least one of them might want to skate.

  I get out of the SUV and open the back door to unbuckle Emma, who is four. "Sit tight until I unbuckle Mia," I instruct her as I slide my phone into the back pocket of my blue jeans.

  "Okay, Daddy," her sweet voice says. Walking around the SUV, I open the passenger back door. Mia is trying to unbuckle herself, her patience very much like mine.

  "Can I help?" I ask, and she looks up, nodding. She’s wearing her short strawberry-blonde hair in two tiny pigtails to be like her big sister. The only reason she is letting me help is that it gets her out.

  I grab her in my arms, putting her on my hip, walking around the car for Emma. I pull open the door and hold out my hand. "Thank you, Daddy," she says, smiling up at me. I notice her pigtails are a little off, but at least I tried.

  "I have to grab your bags." I walk to the passenger side and grab their pink backpacks. "Do you want to put them on and walk into school?" I have to ask because I made the mistake of assuming last week, and Mia was fit to be tied.

  "I want that," Mia says, pointing at her bag. I look around, making sure no cars are coming before putting her down. I squat down in front of her and put the bag on her shoulders. "I’m a big girl, Daddy," she says with a huge smile, and all I can do is nod, swallowing over the lump stuck in my throat.

  Emma grabs her bag and puts it on herself. I grab their hands as we walk into the daycare. Once I punch in the code to open the door, I hold up my hand to the secretary as I walk first to Mia’s class. "Give Daddy a kiss." I crouch down, and she comes into my arms. "I’ll see you in two days," I say. The ache in my heart is the same as when I knew I wouldn’t see them every day. I fight back the disappointment and pretend it’s fine, even though it’s not fine. Nothing about this is fine. I’m the first one in the family to get divorced, and it’s killing me.

  "Okay, Daddy," Mia says, not understanding what any of this means. She walks in to her teacher and waves at me.

  The routine with Emma is a little different. She clings to my side, and I squat down in front of her. "Give me a kiss." She wraps her arms around me. "I’ll FaceTime you tonight."

  "Okay," she says softly. "Will you come tuck me in?"

  Everything in me breaks. "Not tonight, honey, but in two days, you get to sleep ov
er for five days." I try to be upbeat. "Now, give me another hug." She hugs me, and then her teacher comes to get her, and I watch her walk into the room. I peek into Mia’s class on the way out the front door. I make no eye contact with anyone as I head back to my SUV with my head hanging.

  Once I get in, I take a deep breath, calling the one person who has been by my side since, well, forever.

  "Good morning, sunshine," Erika says, and I can hear her moving around. I look at the clock and see that it’s just past eight, so I know she’s getting ready for work.

  "Hey," I say, my voice low as I put my head back on the headrest. "I just dropped the girls off at daycare."

  I hear her stop moving. "Are you okay?" she asks, knowing that I’m not. "Do you want me to come with you?" I close my eyes. She’s not only my agent but also my best friend. We’ve grown up together, and she knows me better than I know myself, which used to piss off Julianne.

  "Nah," I say. "You have work."

  "I can catch up later." I get a FaceTime notification and know that it’s her calling me. I accept the call and see her face fill the phone. Her long brown hair is tied on the top of her head as she sits cross-legged in the middle of her bed in a sports bra and yoga pants. Her cheeks are pink, so I know she just worked out, and she’s holding a protein shake in one hand.

  "You look like shit," she blurts out, and I laugh. I bring the phone closer to me to see what she sees. In blue jeans and a T-shirt with a baseball hat, I’m in precisely what I wear on my days off. It hasn’t changed since I was sixteen, and it’s not going to change. Except for the addition of circles under my eyes since I didn’t sleep much last night.

  "You are always so uplifting and motivational," I say, and she throws her head back and laughs. Nothing can beat when she really laughs. It’s full of heart and makes you want to join in.

  "I’m my own eat, pray, love." She takes a sip of her protein shake. "What time are you due at your lawyer’s?"

  I look at my silver Rolex watch she gave me when I signed with Dallas four years ago. She even had Every Minute Counts engraved on it. "Twenty minutes."

  "Are you sure you want to do this alone?" she asks, and I nod. "I can be there in fifteen minutes." I shake my head and smile at her. She really is my fucking rock. "Then we can go back to wherever and do some shots."

  I laugh at her, knowing that if I really needed her, she would cancel everything and stay with me. "It’s all done. All I have to do is sign the papers." The divorce was a shock. I’m not even going to pretend it wasn’t. Were we happy? Fuck no, not even fucking close, and only Erika knows that I was slowly dying inside. But I made a promise, and I was going to stick to that promise. No matter what, I was going to stand by my vows until the bitter end.

  "Call me if you need me," she says. "Whenever." She puts the phone down, and I can see her starting the shower. "I’ll have my phone on me all day."

  "Thanks, kid," I say, and she laughs. She gave me that nickname when she met me. I was only eighteen when I was drafted. It made me laugh, and it just stuck with us. When she wants to bug me, she calls me kid.

  "I’m older than you by four years," she points out. "I’m already in my thirties."

  I roll my eyes. "Whatever. You look like you should still be in school." She puts her face close to the phone. Her green eyes are lighter in the sun.

  "Do you see this?" She points between her eyebrows. "That’s a wrinkle." She looks like she just graduated high school.

  "You have lost your mind," I say, and she shakes her head. "Be safe," I advise before I hang up and put the SUV into drive.

  The green trees never really change color in Dallas like they do in New York City. Not only was it my home but it was also the first team that picked me in the draft. They were doing a rebuild, and I got fucking lucky to start my career with my family behind me, literally.

  My grandfather was none other than Cooper Stone, who I was named after and compared to every fucking day. My father, Matthew Grant, was also a first pick in the draft, but the glitz and glam of Los Angeles was his downfall. New York snatched him with a condition, a chaperone, which happened to be my mother. From the way they tell the story, he fell for her the minute he laid eyes on her and made her his. When he decided to retire, he took on the role of general manager of the team. Just because he was the GM and my father didn’t mean he took it easy on me. In fact, he rode my ass harder than anyone. My game just got better and better as the years went on, and when I turned twenty-one, I met Julianne at a bar in Dallas when we were there for the all-star game. I knew she was trouble, but I was smitten with her Southern talk. She quickly moved in with me, and then we found out she was pregnant with Emma, and there was no way I wasn’t going to marry her.

  Every single time she could, she would bitch about New York. She hated the weather, she hated the smog, she hated the people, and she hated my family. She. Hated. Everything.

  When she got pregnant with Mia, she said she was leaving. She couldn’t stand being in New York, so I made the painful phone call to Erika and asked her to trade me. I cried like a fucking baby when she called me back and said Dallas was taking me. It was where Julianne wanted to go, and I wanted to make her happy. Happy wife, happy life, or at least that was what they said.

  My father was my biggest supporter after Erika, who knew how much I hated moving. She was the one who called me almost every hour to make sure I was okay. When we moved here, Erika was the only friend I had. Nico, the team owner, was the best, and I knew Manning, Miller, and Ralph, who included me and helped me settle in, but Erika was the one I turned to for everything.

  After Mia was born, it was all downhill. I dreaded being home. I dreaded even talking to Julianne, and I guess she felt the same since she had me served with divorce papers after I skated off the ice during practice four months ago.

  Julianne refused to talk to me, and all communication had to be done through the lawyer. I didn’t know who was more pissed, Erika or me. Erika was out for blood. She had me hire the best divorce lawyer she could get. I honestly only wanted to make sure I had my girls when I was home. Because of my travel schedule, I made sure I had the girls when I was in town. Julianne tried to play hardball, but she underestimated me.

  Our prenup was iron-clad, so she didn’t get anything extra. The house was to be sold, but I gave it to her and the girls. It was enough that their parents broke up. They didn’t have to suffer because of it. My main thing was that their routine stayed the same, and nothing changed on their end.

  Pulling up to my lawyer's office building, I park in the underground parking garage. Getting out, I walk over to the waiting elevator. Pressing twelve, I look down at my phone when it pings, and I see that Erika sent me a text.

  Erika: You got this.

  I’m about to answer her when the elevator doors open, and I step out. The secretary is already standing. "Mr. Grant," she says, "right on time."

  I nod at the woman and follow her down the hallway. She leads me to the same conference room that I was in when I first came here with Erika. My lawyer, Debra, sits at the table on her phone and looks up when she sees me. "Mr. Grant," she says, and I smile. "Are you ready?"

  I clap my hands together. "Let’s do this."

  Chapter 2

  Erika

  I send Cooper the text and put my phone down on the seat beside me. My stomach is a mess as I think about what he must be going through.

  I put on my glasses and make my way to the office. The sports radio plays in the background, but I’m wondering if I should go over to the lawyer’s office anyway. I keep checking my phone as I stop at Starbucks to get my morning coffee and another one for my assistant.

  Pulling up to my assigned parking spot, I always smile when I see my name, Erika Robinson. Getting out, I grab my black Chanel purse and make my way toward the door. The sound of my black Louboutins click. The sun is even at it’s peak yet, and I can tell it’s going to be hot as balls outside today.

  The cold air hits
me as soon as I walk across the marble floor toward the elevators. I smile at the security guards as I pass their desks. I press twenty-five and wait for the doors to close. The phone in my hand has not made a sound as I look at my reflection in the stainless-steel doors. My black pants fit me like a glove, and the white wraparound shirt with bell sleeves is tied around the side in a big bow, leaving the sashes hanging on the side.

  The elevator pings, and when the doors open, I step out. The TRI Star Sports Agency logo decorates the wall right in front of the receptionist, who smiles at me. "Good morning, Erika," Marlene says in her usual chipper mood.

  "Good morning," I smile, “You look lovely this morning." She just shrugs and smiles shyly. I know she has been working out for the past two months in the hopes of getting the UPS driver to ask her out.

  Walking past her, I come to the open space where cubicles, ringing phones, and people's voices fill the room. I look over to the corner and see that Trevor's door is open, which means he’s in, and so is Francis’s. I note on my silver and gold Rolex that it’s exactly nine o’clock. Walking toward my office, I smile at everyone I make eye contact with on the way there.