Page 119 of Irreplaceable

CHAPTERTWENTY-SEVEN

Cameras shuttered as I entered the room. The empty Leatherbacks stadium served as the backdrop. Knox was sitting at the table at the front, and I joined him, unbuttoning my suit jacket.

“Good afternoon,” Knox said, standing to shake my hand.

I smiled and shook his hand with very mixed emotions. Harrison and I had talked about this moment, about how difficult it would be. And I appreciated his support. He’d become a good friend over the past year, and I respected him as both an athlete and a man.

I bobbed my head in greeting. I could barely say hello, yet I was supposed to give a speech about my retirement. I had no idea how I was going to make it through. Twenty years. I’d devoted twenty years of my life to the sport. And while I knew it was time for a change, this transition didn’t come without some sadness.

“Lorenzo has a statement he’d like to make,” Knox said, giving me the floor.

I took a seat next to him and took a deep breath. I’d memorized my speech but brought note cards. I set them on the table and tugged on my sleeve, smiling when I caught sight of my tattoo there. It was the same design as Harper’s bracelet, similar to the symbol Papàwould draw to remind me that the path of life wasn’t always straight or perfect. I couldn’t have asked for a better mentor or career.

I glanced up and searched for her in the audience, smiling when I spotted Harper sitting next to Val and Mamma. She smiled back, and I straightened in my chair. It was time.

“Thank you for coming today,” I said. “I’d like to thank Knox Crawford and the Los Angeles Leatherbacks for giving me this opportunity. Playing with the Leatherbacks was an honor, and I can think of nowhere else I’d rather end my career.”

Cameras clicked, and I took a sip of water from the glass on the table then cleared my throat. “I am grateful for the support that the fans, the teams, the coaching staff, and my family have always shown me.”

It was getting harder to talk, my throat clogged with emotion. I rubbed a hand over my face as the reality of what I was doing sank in. There would be no more games to prepare for. No more drills. I’d walked onto the field for the last time. I’d played my last game as a professional athlete.

“I consider myself fortunate to have had such a long career. Playing soccer has been the greatest privilege of my life, surpassed only by becoming a father.” I smiled through my tears, a surge of pride giving me renewed determination to carry on.

Aiden Vittorio, mio figlio,mio angelo. My son. My angel.

He was almost one year old now, and I couldn’t believe how much he’d grown. Every day, it seemed as if he was doing something new. He filled me with so much joy. So much purpose. And I was proud to be his father.

I was also looking forward to spending more time with him and Harper now that I was retiring. It was a bittersweet moment, a time to reflect on all I’d accomplished, while looking forward to what was to come.

Apart from my family, I was excited to take a more active role in Success through Soccer. Harper and I had purchased a home in Alondra Valley—a house and a winery, actually. We were closing on it soon, and Nico was going to handle the move while we went to Italy for Christmas.

“I aspire to be the type of father my papàwas. He was always supportive. Always encouraging me to be a better athlete, a better man.” I glanced toward the ceiling. Wherever he was, I hoped he was watching down on me with pride.

I might not have won a World Cup, but I’d achieved so much more. I’d won countless awards throughout my career, but I would’ve traded all the money, the fame, the trophies, to be with Harper. To have our son.

“I want to thank my partner, Harper, for her love and support. Uccellina—” I met her eyes again, unafraid to hide my emotions, my love. “You ground me. Ti amo.”

She mouthed the words back to me through a watery smile. Ti amo.

I held a hand to my heart and took a deep breath before resuming. “I’m very proud of the career that I’ve had. It is a dream come true, and I look forward to using the skills and knowledge I’ve acquired to help the next generation of players through my foundation, Success through Soccer.”

I rubbed my nose, trying to hold it together. “I am one in a line of many players who have dedicated themselves to this sport. And regardless of where I trained, first with Inter Roma, then Milan FC, the Italian National Team, and now with the LA Leatherbacks, it’s been an incredible experience.”

I glanced down at my notes, not wanting to forget anything. “Thank you to my agent, Val. And my teammates. I have learned so much from each of you, and you helped me grow both on and off the field.”

I shuffled the notes. “Thank you to the fans for all your support. I know many of you were disappointed when I left the World Cup unexpectedly last year, and I appreciate the outpouring of love and support you showed my family and me when my son was in the hospital. Just like when my papà died, you—the fans—were what got me through. What kept me going. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.” I held my hands together in prayer and bowed my head. “Grazie di cuore. Grazie per tutto.”

The audience burst into applause, and I sat there, trying to soak it all in. The entire time, my eyes were on Harper as she smiled and wiped away her tears. I felt like the luckiest man on the planet with the way she was looking at me. I was ready to move on.

* * *

We stood at the headstone,Aiden in my arms. His dark curls smelled sweet, his skin providing warmth on the cold winter day. I knelt to position the flowers on my father’s grave, and when I stood, Harper placed her hand on my back.

“Ciao, Papà,” I said. “There is someone I’d like you to meet. Well, two people, actually,” I continued speaking in Italian.

Harper and I spoke in Italian when we were at home with Aiden. He babbled all the time but had yet to say his first word. He’d been crawling for a while, and he was fast! I had a good feeling he’d start walking soon.

I bounced Aiden in my arms, and he giggled, his hazel eyes lighting up with joy. I gave him a big kiss on the neck, exaggerating the smacking noise like I knew he loved. He laughed so hard, it made Harper and me laugh too.