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Laughing, Katie turned away. “They’ll do whatever you want, captain.”

As soon as she was out of earshot, the press swarmed around me. “How does it feel to be back on the field?”

“Did your shoulder hold up alright?”

“Do you have plans to go back to your life in the city?”

“Are there any stars here that deserve a shot?”

“What’s next for you?”

It was hard to parse through the cacophony. But there were a few I knew I had an answer to. “It feels great, this was a real homecoming and I needed it more than I could have expected. Shoulder is great, I’m glad it held up.”

Shaking my head, I looked back at the dugout. Cleo leaned against the chain link fence, smiling as they watched me.

“What’s next?” I scoffed, a laugh coming out of my lungs. “I’m going to rest my shoulder over the winter and reconnect with the incredible family and friends I have here. I have a lot of time to make up for.”

Not breaking away from Cleo’s face, the press kept trying to get their questions in. But with two bags over their shoulders, Cleo squeezed through them and handed me mine. “Ready?”

Nodding, I turned back to the journalists. “That’s all for now, guys. Thanks for coming.” I leaned down to Cleo. “How’d we do on donations?”

“Surpassed by a long shot.” Cleo smirked, excited to fill the league’s coffers for next season.

As we walked side by side, I let my hand drop to my side and grab theirs.

Blushing, Cleo smiled up at me. “How much time do we have?”

“As long as we want.”