Page 27
(Epilogue)
KYGO some gave me a smartass comment that made me crack up in laughter. It was definitely a Sillys thing to do. The boys lived up to the team’s name. They proved that daily.
I made my way through the entire roster before arriving at the catcher. He was at home plate with the last rose and down on one knee. I couldn’t help but laugh as my arms were laden with roses.
“Let me guess, Schmidt. Ending this nonsense dance number?” I laughed as I took the last stem and added it to the rest of them.
“Nope, just a question.”
My heart stopped.
I slowly lifted my gaze to his eyes as he pushed up his catcher’s mask.
Except it wasn’t Schmidt .
It was Jamie .
With one of his trademark grins and…
An engagement ring in a baseball.
This elaborate shindig all made sense now.
“But…but…the game?”
“That wasn’t the question I had in mind.” He chuckled as he leaned towards me a bit more. “Coach said I…needed a night off .”
“I’ll say…” I breathed out. Jamie reached out and took my hand in his. His calloused thumb caressed across my knuckles, calming me in seconds.
“Cadence,” Jamie’s voice softened as he gazed up at me. “I brought you to this field because this is the very field where I first laid eyes on you. I couldn’t think of asking you this anywhere else.” Oh my god, be still my heart. Regaining composure, Jamie continued.
“This is also the same field where I fell in love with you .” A single tear broke free and danced down my cheek. “Day after day, of you torturing me to learn dance moves I couldn’t dream of doing,” A single huff of watery laughter broke from my lips. “I realized that you were the bright lights on my night game. The laces to my leather. The glove to my ball.”
My lower lip quivered. I wasn’t sure if it was from the imminent tears or from holding back my laughter at all his terribly corny baseball puns. Despite wanting to throttle him when we first met, he was truly meant for me. Terrible puns and all. He was my everything .
“I’m…an incomplete roster without you. And I know I couldn’t survive another day without making you mine, forever. Cadence Andrews… will you marry me? ”
I dropped to my knees, sending a swirl of red dirt into the night breeze. Setting aside the awkward pile of roses, I turned back to Jamie. Locking eyes with him, I carefully removed the catcher’s mask and tossed it aside.
In one fluid movement, I launched myself at him. Tangling my arms around his neck, I slanted my mouth across his.
Jamie answered me by wrapping his strong arms across my lower back. His lips were heated against mine. If we weren’t careful, things might get rather questionable in front of a few thousand people. We had to keep it child-friendly. With a gasp of air, I finally pulled away.
“You hit another home run, Slugger,” I mumbled with a grin against his mouth. “The answer’s yes.”
The roar of the crowd was deafening as Jamie scooped his hands under my ass, helping me stand up with him. I let out a squeal of surprise that he quickly muffled with a barrage of kisses as we swayed together to the music atop home plate. Fuck the World Series. This was for sure a game neither of us would forget for the rest of our lives.