Page 28

TWO YEARS LATER

Amanda

“Last one. Perfect,” Hyla says, pulling the curling iron from my hair and stepping back.

My makeup is done. My hair is done. Now it’s time to put on my wedding dress.

“Who’s going to help me into this?” I ask with a laugh.

It looks tighter than it actually is on me, but getting everything settled just right is a challenge. It’s my fault for choosing a strapless dress, but this one spoke to me.

After planning plenty of weddings, the last thing I wanted to wear was a traditional white dress. When I saw this luscious red velvet one, I knew immediately it had to be mine.

I’m in one of the spare bedrooms in Rae and Aaron’s beautiful farmhouse, and surrounded by our closest friends and family, we’ll be getting married downstairs in their living room.

Another thing I didn’t want—a big wedding. Partly because of the press, but mostly because I want to celebrate the love Jamie and I share. That’s all that matters to me. Quiet and simple is what we both crave when it comes to our relationship, especially during the off-season when we can slow down.

In a few days, it’ll be five years since we met at a little Christmas party in downtown Ida. Now we’re out in the country, surrounded by beautiful rolling hills. Our dream house is being built just around the corner, and we’ve entered into one of the most peaceful stages in our life.

Jamie is doing well with the Metros, and we’ve settled into a good groove during the season. I split time between New York City and Ida, and only travel for select games where he’ll be pitching—and usually not for the full road trip. Once I finished college, my business exploded. Near our hometowns, I’m typically planning weddings and occasional charity events. Down in the city, I’m often planning fundraisers and galas, though I’ve planned a couple of weddings too.

Jace, who is now not only my best friend, but my sister-in-law, comes over to help me with the dress, along with Mackenzie. The room is filled with the women I love, Rae, Sarah, Chelsea, Dani, and Hyla, plus one more addition to the girl gang—Amelia, Miles’s wife. Our tribe has grown and blossomed since I first met the girls, and there are some tiny new additions either here or on the way.

My heart fills with joy as I glance at Sarah’s round stomach, and then around the room at the women who have loved me to my very core and chosen me over and over again. It was sometimes hard to see the unconditional love in my life, but with them, it has always been vibrant.

As one of the last of the friend group to get married, I’m honored to have them all here with me, and grateful to have them supporting me every day.

“Ready?” my dad asks as we stand in Rae and Aaron’s kitchen, waiting for the music to start.

“So ready. ”

Today is five years in the making, and I can’t wait to see my love, my best friend, my baseball boy waiting for me.

Oh, mental note, I need to change his contact info to Baseball Husband .

I love the sound of that.

The music starts, and I shift back to the moment at hand. I want to be present for every beautiful moment today.

When we round the staircase that runs between the kitchen and living room, Jamie’s eyes immediately land on me.

He lets out a shuddery breath as he watches me. Aaron claps him on the shoulder, but Jamie doesn’t take his eyes off me. Tears slip down his cheeks as he watches me walk to him, and when our eyes meet, I get teary too.

Five years of chaos, falling for each other, and beautiful, all-consuming love. I knew there was something special about him the day we met, but I had no idea it would lead us here. More than four years together, and I’m more in love with him than ever.

When I get to the front, I hand my bouquet to Jace, then turn to face Jamie. He wipes his own tears, then mine, and leans in to kiss my cheek.

“Hi,” he whispers. “You are… mesmerizing.”

“And you look hot as…” I bite my lip, and he smiles at me.

We wanted to keep this short and sweet. We wrote our vows to each other in notes we read last night. Today it’ll just be the exchanging of rings and the promise to hold on to each other, fight for each other, and walk through this life together.

He takes my hands, his eyes shining with love for me, and the unending promise that we’re always in this together. And really, that’s all that matters.

There’s nothing like the feeling of swaying in my husband’s arms to a love song .

My husband.

I love, love, love the sound of that.

His fingers trail through my hair as we dance to Andy Grammer’s I Am Yours . A song that so completely sums up how we feel about each other.

“I love you,” he murmurs in my ear. He’s said it so many times today, like he simply can’t hold back, and it makes me feel utterly adored.

“I love you too. What are you thinking about?”

His chest shakes with a laugh. “How I used to hate winter because it meant no baseball.” He leans back, cupping my cheek as he studies my face. “Now I love it because it means I have months of you all to myself.”

I press onto my toes and slant my mouth over his. The way I kiss him is practically indecent, but I don’t care. He’s mine. My strong, sweet, introverted, kind, quiet, deeply loving man.

“When you stormed my event that night to apologize to me, did you think this is where we’d end up?” I ask as I land back on flat feet. I’ll put my heels on for him later when I take off everything else. Except maybe the underwear that says NY Metros Wife on them.

“Marriage was more than my eighteen-year-old mind could fully understand, but I knew I saw a future with you that was worth fighting for. You’re worth everything.”

I lean against him again, lost in our love. He sees me like no one else ever has, he loves me whether I’m put together like this or a full-on hot mess express. I never knew how loved I could feel until I loved him and let him love me in return.

“ We’re worth everything. Us and the future we’re building together.” After a beat, I ask, “What do you think will happen next?”

He presses his lips against my head. “I don’t know, but as long as you’re next to me, it’ll be perfect. You’ve always been my wish, my dream, my everything, and you always will be. That’s the only part of our future that matters to me. ”

Ugh. As usual, swoon .

But I love swooning over my baseball boy, the man who showed me what unconditional love could be—my husband.

Yeah, I can’t wait to call him that forever .

The End