EPILOGUE HOLDEN
Three months later
Holden
Fucking rain delay. Of course, the one day that I need to get my ass home after an away series and there’s a fucking rain delay. That means I’m going to miss my flight, and if the information staring back at me on my cell phone is correct, there are no other flights out until the morning, which means I’m going to miss her graduation.
Fuck me.
I dread making this call. I hate disappointing her, but I don’t see a way around it. Dialing her number, I walk to the showers in the locker room for some privacy while I wait for her to answer.
“Damn rain.” She laughs. “How’s it looking? I have the radar pulled up, and it doesn’t look like it’s done yet.”
“It’s not. Sweet pea” I start, but she stops me.
“You’re going to miss your flight.”
“Yeah.”
“I already looked. There are no other flights. That’s the last one until eight o’clock tomorrow morning.”
“I know.” My gut twists, and I’m ready to say fuck the game and the fine and head to the airport.
“No.” She laughs. “I can practically hear you thinking, Holden. This is your job. I know that. It’s not a big deal. It’s just a piece of paper. You’ll see it when I hang it on the wall in the office.”
Yeah, she agreed to move in with me after graduation. Little does she know she’s playing right into my plans for us. “It’s not fine, Parker. You worked your ass off for that degree, and I want to be there to watch you walk across the stage.”
“Hey,” she says soothingly. “This might be the first thing that you’ve had to miss, but it’s not going to be the last. We know that this job takes you away, and that’s okay. I know that you’re here with me, even when you’re not.”
“That’s not okay,” I say, frustrated as hell.
“Holden? I’ll be at your game tomorrow night. You know the one that Uncle Drew insisted I throw the first pitch as a celebration of my graduation from college and accepting the PR position with the Blaze. I’ll bring my diploma, and you can see it then.”
“That’s not the same, and you know it.”
“No,” she agrees. “It’s not the same, but do you know what is?”
“What?”
“The way you love me. It means the world to me that you want to be there, but I get it.”
“I can’t even FaceTime to watch it. I’ll be on a fucking plane.”
“That’s fine. I’ll have Dad record it so you and Cameron both can watch it. He knows what it’s like. Trust me. This isn’t new to me.”
“I miss you.”
“I miss you too. Now, when this rain clears up, I want you to go out there and kick some Badger ass, you hear me?” she says, trying to be stern and failing miserably. I can hear the humor in her voice.
“I’m sorry, Parker.”
“It’s fine. I promise.”
“I don’t know what I did in my past life for you to come into my life, but I’m so damn thankful for you. I know my career is hard.”
“It’s baseball,” she says as if it’s that simple.
“I love you.”
“Love you too. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, and hey, I’ll be the one throwing the first pitch, you know, in case you weren’t sure.”
“You’re going to do great,” I tell her.
“Of course I am. I’m a Monroe. Dad even dug out one of his old jerseys for me to wear.”
“Really? I was hoping you would wear mine.”
“We’ll see, player,” she teases.
“Don’t start,” I warn her. “I need to get back. Good luck, babe. I’m with you in spirit.”
“I know you are.”
I end the call and stalk back to my team.
EPILOGUE PARKER
Parker
“Parker Elizabeth Monroe.” My name is called, and I walk across the stage to accept my degree with a smile on my face. When I turn for the camera, hoots and hollers ring out. My eyes scan the crowd for my family, and that’s when I see him.
Holden.
He’s standing on a chair, his hands cupped around his mouth as he screams for me. He’s here. My legs can’t carry me off the stage fast enough. Instead of going to my seat for the remainder of the ceremony, I run to him as fast as I can in these heels. I got my picture taken and walked across the stage. That was good enough for me.
He sees me coming for him and climbs down from the chair, opening his arms for me. I launch myself at him and bury my face in his neck. “How are you here right now?” I ask, pulling back.
“Cameron missed Paisley and the kids, so we chartered a plane. We landed about an hour ago.”
“I can’t believe you did that just to see me graduate.” I kiss him softly. He’s been gone for five days, and I’ve missed the hell out of him.