“Don’t you know by now, sweet pea, I’d do anything for you?” he asks, sweeping my hair out of my eyes.
“What time do you have to be at the field?”
“Not for a few hours.”
“Good,” Dad says, placing his hand on his shoulder. “We’re going out to eat to celebrate.”
“Congratulations, baby.”
Just when I thought this day couldn’t be any better, he gives me the surprise of all surprises.
“Come on, you two,” Dad says, leading our rowdy group out of the auditorium.
“And now for the opening pitch, please welcome Parker Monroe!” the announcer says over the PA.
I’m nervous as I walk out onto the field and wave at the crowd. It’s one thing when it’s your dad or brother-in-law on the team. It’s a whole other ball game, no pun intended, when it’s the team of the man you’re madly in love with. As a last-minute decision, I switched to his jersey instead of one of Dad’s. Holden earned it with the work he did to make it to my graduation.
To my surprise, it’s Cameron who meets me on the mound and hands me the ball. “You ready for this?” he asks me.
“Pft, just like riding a bike,” I say with confidence. If there is one thing I know my sisters and I can do, it’s throw a baseball.
“Good luck.” He taps my shoulder and jogs to the dugout.
My eyes scan the players, looking for Holden, but I don’t see him. I don’t want him to miss this, but I can’t just stand here like an idiot delaying the game, so I wind up the pitch and let it sail. The crows grow wild, and I wave. A few of them start pointing behind me, and I worry that I ripped my pants or something. Turning, I look to see what they might be pointing at and gasp.
“Oh my God,” I breathe when I see Holden kneeling behind me with a ring box in his hand.
“Hey, sweet pea,” he says. His voice rings out over the entire stadium. “I love you,” he says, his voice strong. “Will you spend all the days of your forever with me? Will you marry me?”
I nod because the tears are falling too fast, and the emotion in my throat is too thick to form words. He stands and slides a huge diamond on my finger. “Nice jersey,” he says, his mic still on.
I shake my head and smile. He lifts me in the air and spins me around. “She said yes!” he shouts, and then his lips fall to mine. By the time we come up for air, there’s a picture of us on every screen, and our families are on the field waiting to hug us and wish us congratulations.
When we finally walk off the field, Holden pulls me to the side and hugs me tight. “What do you think, babe? Did we take this beyond the play?” He winks, and all I can do is nod.
He might have been a player before he met me, but that’s not who he is now, and I’m the lucky one who gets to spend the rest of my life loving him.