Beyond the Game (Out of Reach 2)

“She’s really excited,” Paisley says, sitting next to me on the couch. She leans over and places her head on my shoulder. “Dad, you should really let her go if she’s asked.”

“Princess.” He sighs.

“Come on. You can’t keep us all locked up in your tower forever.”

“I think the fact that you no longer live here and that your boyfriend is sitting next to you on my couch means that statement is irrelevant.”

“You know what I mean,” she tells him. “We’re growing up, Daddy.” He nods but doesn’t comment.

“I’d imagine it’s hard to let go,” I tell Paisley.

She lifts her head to look at me. “Not you too,” she teases.

“I’m just saying. It’s his job as your father to worry and to protect. That’s part of the job description.”

“Exactly,” Easton chimes in.

I wink at my girl, and she rolls her eyes. I press my lips to the top of her head. I can see our future so clearly—a house full of kids and two parents. Something I didn’t have, but she did. I glance over at her dad to see him looking at me. He nods once, and that’s all the confirmation I need. He accepts what she means to me.

Chapter 23

Cameron

“Fuck yeah!” Henderson screams as he lifts me into the air and spins us around. The crazy fucker drops me to my feet and rushes more of our teammates. We did it. We won our conference, and we’re headed to the World Series.

World. Fucking. Series.

My eyes scan the dugout. There is only one person I want to celebrate with. I spot her standing with Dr. Thomas and another trainer. They’re smiling wide, happy for their team. I push through the crowd of my teammates, their families, and reporters. I ignore the shouts that call out for me. I stalk toward the dugout, and I don’t stop until she’s in my arms and my lips are sealed with hers.

She wraps her legs around my waist and her arms around my neck and kisses me back. Neither one of us cares about who’s watching. We’re celebrating.

“Cam, I’m so fucking happy for you.”

“My good luck charm,” I whisper against her lips. “We did it, baby!”

“You’re going to the World Series.”

“I’ve dreamed of this. I never thought it would be possible. And to share it with you.” I shake my head. “I love you. This game I love. It brought me you. Now, this—” I swallow back the emotion that clogs my throat.

“I love you too,” she says softly before sliding down my body. I keep my hands on her even after she’s found her footing. “You should go get changed. Your mom and Gerald, and my parents and little sisters, and Willow are all here, and we’re celebrating!”

“They’re all here?”

“They are. They wanted to be here to support you. This was either the last game of your season or your ticket to the World Series. Either way, they all wanted to be here.”

I’m smiling so hard I fear my face might crack. “I’ll be quick,” I tell her.

“We’re not going anywhere. Go, do what you need to do. I have a few people I need to check on.”

“Love you.” I kiss her again because I can. Because it’s my first year in the majors, and my team is going to the fucking World Series. Because this is my team. My new agent negotiated my contract. Instead of three years at twenty-two million, he got me four years and thirty million.

Is this real life?

I look at my girl, who’s smiling up at me, and I know that it is. This is our life, mine and Paisley’s, and I can’t wait to see what adventures it leads us to. After another kiss to her soft lips, I force myself to release her and head to the locker room.

My teammates are dancing and cheering and celebrating. It’s so loud you can hear it coming down the hall. They earned it. We earned it. Pushing open the door, I’m hit by the sound. I make my way to my locker with slaps on the back and high fives. Henderson is buck-ass naked, dancing around the locker room. I just shake my head and laugh at his antics.

“Taylor!” he cheers, giving me his back and shaking his ass.