“I love you, too,” I replied, tears pulling at my eyes. “Longer than forever.”
I could feel the emotion rip through me, and I grabbed onto him, knowing that this was the real thing.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Ryan
It was an absolutely beautiful August day, and I couldn’t have been happier to be with my two girls. It had been a couple weeks since Christina left in a huff, and I hadn’t heard a peep out of her. From the gossip among some of our mutual friends, I heard she had gone back to Dale, begging him to take her back, and he did, like the poor, unlucky sap that he was. It was fine with me. Let him deal with her craziness.
I had woken up early this morning and taken a shower before anyone else was out of bed. Alissa was pretty much staying at my house every night since I didn’t want to let her out of my sight. As I showered, I could feel the beauty of the day in my chest, and excitement blew through me as I climbed out to find Alissa holding my towel and smiling.
We all got ready, ate some breakfast together, and headed over to the ballpark to catch an early August doubleheader. Kayla was decked out in her baseball gear and carrying her doll while holding Alissa’s hand tightly as we walked through the parking lot. I stayed behind a few paces and smiled, feeling incredibly lucky to have found the life that I was finally content to live. Every day since Alissa came back into my life was amazing, and I wondered if it could stay that way forever. I had never felt that way about anyone before, so I had nothing to compare it to. I took in a deep breath and patted my pants pocket, just to make sure I had everything.
Butterflies were whirling around in my chest, and I could feel the sweat beading up on my forehead. I was really nervous, even though I knew I didn’t need to be. When we approached the gates, Alissa looked back and smiled, stopping for a minute as she realized I didn’t look chipper like I just did.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” I laughed. “It’s just damn hot here today.”
“Are you sure?” she asked, scrunching her eyebrows. “You look nervous.”
“Yeah, I promise,” I said, kissing her sweetly. “I’ve never felt better than I do right now. I am just so happy to have my girls together on this beautiful day at the baseball stadium.”
“Okay,” she said, laughing, laying her head against my chest as I pulled them both in and hugged them tightly. “Babe? They need the tickets.”
“Oh, yeah,” I said, laughing, pulling them out of shirt pocket for them to scan. “Sorry about that. Thank you.”
We walked into the stadium, and I took in a deep breath, taking in the whole scene. This was a really special day, and I wanted everything to be perfect for the girls. We walked down to the seats and sat down, with Kayla on the end next to Alissa, who reached over and squeezed my knee in excitement. I took in a deep breath and rubbed my sweaty palms down my shorts, trying to get ahold of my nerves. As the pregame events started, I sat back, putting my arm around Alissa’s shoulder and enjoying watching Alissa get so excited by all the people running around the field with the mascot. He stopped in front of Kayla, put his hands on his hips, and then waved before taking off again.
“Daddy, this is awesome.” She giggled, warming my heart. “I’m already having so much fun, and the game hasn’t even started yet.”
“I’m so glad, baby,” I said, smiling and kissing Alissa on the forehead.
I watched as Kayla sat there dancing to the music, laughing loudly, and being a normal 8-year-old little girl. I thought about the last few weeks and how I had to sit her down and be as honest with her as I could. Alissa came with me and held her hand as I explained what her mommy had done and how she just wasn’t well. Kayla cried for a minute or two but then took in a deep breath, asking Alissa if she would be coming back around more. The idea of having her close was obviously comforting for Kayla, and Alissa barely left her side after that. Since then, I noticed that Alissa didn’t even ask about her mother at all. She quickly slipped back into her normal excited little girl mode and off she went. I knew that one day, it would come back up again, but for now, I was really glad to see that the whole experience didn’t take as much of a toll on her as I thought it would. I was terrified that she was going to slip back into her little depression, and there would be nothing I could do to help her.
Kayla was one of the toughest little ladies I had ever seen, and it really helped having the family there to support her. Alissa’s mom and sister were amazing people, and they jumped right in, including Kayla in everything they could to make her understand that even if her mom wasn’t there anymore, she was never alone. She had a support system that would put most families to shame. She loved spending time with the girls, and I could feel comfortable knowing she was learning how to grow into a strong, independent, and loving woman, just like them.
Alissa was a godsend, and she jumped right in, doing anything she could to make Kayla feel how much we loved her. She woke up every morning and made breakfast, planned her day with the babysitter, and called periodically to check up on her when I was too busy at work to do so. It had become very obvious that Kayla was starting to think of Alissa more as a mother than a friend, and I thought that nothing could be more perfect. Alissa kissed her boo boo’s, gave her pep talks, giggled about girlie stuff, and tried to enrich and push her life in ways that I had never thought about before. She took an honest interest in Kayla’s life and what she wanted to do. She worked with her on interior design and watched silly princess movies with her. Alissa was everything I had hoped for in a mother for Kayla.
It wasn’t just obvious that Kayla thought of Alissa that way, but it was very clear that Alissa thought of Kayla that way as well. I could see it every time she picked her up, hugged her, joked with her, or anything else that happened on a daily basis. Ali
ssa blossomed with Kayla by her side, and I thought that it was so amazing what they did for each other.
The start of the game drew me from my thoughts, and we all got ready to watch another exciting game. The players did not disappoint on that hot summer day as they played hard, pulling in three runs before the top of the fifth. I glanced up at the screen every now and then, waiting for it to be my time. Kayla, Alissa, and I stood up in the stands and held on to each other as the batter hit a fly ball to deep left field. We watched as the outfielder attempted to catch it but dropped it to the ground. We screamed out, watching the runner on second move to third and pause as the other team scrambled to get ahold of the ball. The runner took off toward home plate, and I held my breath as the ball flew through the air at the same time that the runner dropped down and slid toward home plate. There was a silence in the stands as the dust billowed around them. Suddenly, the crowd erupted as the umpire stepped out and gave the signal that he was safe.
Kayla jumped up and down, screaming and hugging Alissa, and we laughed loudly. I loved this game. It was never predictable and got you on your feet and moving really fast. I was so caught up in the plays on the field, I didn’t realize that the Jumbotron was starting to project the fans on the screen. I looked out at the cameraman, and he gave me the thumbs up, sending butterflies into my chest. I looked up at the screen and tapped the girls, pointing out at it. There, the three of us were standing tall on the big screen.
I took a step back and smiled as the girls waved at everyone and made faces at the camera. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small black box and tapped Alissa on the shoulder. She looked over at me, smiling, but her smile turned to surprise as I bent down on the peanut shells and held the ring box up to her. Everyone in the stands erupted into cheers, and Alissa put her hand to her chest, laughing and looking around. From behind me stepped the mascot, holding a microphone in his hand. I took the mic and cleared my throat, waiting until the stadium was eerily still. Kayla gasped as the players walked out onto the field to watch.
“Alissa,” I said, hearing my voice echo through the park. “You are the most amazing woman I have ever met. You came into our lives as someone there to help us through a very difficult time, but you became so much more than that. You became a friend, a lover, and a source of strength for me that I could never have imagined. You went from your single life and jumped right into our family, becoming a mother to my daughter and a support system for us all. I can’t imagine another day passing without me knowing that you are going to spend the rest of your life with me. So, here in this amazing baseball stadium with my fuzzy friend here, I want to know if you will make me the happiest man in the world, and become my wife?”
“And my mom,” Kayla shouted with a big smile.
Alissa turned and bent down, picking Kayla up in the air and holding her tightly. She whispered something in her ear, and Kayla gave her the thumbs up. Everyone in the crowd laughed and then fell silent again as Alissa turned back toward me and took the mic from my hand. She looked up at the screen and back at me with a huge smile on her face.
“I would be honored,” she said, handing the mic to the mascot and pulling me to my feet.
She threw her arms around my neck and hugged me tightly as the crowd erupted in applause and cheers. She pulled away, and I showed her the ring I picked, a single stone in the shape of a teardrop, to symbolize the emotional depth which I felt about her. She stuck out her finger, and I slipped on the ring, pulling her close and kissing her with passion in front of everyone. The ballplayers clapped and cheered from the field, and Kayla beamed as the coach brought over a ball with the players’ signatures and handed it to her.