“What’s that?” I reveled in the breathlessness of her reply.
“Later tonight, when we’re alone, I’m going to show you exactly how much I love and adore you.”
“Is that a promise?” she asked.
“That’s a guarantee.”
She laughed, the sound bright and happy, and shoved at my chest. “Okay, Romeo. Let’s get moving before we miss dinner.”
I stole one more kiss, because I could, then opened her door and helped her in.
As I rounded the truck to the driver’s side, I caught sight of my family loading into their cars, Emily’s friends piling into theirs, everyone talking and laughing and full of joy.
This was what happiness looked like.
I climbed in, started the engine, and reached for Emily’s hand.
She laced her fingers through mine and smiled.
Yeah. This was exactly what happiness looked like.
EXTENDED EPILOGUE
Emily
I leanedback in my seat, letting the late afternoon sun warm my face while the crowd buzzed around us. Alice was tucked into the seat beside me, her feet swinging above the ground.
“Hey, you’ve got a spot.” I grabbed a napkin and wiped the mustard from her chin. She scrunched her nose but let me do it. Audrey sat on Cam’s other side, a little notebook balanced on her knee.
“Emily, should I write down how many pitches, or just the strikes?” She held up her pencil, ready to record my answer.
“Both, if you can keep up. Pitches in one column, strikes in another.”
She nodded seriously and drew a line down the middle of the page.
This. This right here was everything.
It was hard to imagine this weekend getting any better than this. So many feelings had cascaded through me when myname had been announced last night.Emily McIntyre - North Carolina Emerging Artist.
Jesus, I still couldn’t believe it.
Then there were my parents, trying to worm their way back into my life. Honestly, the satisfaction I’d felt when I’d pretended not to know her was vicious.
I’d shut that door and walked away. And instead of crumbling, I’d spent the rest of the night surrounded by people who actually loved me. Funny how that worked.
Speakingof people who loved me… I let my gaze drift to Cam. He was watching the field, but his knee was bouncing and he was drumming his fingers against his thigh in an uneven rhythm.
I frowned. “You okay?”
He startled slightly. “What? Yeah. Fine.”
“You seem tense.”
“Nah, I’m good.” He gave me a reassuring smile and squeezed my knee. “It’s just this game. We’re only up by two.”
“They’re changing pitchers,” Audrey announced from his other side. “So it should get better now. Right, Emily?”
“Yeah, that’s right Auds. So your dad can totally stop stressing now.”
