Trevor
Epilogue
Eight Months Later
Loretta blows on her party horn as Kenzie opens another birthday present. With all the colorful streamers crisscrossing through the living room and the balloon arch leading to the kitchen, our home is a vibrant contrast to the drab February day. Outside, the brutally cold, overcast weather resembles a gray blanket of despair. With the heater on full blast, our bellies full of sushi delivery, and the elaborate cake I ordered on the kitchen island, we’re all smiles.
Jet uses her claws to shred discarded wrapping paper as Banks enjoys belly rubs from Buck. I’d be slightly miffed that my cattook to Kenzie’s father immediately if I hadn’t noticed upon meeting him that he and his daughter share the exact same energy. It’s no wonder Banks likes him.
A warm bubble rises in my chest as Kenzie hugs her mom, the Waves fuzzy socks she just received flinging over her mom’s shoulder. I’m so happy Kenzie’s parents were able to come visit for her birthday.
I’d had an incredible time visiting over Thanksgiving weekend after we’d clinched the World Series title. Buck and Loretta put us to work, teaching me how to milk their dairy goats in addition to harvesting kale, pumpkins, and late potatoes. Buck and I repaired fences while Kenzie and Loretta worked in the greenhouse. On Thanksgiving, we puzzled our hearts out before enjoying a delicious home-cooked meal.
We also celebrated my new two-year contract with the Waves. I’ll officially be one of the oldest catchers in the MLB, but I’m happy to have my knees in the dirt as long as they’ll have me. Patrick mentioned transitioning into a different role within the franchise after those two years are up, but for now, he wants me to focus on having the best seasons possible.
That should be a lot easier now that Aaron signed a lucrative contract with the Seattle Admirals. I inwardly cheered when Aaron took his attitude and his new bride clear across the country. Last I heard, she was making his life difficult by contesting their divorce. Serves him right.
My gaze shifts to the display case Kenzie bought for my World Series ring. She also insisted I move my Golden Glove and a few other awards into the common room, saying I should be proud of my hard work. When I complained that we couldn’t have a case just for me, she had trophies made. World’s Best Accountant and All-Star Girlfriend sit next to Best Lap Cat and Zoomiest Kitten Around. My mouth quirks at the gold kitten figurine wearing running shoes with a sweat band around her pointed ears.
I don’t think I’ve ever felt as supported as I have in these past months. Kenzie made it her personal mission to get a rotating group of people in the stands cheering for me. It was the best surprise when my old friend Jacob arrived out of the blue with his wife and kids in July. His mom, Trish, and her new husband visited in early August. When Kenzie wasn’t encouraging people to fly in, she convinced Noah and his friends from Wilks Beach to drive to “the mainland” for a game. I knew how difficult that was for Noah. The last time he’d been in the Waves Stadium was the night that destroyed his baseball career.
Kenzie catches my line of sight. “Do you want to put your ring on and add a little extra sparkle to this party?”
I chuckle. “No. I’m good.”
“You could wear it twenty-four seven like Tenny does,” she says with a growing grin.
“He’s the one with all the necklaces? Your first baseman?” Buck looks up from scratching beneath Banks’s chin.
I nod. “He officially has more jewels around his neck than any living monarch.”
My teammate bedazzled himself more than the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center after our World Series win, buying a second sapphire tennis necklace and another aquamarine one. He’s convinced that his shiny adornments will help him find a girlfriend. When I tried to point out that character, not carat count, is what’s important, he slapped my back and told me I obviously didn’t understand the importance of peacocking.
“Should we have cake?” Kenzie casts a longing gaze toward the four-tiered birthday cake.
“Not yet.” Loretta claps her hands, accidentally startling Banks, who races over to me. “You have one more gift, right Trevor?”
Picking Banks up, I set a kiss over his missing ear before tucking him into the crook of my arm.
“That’s right.” I pull my phone from the pocket of my jeans. “My present is more of an experience.”
Kenzie’s brow wrinkles adorably as she accepts my darkened phone. The timestamp switches over to 1:00 p.m., and it rings with a video call from an unknown number. My girlfriend’s eyes dart to mine, and I nod for her to answer. The second the screen goes live, Kenzie screams, drops it, then fumbles the couch cushions to find it.
Banks hops from my arms as Jet runs circles around the room, yowling.
“Oh my gosh, it’s Paul Rudd!”
“Hello?” Paul says from his fabric crevice.
“One second. We’re having minor technical difficulties,” I tell him while restraining a chuckle.
Kenzie finally snatches the phone and hoists it above her head like a trophy before realizing her favorite celebrity is on the screen.
“It’s you. It’s really you.” Her words are little more than a puff of breath as she cradles the phone inches from her face.
“It’s me.” Paul laughs good-naturedly. “I heard it was your birthday…”
While Kenzie is distracted by conversation with Ant Man himself, Loretta gives me a wink. She and Buck know what comes after this birthday gift, because when I called to arrange this visit, I also asked for their blessing. My hand finds the ring in my pocket, but there’s one thing missing. I glance around the room, but both our cats have disappeared. Banks is an integral part of my engagement plan because he’s what brought Kenzie into my life in the first place.
