She pulled back.
“What is it?” she pushed.
I reached into my pocket for the ring box that was sitting there since this morning.
Her breath hitched.
“Is that…”
I flipped the box open and showed her the simple, small diamond band.
“I know that you don’t wear jewelry,” I said. “So I tried to find something for you that you could wear all the time, and it not get in your way while you’re coaching or playing. Or that you’ll have to take off all that much.”
She sniffled.
“Will you marry me, Edith?”
“I’ll marry the heck out of you, Weaver.” She bounced on her toes. “And twice on Sunday.”
Epilogue
Cannibal. Someone who is fed up with people.
—Text from Eddy to Weaver
Eddy
3 years later
“Hey, Coach.”
I looked up at the college recruiting scout that was sitting in the bleachers not too far from my bench and smiled. “Hey, Coach Addel. You made it.”
He nodded. “I did.”
“Enjoy the game.” I smiled and waddled off.
The girls on the bench that I was passing started to snicker.
“Hey.” I pointed at them. “Not a word.”
“Never,” one of the seniors said, miming zipping her mouth and locking it with a key.
I held out my hand. “Give that key to me.”
She mimed putting it in my hand.
I jokingly put it into the pocket of my pants and gestured to my eyes with two fingers. Then pointed at her.
She pressed her lips together to hold in her laugh.
I waddled to the coach that was next to the refs and said, “I’m sorry. I’m here.”
“Coach Grant,” the coach from all those years ago that’d gotten kicked out of the game against us said. “It’s good to see you here.”
He was clearly saying the right words, but definitely not meaning them the way they sounded.
“It’s good to be here.” I smiled.
