Page 63 of Batter Up!

“Mack called him into the office along with Tucker. It was a closed-door meeting, so who knows what that means,” Cooper explained as he came over and lifted me up for a big hug. “Hi, shorty.”

The doors opened again, and Tyler and Keegan came out together. I would be embarrassed later, but I found myself squealing, and I was so excited to see him that I jumped into his arms.

“Well, hello beautiful,” Tyler chuckled as his lips found mine, and he pulled me even closer and wrapped his arms around my bottom.

“Damn, man, get a room,” Cooper yelled from beside us.

I pulled away from him just a little and grinned. “I could get used to this.”

“About that…” Tyler said, and I saw a hint of worry in his eyes.

“What’s going on?” I asked. “You had such an awesome game!” I had no idea what could cause that look in his eyes.

“Hey, fellas!” Another male voice entered our little group. It was his head coach, McAlister. “Did Stone and Tucker tell you the good news?”

“I was just about to, sir,” Tyler said as he gently put me down on my feet.

“What’s goin’ on?” Hayden asked.

“These two have been called up to Double-A!” his coach announced proudly.

I felt something in my chest when I looked into my husband’s eyes. There were a lot of feelings going on inside me. I could tell he was watching my face closely to see my reaction. I felt a tear run down my cheek, but I jumped into his arms again. “Oh, Tyler! I’m so freaking proud of you!”

All his teammates surrounded us now, too, giving him hugs and congratulations.

“When do you guys leave?” Cooper asked. “We definitely have to celebrate this, bruh!”

“They leave in just a few hours, Dixon,” their coach said with a very serious voice.

“A few hours?” I said, and the pride in my chest seemed to deflate. I had just found him, and he was leaving already? Tyler saw the change in my demeanor and pulled me close.

“One day at a time, baby. We can do this,” Tyler whispered in my ear, so only I could hear him.

I nodded and looked up at him, unable to hide the tears falling down from my eyes. “I really am so freaking proud of you. I’m just going to miss you so much.”

“So, if I said I’d walk away from all of this to just be with you…”

“Tyler Stone, don't even think about that! This is your dream, and you’ve worked so hard for this. Like you said - we’ll take it one day at a time.”

Tyler leaned down and kissed the top of my head. “You are so perfect for me.”

“Well, looks like we have some packing to do.”

Two hours later, we arrived at the bus station. I watched as Ty gave his friends and teammates bro hugs. They were each giving him congratulations and advice. When he got to Ivan last, there was no guy type of hug for him. They wrapped each other in a tight hug, and you could just see the bond the two of them had.

He then turned and looked at me. He wasn’t even ashamed of the tears pooling in his green eyes as he walked over to me. I found myself beginning to cry again at the sight of his tears. “You’re going to get sick of how much I text you all the time.” He wrapped his arms tightly around me.

I buried my face in his chest, and I could feel his shirt getting wet with my tears. “I’m trying to be strong, Ty. I’m so fucking proud of you, but I’m also going to miss you so much it hurts. I just love you so much.”

He kissed the top of my head and tightened his hold on me. “I love you so much. I’m going to miss you so much, too. You better send me a picture everyday of that belly. I want to see our baby grow, and I want to hear every detail.”

I nodded and pulled slightly away from him as he put his hands on my slightly rounded stomach. “Don’t worry about us. You play your heart out and enjoy the game. Keep doing your best. One day at a time, right?”

“One day at a time,” he agreed and pulled me into a deep kiss.

“Son, we’ve gotta go,” the bus driver called.

“I have to go,” he said and gave me one more kiss. “You be safe. I’ll text you.” He bent down and kissed my stomach and then grabbed his bags that were sitting on the ground next to me.

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