Page 58 of Batter Up!

While watching the game, I Facetimed Meadow so she could see the ring, and then she and Pen began planning my wedding together. I just sat back as they talked with a huge smile on my face.

Soon, Tyler came up to bat, and I stood up to cheer him on. He had a good eye and didn’t swing at a few of the balls, but he did take a big swing that would probably have gone out of the park, if he had made contact. The count went full, and Tyler swung at the next pitch and fouled it off. He then fouled off another that the catcher almost caught, but it went into the stands, not too far away from where we were sitting.

“Great job staying alive, Ty!” I called out.

“What do you mean by staying alive?” Penelope asked. She didn’t know much about baseball, and I loved that she still came to games with me.

“If he fouls it off, it doesn’t count as a strike, so he has another chance to hit the ball, hence staying alive,” I explained.

“Oh, okay,” Pen nodded.

The next pitch hit Tyler right in the ass. He flinched, so I could tell it hurt, but he threw his bat and jogged to first base.

“You’re lucky, pitcher, that my man has buns of steel!” I called out.

Some fans around us had a good laugh at that.

“So, because he got hit, he gets to go to first base?”

“Yeah, exactly,” I said with a grin. “Look at you – learning all about baseball.”

“Why is Cooper sitting out there and not with the rest of the players?” Pen asked.

I looked and sure enough, Cooper was sitting in the bullpen. Ty hadn’t said anything, but my guess was they had moved Cooper to be a relief pitcher instead of a starter.

“Maybe he’ll do better in relief?” I asked out loud, mostly to myself.

“What is relief?” Penelope asked.

“When the starting pitcher has pitched too many pitches, a relief pitcher goes in and takes over for him.” I explained.

In the ninth inning, we were winning 4-2, but it was still too close of a game. Cooper came out of the bullpen, looking confident and strong. “Oh! They are trying him out as a closer! This could be great for him.”

Penelope didn’t ask what being a closer meant, waved me off to be quiet, and watched Cooper pitch. I had to grin at how serious my friend was when she watched this certain pitcher.

Cooper was able to strike out the side and closed out the game. He had his first save, and I was very proud of him. “Good job, Coop!” I yelled loudly. I turned to my friend and coworker. “I think you should ask him to celebrate after the game.”

“You think I should?” Penelope asked. “My sister is watching my kids tonight and said to stay out as late as I wanted. Are you going to come?”

“Oh, no, I have my own celebration.” I said and could feel my face heating up.

“Good for you,” Pen said. “Who knows? Maybe I’ll land a baseball boyfriend, too.”

“Good luck to you!”

I paced our bedroom and looked at my phone again. I reread the text Tyler had sent thirty-four minutes ago.

Tyler: I’ll be home as soon as I can. Gotta see the trainers 1st. Can’t wait to see you, baby! I love you!

There was a knock on the door, and I knew he had a key and had been able to get in the building and up the stairs, so I wasn’t sure why he didn’t just come inside. I opened the door to find my husband holding a bouquet of daisies.

“I just realized we didn’t have flowers at the wedding. I was walking in the park, saw these daisies, and they made me think of you. I know they aren’t from Lilly’s Pad or anything, but…”

“I love them!” I interrupted him, stood up on my tiptoes, wrapped my arms around his neck, and leaned in for a kiss. “Thank you.”

I took his hand and led him into the kitchen to look for a Mason jar. I began filling it with water and asked if he wanted to sit down.

“That would be a no. It hurts my ass to sit down.”

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