Page 110 of Catching Feeling

But all along, she was missing.

This beautiful, resilient, defiant girl who walked into my life and set my heart on fire. The one who challenges me, who pushes me to be a better man.

My equal in every sense of the word.

The girl I thought that I would never catch because every time I got close, she’d run even further away.

But we ended up colliding into each other in a way neither of us expected, and it turns out that catching feelings was the best choice we ever made.

epilogue

Viv

One Year Later

“You were amazing tonight! I can’t believe you caught that ball,” I shriek as I crash into Reese, sliding my arms around his neck and locking my legs around his waist as he lifts me off my feet. “God, it was so hot. I am so wet for you right now.”

Seriously, seeing my man out there on the field like an absolute badass in catcher’s gear is quite honestly the sexiest thing in the world, and I’m not even lying… my panties would be soaked if I was wearing any.

But he stole them off me when we were making out in the car like teenagers before his game.

“Yeah? Let me feel, Sweet Tart,” he rasps against my lips, a devilish smirk curving on his pillowy mouth. I’m so crazy about this man that sometimes I feel like I just want to… I don’t know, crawl inside of him because I can’t get close enough. I’m obsessed with him. Every single thing about him.

I laugh. “Well, maybe if we weren’t in a parking lot, but I would not like to end up on TMZ. You forget that you’re basically a celebrity now, babe.”

“I thought almost getting caught was the fun part?” he asks.

“Um, do you want anyone to see my p?—”

He silences me with a growly kiss that has my toes curling in my old Vans and my hands tugging at his freshly showered hair. It’s been over a year of being together, and we’re still as ravenous for each other as we were since the days of sneaking around at Orleans U. You’d think that the honeymoon phase would fade, but if anything, it’s only gotten stronger. We can’t seem to keep our hands off each other.

“I am so impressed,” I tell him as he sets me on my feet and unlocks his Range Rover, tossing his bat bag in the back. “I mean, babe, the way you slid under the ball and gloved it the second before it hit the ground? I was losing my mind.”

Being in love with a professional baseball player means that you fall in love with the sport the same way you did with the man, and now I can admit that I’m a fan. Mostly of my man, but definitely the game too. I love watching him do what he loves, pouring his heart and soul into his career. And I want to support him the way that he supports me, which means I’ve come a very long way since the days when I thought home runs were field goals.

Slightly embarrassing, but life is all about growth.

“Your mom still coming in this weekend?” Reese asks as we walk to the passenger side of his car and he opens it for me. Something he always does, no matter what.

I nod, excitement buzzing inside me. I miss her so much. But I’m so proud of how well she’s doing. “I think we have to pick her up at the airport at two on Sunday.”

“Good. Got her a surprise.” He grins, those deep brown eyes flaring lovingly.

I should know by now that he’s never going to show up empty-handed, even though he knows I don’t need material things to be happy. I just need him.

It’s just not how he’s wired.

I’ve learned that gifting things is his love language, and I hate telling him no or giving him a hard time about it. When we first started dating, it bothered me because I didn’t understand, but now I know it’s just his way of expressing his love.

Not because he wants to flaunt his wealth.

That’s the exact reason Boo has four cat towers and a cashmere cat bed in our high-rise apartment that overlooks Seattle. I literally cannot imagine a more spoiled cat than ours, something that Reese takes entirely too much pride in.

I click the seat belt into the buckle as he slides into the driver’s side and pulls the car out of the parking lot toward our apartment. We’ve lived here for three months now, and it still feels so new. New city, new apartment, new places to explore and people to meet.

I was so nervous when he got drafted to the Washington Wolves but even more excited because it’s his dream to play professionally, something he’s been working for his entire life.

That made my decision to go with him that much easier. I had already been on the fence when finishing out my freshman year about switching to online classes. I figured it would give me more flexibility to be there for Mom and would allow me to focus more heavily on getting my book out there. Querying agents and publishers. Revising, revising… and even more revising. So it was a no-brainer that if Reese was moving across the country, then so was I.

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