Page 128 of Force Play

“I’m never going to live that down, am I?”

“Baby, you parked your bike in a tree and blamed your sprained ankle on one of the forest’s most innocent creatures. What do you think?”

“Innocent my ass,” I huff.

Standing and tossing the towel over his shoulder, pulls me with him, his hands slipping under the white bikini he gifted me, palming my ass right under where “Mrs. Duran” is embroidered. He lifts me and I wrap my legs around him, letting him carry me up the beach..

Somehow we manage to rinse off in the outdoor shower with only a brief interlude, where Dom’s fingers slip between my legs and I detonate for him in record time as he tells me all the ways he’s going to worship me when we get back from the bike ride.

We finish getting ready just as the guide pulls up in the shuttle to take us north to Las Catalinas, where there are some of the best mountain biking trails Costa Rica has to offer. Because I don’t think the new general manager of the Bandits, Miller Murphy, would appreciate me breaking one of his best players, we are sticking to pretty basic trails today. Believe it or not, I’m one-hundred percent okay with that. Gone are the days where I chase an adrenaline high just to feel something.

I glance at my husband, who is holding the shuttle door open for me, much to the annoyance of the driver, and my heart skips a beat. These days, I feel everything as it comes. There’s no running or shutting down what my heart wants.

We don’t waste any time unloading our bike and starting our ride. Dirt splatters cover my legs, sweat coats my body, and my heart drums out a punishing beat in my chest as I follow Dom up the incline. Despite not having a fucking clue what he’s doing on a mountain bike, he insisted on leading the way. He’s actually not half bad, which shouldn’t surprise me. My husband’s never met an obstacle that he can’t leap blindly over.

Ahead of me, Dom leans his bike against the railing at the edge of the overlook, taking my bike from me and doing the same as soon as I dismount. We hang our helmets on the handlebars and stand side by side, catching our breath from the climb.

“Wow!” White waves crash violently over jagged rocks and cliffs below us. Houses and tan beaches dot the rugged coastline.

“This was worth leaving the shower for,” Dom says, his hot breath ghosting over my neck when he pulls me into his arms.

“Sure was,” I agree.

“I want more of this, Indie.” My husband says going still behind me. “Promise me you’ll always fight. No matter what happens, you won’t give up. Because I want a life filled with memories like this one. You’re the love of my life, and I can’t do this without you.”

I turn in his arms, fighting back tears when I see his watery eyes. “You made me want to fight. Before you, I was hiding—barely living. You opened my eyes and made me face it all. How I felt for you, the way I was running from my past and my future at the same time. There’s no going back now. Loving you changed my outlook on everything. I’m still scared, but I know you’ll be there to help every step of the way, and that makes it all okay.” I kiss his lips, letting my eyes fall shut. “So yeah, I’ll fight if it comes to that. I’ll never give up on the future we have together, because this life is worthy of millions of memories, just like this one.”

With the soundtrack of pounding waves in the background, we stay like that for a few minutes, just soaking it all in before Dom’s lips find the crown of my head, giving me one more kiss before we strap our helmets back on and ride back down to the waiting shuttle.

Epilogue

Dom

Shaking off the snow I step into the atrium of the Bandits stadium. Today it looks nothing like it does in the middle of the baseball season. And instead of being here for practice or a game, today, I’m my wife’s coffee bitch. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

There’s a sea of people buzzing around the evenly spaced out tables, including Lara who is busy helping with set up. Each table is home to a display about one of the five charity organizations here today. Soon, the rest of the available space will be packed with people interested in volunteering for one of these organizations. They’ll get to speak with current volunteers and full-time team members about the mission of each organization and the types of volunteer work they can do.

In the middle of it all is my brillant wife, commanding everyone’s attention as she gives directions to finish the set-up and ensure the event runs smoothly.

I wait off to the side while she finishes doling out assignments. I’m beyond impressed with everything she’s accomplished in the last six months, but I never doubted she’d pull it off. Still, my wife has transformed right in front of my eyes, from the woman who ran from her fears, to someone who faces them head on.

From the moment she got her test results back she’s battled with every cell in her body for the life she wants and I’m just really fucking lucky that she saw me as part of that future when I asked to her to imagine what it would look like.

I make my way to the heart of the atrium, where she’s finally alone, and hold out my hand. “One black coffee, jet fuel, fully caffeinated, just the way you like it.”

“My hero,” she coos, playfully. “Now, where are your minions?”

“If by minions you mean teammates, they should be here in a few minutes.”

“Perfect. I can’t wait to order them around. It might just be the highlight of my day.”

“I’m sure it will be, but why don’t you come sit with me for a few minutes first? Get off your feet while you have the chance.”

If looks could kill, I’d drop dead here and now.

“You promised not to coddle me. It was in your vows.”

“No, it wasn’t.”

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