Page 54 of Carmine

I stepped into his space and wrapped my arms around him. After a pause, he reached out and firmly gripped me. Carmineburrowed his head into my neck and breathed me in as I rubbed his back.

“I can give you a few minutes. Are you okay to bat?” the umpire who’d evicted the other player asked, approaching.

“Yeah, but could Molly stay in our dugout?” he inquired thickly.

“Sure, son, I’ll clear it with your coach,” the umpire answered and disappeared.

“Are you okay?”

“I am now. I just need a minute,” Carmine replied.

“Take your time,” I replied, leaning my head on his chest. Chaos engulfed us as people shouted at one another. Finally, Carmine lifted his chin.

“Wait in my dugout, yeah?”

“Anything you want. Pitch a perfect game, and we’ll have sex tonight.” I whispered.

Carmine’s eyes lit up, and he laughed.

“Done!” he said. He led me to his dugout, where his teammates looked at me curiously, but his coach waved me to his side.

“Sit with me, girl,” Coach Matthews called.

Carmine winked and walked back to the batter’s box. Both the first and second pitches were strikes. But the third Carmine caught and hit hard. I watched as it sailed across the field and Carmine took off. His teammates were on their feet and spilling onto the pitch as they urged him on. A player slid home, then another, and finally Carmine came sliding through on his own home run.

Everyone cheered as the opposing team was seven home runs down.

Carmine was a sweaty, smiling mess as he walked off, headed straight to me and wrapped himself around me. I didn’t say a word, knowing he was putting himself back in his pitcher’s mentality.

“Ready?” Coach Matthews called.

“Two more innings,” Carmine murmured in my ear.

The stadium was quiet, everyone recognising they were witnessing something special. Carmine took the pitch and shook his head a couple of times before giving a nod. He wound up and threw the ball. Several minutes later, Carmine was back in the dugout. Nobody said anything to him, and his team was all struck out on the next inning. This was it. Inning nine. The crowd was deadly silent as Carmine took the pitcher’s mound.

I felt sick to my stomach as I watched him take out the first two players. The entire stadium was filled with nervous tension. Everybody wanted to see Carmine succeed. I wrung my hands together as the third took the batter’s box. Carmine shook his head at his catcher before nodding. Intense focus on his face, Carmine threw.

“Strike one!” the umpire announced.

“Oh God,” I gasped, grasping Coach Mathews tightly.

He gripped my hand.

“Strike two!” the umpire yelled.

The crowd held their breath as Carmine chose his pitch. He glanced straight at the dugout at me.

“This is for you, sweet girl,” Carmine shouted to me and pitched.

“Strikeeeeeeeeeeeeeee three!” the umpire shrieked, and there was a moments silence. Then everything was crazy. Carmine’s teammates raced onto the field and grabbed, hugged and back-slapped him. I sank down on the bench as Coach Matthews bellowed his congrats. Even the rival fans were cheering.

Players from both teams were flooding the baseball diamond, all offering congratulations and shouting praise. I lost sight of Carmine several times as I sat in the dugout, unsure where to go. Then he was in front of me, sweeping me into his arms and kissing me silly. I clung to him as he kissed me the way I’dlonged for. Then he dropped to his knees, and I stared at him in surprise.

“Carmine?” I gasped as he yanked something from around his neck.

“I love you, Dr Molly Balfour-Cherlyn,” Carmine said. “Can’t imagine life without you. You are my everything, and I want nothing more than to wake up every morning with you curled into me. I wanna see my property cut on you and let everyone know I belong to you. You’re my entire world, the dream I didn’t let myself have. Marry me, Molly, please, because I can’t live without you.”

I stared at the ring he was holding. A beautiful emerald surrounded by diamonds.

---