Page 102 of The Love We Make

“Is she done with the IV?” He asked the nurse in the corner.

“Almost,” she mumbled, never looking up from her clipboard.

“Ethan. Calm down. I am sorry I let the heat get to me. Don’t let it ruin your day.”

He took a deep breath and sat down in the chair next to me. “I looked up to the stands and saw everyone crowded around you and I fucking panicked. So you will have to give me a few more minutes to get over it.”

“But you threw a perfect game,” I repeated.

“You know damn well you are more important to me than baseball.”

Yeah, I knew that. I always had been. Even before we became a couple, I knew I was always the most important thing to him. I smiled at him as he took my hand.

“Let’s change the subject,” I suggested.

“Ok, wanna play a game when we get home?” He asked quickly and waggled his eyebrows.

He must mean baseball.

We didn’t live together officially, but we stayed with each other every night. Whether we went to his apartment or mine, we were together every night he wasn’t traveling. We had talked about when my lease ended that I would just move in with him. His place was bigger and more secure.

We also didn’t see a need to “move slow.” We were a done deal.

A foregone conclusion.

A finality.

And we had spent our entire lives getting to know each other. There wasn’t much we didn’t know and nothing we didn’t accept and love.

Once the floodgates of our feelings had opened up, we had determined that everything we had ever done together had been us making love.

Ethan taking me to prom as afriend…love.

Me escorting Ethan to his draft party…love.

Ethan staying up late to help me study even though he had to pitch the next day…love.

Me taking him ice cream after a loss…love.

Dirty bathroom sex at 678…love.

“I definitely want to at least hit a double,” I answered him, playing our game but gesturing to my IV.

“Um, yeah, baseball isn’t a good idea tonight,” he raised my hand in his and kissed my knuckles.

What?

“I definitely want to play baseball,” I laughed.

“Damn times have changed. Now you are the one wanting to play baseball and I am the one wanting to play your game.”

“What game?” I was confused.

“Wedding,” he smiled. “Only this time, I don’t want to officiate. I want to be the groom.”

We never discussed marriage but we both knew it was in our future. I always wanted to be married. I always wanted a family. Ethan did too, as long as it was with me.

I smiled at his words, blushing with the truth that I had yet to confess.

“You always were,” I whispered.

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