Page 116 of Stealing Home

“You,” she calls out loudly.

Joaquin gives her a nudge, and she heads toward Will. She’s ready for me to throw a ball to him this time, and holds her hand out for it when she gets to him. I’d have thought she was prepared for what this one would say, but she lets out a surprised sob when he gives her the ball.

“Marry,” she chokes out.

I hold my breath. If she continues to home, that’s as good as answering me, but if she walks away, well that’s an answer too.

Harlow takes a deep breath and rolls her shoulders back. I don’t exhale until she takes off for home. With the last ball I’ve got, I throw it to Taylor. It’s only fitting these guys are a part of this, especially Taylor, considering he’s been somewhat present since the beginning.

The ball hits his mitt with an audible thud. He steps closer to the base, grabs the grill of his face guard and rips the helmet off his head. Taylor holds out the ball to her. I can see her hand shake as she takes it.

She turns around to shout the last word back to me, but I’ve snuck up on her already and dropped to one knee right there in the dirt. I got the ring a couple of weeks ago, but I’ve been holding on to it for the right time. I’m not sure if there ever is a right time, but after yesterday I know that time isn’t guaranteed. Every second I have left of this life, I want to spend as her husband.

“Will you marry me?” I repeat the words I wrote on the baseballs.

Tears slide down her face, but she’s smiling. Her head bobs up and down.

“I’m going to take that as a yes, gorgeous.” Taking the ring out of the box, I slide it onto her finger.

“Yes, of course, yes. I love you, hotshot. Thank you for not listening to me when I was being stubborn. None of the bullshit reasons I came up with were enough to miss out on a life with you, and I’m so glad you pushed me out of my head.”

“I promise I’ll fight you every time you’re being stubborn. Oh, and we’re getting married next weekend,” I let her know.

Harlow stretches up and kisses me sweetly on the mouth. “I do love it when you’re bossy.”

I pick her up. “That’s good to hear, because you’ll have a lifetime of it to get your fill. I love you, Low. Forever.

I know a lot of people won’t understand what Low and I have. They’ll see the fact she’s older, or judge me for pursuing my coach’s wife. I was always great at stealing bases, and this time I’m stealing home. If life is a game, then when it comes to Harlow, I’m playing for keeps.

Epilogue

HARLOW

“Are you ready for this?”Wren asks as she hands me my bouquet.

“I don’t know, she looks way too calm for a bride. You puked several times before your wedding,” Bess says to Wren before I even have a chance to say anything.

“That’s because I was pregnant,” Wren replies, and rolls her eyes.

“It would calm my nerves down if she’d hyperventilate a little, or at least have a glass of champagne,” Bess mumbles.

I wave off the glass when she offers, which makes both of my friends study me closely. Wren rubs her giant belly. “I know why I’m not drinking. I’ve still got a few weeks left with this one hitching a ride.”

I bite my lip. I haven’t even told Scott yet. With everything that had been going on, I lost track of time for when my birth control shot expired. Of course, that’s partly because Scott had been encouraging me to skip it. I kept thinking we’d discuss it more, but time kept slipping away, about a month and a half to be exact.

Scott still thinks that the time I was with the doctors after being attacked by my ex-husband was for x-rays, but I never actually got to have one done. That’s because before they took me in for scans, they ran my blood work to make sure I wasn’t pregnant. It hadn’t occurred to me, because I’d barely gotten off the shot, and from everything I’ve ever heard, it takes most people a long time to conceive after it wears off. Apparently, I’m not most people. The rest of the time was spent making sure the baby wasn’t harmed.

I’d thought about having them bring Scott back, but I knew how badly he wanted to start a family, and I didn’t think I could bear having him find out only to lose it at the same time. Then, once I knew the baby and I were both fine, I kept it to myself to let it sink in. It was hard not telling him when he proposed, but what better gift could I give him?

Becca strolls in, already at home with my friends. She slid right in like she was always supposed to be here. Maybe it should be weird that my friends now include my soon-to-be mother-in-law, but Scott and I are unconventional, why shouldn’t the rest of our relationships be as well?

“Why are you both gawking at Harlow?” she asks.

Bess hands her the glass of champagne I refused and points at me. “Harlow isn’t drinking.”

Becca blinks several times and then laughs. “Well, it looks like Scott takes after his father in more than just looks. It’s a family tradition at this point for a Ryan man to knock up their girlfriend after she survives being kidnapped and assaulted. Does he know?”

I shake my head, and she smiles. “This is going to be such a fun wedding. Please tell him while we’re around.”

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