Page 173 of Payoff Pitch

We all have tears in our eyes. This is truly the end of an era. I love these three women so much. Kam might be my only blood sibling, but I consider all three of them my sisters.

I take a few calming breaths so I can try to form the words needed. “It’s truly been an honor and a privilege to play with you three. We all know that I wouldn’t be here without you. Thank you for everything you’ve done to support me.”

When it came time to choose the Olympic team, thecommittee was on the fence with me because of my injury. I sat out a season, technically because of my pregnancy, but we all know my recovery wasn’t far enough along at the time that I would have been able to play even without the pregnancy.

Sitting out a year ended up being the absolute best thing for me. It reignited my passion for the game. Suddenly, getting back into playing shape and making this Olympic team became extremely important to me. I think I needed to prove to myself that I could do it, and I also wanted to show my three girls, especially Harper, all about hard work, dedication, and perseverance.

It wasn’t easy, and it didn’t happen overnight, but I eventually got myself there. Last year, my first season back, certainly wasn’t my best. It’s hard to be out of the sport for so long. But this past season, I think I was pretty close to how I was before the accident.

The Olympic committee was choosing between me and another infielder. A much younger, accident-free, kid-free infielder. Without an ounce of hesitation, Kam, Ripley, and Arizona let them know that their acceptance of this team was dependent on the committee makingthe right decision. They went into a whole thing about team chemistry and the like. I wasn’t sure how I felt about it at the time, but I was selected for the Olympic team, and I’ve worked my ass off every day since to make sure they don’t regret it.

I eventually earned the starting job at second base and haven’t sat a single inning in the Olympics yet, happily contributing to our path to the gold-medal game.

After a tear-filled final pregame huddle, I do a quick scan of the crowd searching for my family. I spot them waving at me, all in my jersey. Tanner is talking to someone, but his eyes are on me. He blows me a kiss when our eyes meet. He still gives me butterflies in my stomach.

I then find our three girls right next to him. Lorelei is on Harper’s lap and Aurora is bouncing between Fallon’s lap and my father’s.

Fallon and I get so many eyebrows raised at our close friendship. We’re more like sisters now. Tanner jokes that he’s usually the odd man out of the three of us. But the fact is, we share a daughter. We’re family. What’s the alternative? For us to have animosity between us? That only hurts Harper, something neither of us are willing to do. And, if I’m being honest, I genuinely like Fallon. I always have. She’s not just Harper’s mom or Tanner’s ex-wife. She’s my good friend.

Fallon has been my biggest cheerleader after my husband and my sister. She’s been a constant presence in my physical therapy and has been a huge help with all three girls when I needed to train. The twins call her Aunt Fallon, and she showers them with love and affection. Like Fallon said the night Tanner and I got engaged, the more people who love your children, the better.

Not all families look the same. It doesn’t make one better than the other. This is ours, and, while maybe it isn’t what I imagined when I was younger, I wouldn’t want it any other way.

We’ve got about five minutes until the game officially begins. I sneak off in their direction. We had to stay with the team this week, so I’ve barely seen them.

I walk straight over to Tanner. He leans over the stands, grabs my face, and says, “I’ve missed you, sweet girl,” before he softly kisses my lips.

I run my fingers through his beard, which is a little grayer now, but I refuse to allow him to shave it off even though he’s mentioned it a few times. It’s too damn sexy to disappear. I mumble into his lips, “Me too. I hope we can find some alone time tonight.”

He smiles into my mouth. “Fallon said she’d take the girls.”

“Best. Sister. Wife. Ever.”

He chuckles. “I suppose.”

I hear Harper’s voice. “Ugh. Will you two stop the PDAs? It’s repugnant.”

Harper might have a few years until she’s officially a teenager, but sometimes it feels like those years are already upon us. Shedoes, however, still hold onto her word of the day toilet paper. She won’t let go of that part of her childhood. I don’t know what she’s saying half the time. I keep a pocket dictionary on hand. Her little sisters can’t wait to potty train so they, too, can have “Harper toilet paper.”

I hug all three girls and then Fallon. I whisper in her ear, “How do you feel?”

She whispers back, “Like if the wind changes and I catch a single whiff of the hot dog over there, I’ll lose my breakfast all over Rory’s head.” Rory is what we call Aurora.

I giggle. “Me too.”

We’re both newly pregnant. She’s the only person besides Tanner and Kamryn who knows about my pregnancy, and I think Kam and I are the only ones who know about hers. It’s very early on for both of us, but I’m excited that we get to do this together and that our kids will grow up together.

The game finally gets underway. I do my best to take in the moment. How many people get to play in a gold-medal game in the Olympics? Knowing the journey I took to get here, and that it’s my last game ever, makes it all the more special. I’m walking away from the game on my terms, no one else’s. Whether the medal around my neck is gold or silver, just being here makes me a winner.

It’s beena defensive battle of a game. Kam and I turned a huge double play last inning during a big moment. We smiled at each other as we ran off the field together. We’ve turned thousands of them over the years, but we both realize that it was likely the last one.

We’re down one run going into the bottom of the sixth inning. Ripley has pitched an amazing game, but the other teamgot lucky and scored one run at the beginning of the inning. We’ve only got six outs left to make this happen.

Arizona leads off the inning, gets on base, steals second, and then Kam bunts her over to third base. I’m kind of surprised our coach didn’t have Kam swing away, she’s one of the best hitters in the world, but I guess she wanted Arizona at third base.

This is the first runner we’ve had at third all day. We can’t strand her there. Unfortunately, the next batter strikes out. Shit. We needed her to put the ball in play for Arizona to score, but it didn’t happen.

There are two outs as I step up to the plate for what will likely be the last at-bat of my life. It’s simple. I need a hit to tie the game. Making solid contact. That’s all I’m focused on.

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