Page 111 of The Third Baseman

After all the goodbyes and calendar schedules my mom made to meet Marnie before tomorrow’s game, it actually took fifteen minutes to get out of there. I was expecting her to have some kind of freak-out the second we drove out of the gates, but she was perfectly calm, quietly smiling to herself.

I peered over at her. “You okay there?”

She nodded slowly. “Yes. I was just thinking how good it was to see Emerson. She seems really happy, and the kids are adorable.”

I wasn’t quite ready to divulge exactly how pleased it made me to hear her say that, but I leaned over and kissed her quickly. Marnie changed the music, and then went back to her thoughts as I took a left out of Emerson’s place and headed down the road, driving through the town and out the other side in contented silence. I hadn’t spent much time actuallyinthe town, because whenever I was visiting, I tended to camp out at Emerson and Drew’s house. Plus it was usually too much hassle going out in public, but I think it was a place I could get used to. It reminded me a little of Malibu, just without the beach, Pacific Ocean, and year-round sunshine.

Finally we came to a turning down a dirt path that I’d missed the last time I’d visited. I slowed almost to a stop which had Marnie paying more attention to our surroundings and the large red PRIVATE PROPERTY: KEEP OUT signs to either side.

“Jupe, where are we?”

I laced my fingers between hers, bringing them to my lips. “You’ll see.”

She sat up straighter and peered out the window, though all she could see was giant hedgerows. Her frown turned confused as the path opened up to us, and a ramshackle farmhouse in the middle of a field appeared.

“Whose house is this?” Her eyes kept flicking between me and the No Entry signs. My girl was not a rule breaker. “I don’t think we’re supposed to be here.”

“It’s okay.” I pulled up and stopped the engine, then removed my sunglasses and turned to her so she could search my face for an explanation. “This house is mine… well, ours.”

“Jupiter…” she gasped, her eyes widening. “Wha… what? You bought us a house?”

Fuck. I could feel my insides flip-flopping. It was still a sensation I was getting used to whenever Marnie was concerned.

“I bought it when you agreed to come to New York. I haven’t touched it. In fact, I’ve only been here the one time because I didn’t want to jinx anything. I was hoping… well, waiting, I guess… until we got to the point where we could build a home together. I’m not saying that’s today; I know we’re still getting used to things, but I wanted to bring you anyway.”

Her mouth dropped, then she started chewing on her lip, but it wasn’t in the way I liked. I ignored it and jumped out of the car, running to her side before she could object. “Come on, I want to show you something.”

She took my hand quietly and followed me. “I haven’t been around the house because I wanted you to be here with me, but there is something I do have plans for. It’s the reason I bought it.”

I wasn’t sure whether it was a good sign she hadn’t said anything yet as I led her through to the huge field behind the house, which stretched all the way down to a little stream at the bottom. The structure in front of us was what had sealed the deal; an old stone outbuilding, just like the farmhouse, also falling down in equal parts.

“It feels like we’re in the middle of nowhere.”

I laughed, because that was exactly the point. “I know, even though Drew and Emerson are ten minutes away.”

“Was this what you had plans for?” She pointed to the outbuilding, her face saying everything else.

It was a dump.

Still, the birds chirping in the surrounding trees did add a little something.

“It is. Wanna hear them?”

She nodded. I pulled her into the building, which was almost pitch black, so pulled her back outside because I wanted to see her face when I told her. Plus, it didn’t look that safe, and we could do without the concussion from a stray falling brick.

“You can totally veto it, but hear me out…” I took hold of her hand and laced our fingers together for a tour around the outside. “I thought that we could replace the top half of this stone with glass – you know, for walls of glass. We can put in heated flooring and turn it into a cozy space, add a bed... then above us would be a retractable glass roof so we can watch the stars all year round. Even when it’s freezing cold we can sleep under the stars, and it’ll feel like we’re camping back at your place. And the best bit,” I grinned, “as we’re in the middle of nowhere, we won’t get so much light pollution. It’s not Joshua Tree, but it’ll be closer than New York’s skies.”

She let out a little gasp, slowly turning around. I stood still as she let go of my hand and walked off, her fingers trailing along the stone until she vanished around the corner. I was about to go searching for her, but another minute and she was back, glancing up at me. “You’re building me an observatory?”

I nodded. “It’s not round, but… yes”

Her eyes filled with tears that soon streamed down her face. “Jupiter… I… I don’t know what to say.”

I wiped her cheeks dry and dipped down, brushing my lips to hers in the most gentle kiss I could muster. “You don’t have to say anything.”

She sniffed hard, rising up on her tiptoes to kiss me again. Her arms wound softly around my neck. “It’s the kindest, most incredible thing anyone’s ever done for me. I can’t believe it.”

I shrugged, suddenly feeling all kinds of self-conscious which was freaking me the fuck out.

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