Page 136 of The Shake Off

“Because you’re being officially outed at my girlfriend.”

“I think everyone knows, babe.”

“You’ve handled the fame so well.” I leaned in and nipped my teeth along her neck.

“Shut up,” she laughed, turning around to shove me, but I caught her hand instead and pulled her into me.

“We don’t have time to mess around,” I muttered into her lips. “Tip your head back like the good girl I know you are.”

She smirked but did as she was told so I could rinse the shampoo, and follow up with the conditioner I loved smelling on her.

“You wanna practice your speech one more time?” she asked, wiping the water from her eyes.

I pulled a face at her, because I wasn’t sure I did. “I might jinx it.”

She peered up at me, her big brown eyes full of love and sincerity as she took my face between her hands. “No, you’ve already won, and the speech is going to be amazing. I can feel it my bones.”

“You wanna feel my bone?” I grinned at her, but she was having none of it.

“Be serious. I haven’t heard it properly. Give me your speech.”

“Okay, sit there,” I sighed, and waited until she was perched on the edge of the shower bench.

Pointing the second shower head at her so she didn’t get cold, I picked up a bottle of shampoo, which made an excellent stand-in microphone.

I’d been working on this speech for the best part of a month, and hadn’t yet shared it with her fully. Or anyone for that matter. Lux had heard a couple of snippets when he’d walked in on me practicing, but that was it. Payton had been asking, but in what was a totally uncharacteristic move, I felt nervous.

“I’ve been trying to…” I peered down at her eager face. “Hang on, don’t interrupt, let me get through it before you give me pointers… okay?”

She motioned her fingers zipping up her lips.

“Okay… ready?”

Payton nodded ,and her smile almost had me kissing her again.

I cleared my throat. “I’ve been trying to figure out where to start with my speech, because I didn’t get up here by myself, and I think that honor probably has to go to Mr. Bryce Harper, smashing out his home run in the first game of Opening Day, taking The Phillies to a four-run lead against The Lions… arguably my least fine moment in fifteen years of playing baseball… but without that first game, I wouldn’t be here now. That first week of the season I thought I’d hit rock bottom, and I couldn’t see any way out of it. But the thing about being part of The Lions club is that no one gives up on you. Not the fans, the staff, the trainers, the coaches, my pitching coach, Coach Willis, the boss, my friends… And in the weeks that followed that first game, every single one of my opponents for putting on the best defense they could, because it all contributed to me becoming a better player, and teammate.” I took a deep breath and continued, “All that being said, there’s one person who’s singlehandedly played the biggest part in getting me on this stage today – my girlfriend, Payton.”

Her eyes widened, and she blinked through the water splashing her face. “Ace…”

I held my hand up. “No, hear me out. You promised. If you don’t want to be included, I can remove it, but I want you to know how much you’ve done for me. How much you mean to me. At the beginning of this season I was a boy with an ego, and I realize now I had no direction, but I’ve become the man I want to be, and I have only you to credit for it. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you. I wouldn’t be the player I am without you. You gave me a clarity I never had before we met. I think I’d been walking around in this fog, with my head stuck up my ass, and I never realized it. You saved me from a path I know I would never have wanted to walk down.”

I sat on the bench next to her and brushed a wet strand of hair behind her ear before pulling her into my lap. Her eyes were brimming from more than the water still splashing her face, and I wrapped my arms around her to get her as close as I could, though it was never close enough.

“You’re not going to say all that!” she gasped.

“No, but I’m telling you now. I wanted you to hear it,” I grinned. “Don’t cry.”

“I’m not, it’s the shower,” she sniffed.

“Hey, you’re not allowed to lie to me.” I brushed my lips against hers. “I love you, Payton. I’m so thankful every day that I was driving down fifty-fifth that day.”

“I made it happen, remember? You were my birthday wish.”

“Your job was your wish.”

“Potayto-potahto,” she smiled. “It’s a perfect speech, babe. Everyone will love it – especially Penn when you thank him for being such an awesome boss.”

I let out a loud grunt. “I’m still undecided on whether I believe that. He tried to keep us apart.”

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