Page 72 of Chasing Forever
I jog across the bases, and Brooks ends up catching me. All of our fans are on their feet in the bleachers, and the dugout has cleared out. Brooks and I cross home plate, and he picks me up, twirling me around. I wrap my legs around his waist and plant a huge kiss on his lips, which might be a little too far, to be honest. Especially with Wren present. I hear Gillian say something about covering her eyes.
Brooks closes the kiss and winks. “You know I’m just trying to impress you.”
He lowers me to the dirt but doesn’t let me go.
“Me too.” We both laugh. “Next time, I get the homer.”
“If you want some pointers, we can work on it between games.”
I shove his shoulder, and he gets swarmed by my family congratulating him. I watch him smile, so wide, and I love that he’s already family to the most important people in my life.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Brooks
We celebrate our win at The Hidden Cave, the one good bar in Willowbrook.
By the time I reach the outside patio with a cutout silo as the bar, Lottie is already ordering shots.
“Your pick,” she yells at me while Tammy waits to pour.
“Tequila?” I tilt my head, since I’m pretty sure that’s what we were drinking the night we got married.
“Done.” Her smile says she gets why I choose it.
Damn it, I love this thing between us. I even love our bickering at softball.
“So, I heard a rumor,” Melvin says from his stool at the end of the bar.
He’s the owner’s son. Soon-to-be owner, from what I hear. His dad is ready to retire and is actually one of the rare ones who wants to leave Willowbrook for a warmer climate.
“Let me guess.” My vision strays to The Canary Wall II.
Melvin’s job is to make sure no one rips off the note cards where people write down the gossip about what they see around town. Although, come to think of it, Jude got away with ripping one off once. My guess is it was his last.
“You and Lottie have been filling the board lately.” Melvin nods toward it.
“How so?” I sit on the stool next to him. “This is our first time in public.”
“Something about a fair and the two of you on a ride. You know I mind my business with the gossip, but it’s a staple here, and people love it. So, here I am every night.”
The Canary Wall I is inside, locked under glass. You have to hand the card to a bartender to have it posted. But out here, the rules are a little looser. Melvin is the pseudo bodyguard.
“So back to my question.”
Tammy, the bartender, slides a beer toward me and nods at Lottie, who winks. “She says you’re paying the bill though.”
I grin. “Send it my way.”
“I know you’ve always had a thing for her, but you look even more gaga over her now,” Melvin says.
I don’t strip my gaze off of Lottie. She’s passing out shots to all her family members. “Yeah, I’m still in shock, I think. That she’s mine.”
He chuckles and sips his drink. “You see a lot from this view.”
I turn away from Lottie and face Melvin.
“You both have been eye-fucking one another for years. I’m glad she let all that bullshit with your brother go so she can be with the right Watson.” He claps me on the back.
