Page 118 of Unexpected Forever
Derek hands him the microphone and shakes Nate’s hand. He says a few words, thanking the team and his fans and his sister, who promptly starts crying.
“And finally,”—Nate turns slightly toward my direction—“to my girl, Charley. You’ve turned my world upside down in all the best ways, and I can’t imagine this moment without you. I look forward to our next adventure together, Firefly.” He smiles and the noise from the crowd grows.
“Oh my God.” Megan and I gasp at the same time. I lower the phone as tears fill my eyes before rolling down my cheeks.
My racing heart is a drumbeat in my chest. Elation is written all over his face, and the love I have for him overwhelms me.
When there’s movement in my belly, I laugh and cover it with my hand. Even Nugget can’t contain their joy. “We’re proud of Daddy, aren’t we, little one?”
“Charley, I can’t see,” Megan exclaims from my phone.
“Sorry!” I immediately lift the phone again so Megan can see her brother make his closing remarks and then throw out the first pitch.
He waves to the crowd and jogs over to where I’m standing.
“Here he comes, want to talk to him?” I ask Megan.
“Yes!”
When he gets to me, I jump in his arms and he holds me tight. Before he can say anything, Megan starts protesting from my phone squished between us. I’m half laughing, half crying when I hand him my phone. “Your sister wants to talk to you.”
While he talks to Megan, all I can do is stare at him. My face hurts from smiling, and my heart feels like it’s about to explode with love for him.
I love seeing him in his element, where he’s on top of the world and the best hitter in the league.
Seeing the look of happiness and the way he interacts with the fans and his teammates, I inhale a quick breath as a realization strikes me.
In my heart, I know if his age and injuries hadn’t stopped him, he’d be in uniform right now. In my mind, there’s no doubt what he needs to do.
He has to take the manager's job.
Baseball isn’t just a game to him. It’s his identity, who he is.
How can I ask him to give that up?
I know he cares about me—hell, he just announced it to the world. But I can’t make him choose.
He’ll be an amazing dad, I have no doubt. After what he suffered with his childhood, I know he’ll be in his child’s life. But if he stays with me out of obligation, he’ll resent me one day.
And my heart can’t handle that. I’m not built that way.
Since I can’t turn off my love for him, I’ll do the next best thing for my heart.
If he wants to leave, I’ll let him go.
TWENTY-FOUR
nate
I unlock the front door,letting Charley in ahead of me. Lighting automatically comes on in the foyer, relieving the darkness around us.
Charley heads into the kitchen and I can’t help but admire her ass in those jeans. And seeing my name and newly retired number seven on her body gives me another punch straight to the gut.
But something’s up with her. And I can’t pinpoint what it is.
I find her standing in front of the fridge, the light from inside illuminating her face.
“Hey, Firefly. You okay?”
