I walk out to where she’s at. “Can I have this dance?”
She smiles almost shyly at me. “Yes.”
I take her in my arms and fit her snugly against me. I rest my chin on the top of her head. My cock is hard, pressed against the zipper of my jeans, but I don’t care. It’s a good pain right now and I can handle anything as long as I have her.
“I’m so sorry, Holly. For earlier and how I acted. I misunderstood and was jealous,” I tell her honestly. “I know it’s not an excuse, but you drive me crazy, honey. There isn’t a moment that goes by that I don’t want you. And when I thought I was losing you—”
“Losing me?” she exclaims loudly. She looks around when the couple next to us looks our way. She lowers her voice, her big green eyes still large as saucers. “You won’t lose me. Well, unless you want to. I’m too far into this. I –”
But I interrupt her. I don’t want her to say it first. “I love you, Holly. I love you so much that I can’t stand the thought of losing you. I want you with me. Always.”
Her face lights up and a tear falls down her cheek. She laughs and wipes it away quickly. “I love you too, Shawn. So much. Forever.”
I pull her up into my arms and hold her in a fierce hug. We stand there like that for I don’t know how long before a voice interrupts us.
“Hey old man, isn’t it past your bedtime?” I lift my head and look at Carter.
Holly freezes and I drop my arms. Carter’s been gunning for a fight and Coach has already left, so there’s nothing to stop me. But then I feel Holly’s hand slide up my chest and I look into her big, green eyes, which are filled with love. “Can we go home, Shawn?”
I refuse to let Carter ruin this night for us. I tell her yes, ignoring Carter. I have my woman in my arms, and she wants to go home with me. So that’s where I take her… our home.
Epilogue 2
Holly
Five Years Later
Seeing him out there on the field warming up almost makes me sad. It’s his last game before retirement. I have SJ, our four-year-old son, sitting next to me and Sarah, our two-year-old little girl, on my lap. I don’t think either one of them realizes what today means, but I’ve taken it pretty hard. I know how much he loves the game of baseball and the fact that he’ll never get to play it again is tearing me up.
I’ve tried talking to him about it, wanting him to open up to me, but he always assures me it’s fine. This was his decision. If he wanted to, he could keep playing for the Mavericks. But he decided it was time.
We sit through the whole game and I have to admit I cry when Shawn hits a homerun at his last at bat. The whole time he’s jogging the bases, he’s pointing up at me and our little family.
When the game is over, we all pile into his truck. He seatbelts in Sarah and SJ buckles himself. As soon as he gets into the driver’s seat, he calls out, “How about some ice cream?”
There’s a chorus of “yeses” from the backseat and he drives us downtown and the whole time, he’s holding my hand on the console.
He comes around the truck with Sarah already in his arms and I’m holding onto SJ’s hand. He stops me outside of the ice cream shop. “I’m okay, Holly. It was time.” He looks at Sarah, SJ and me.
I put my hand on his chest. “I know. But I guess I’m just sad. I know how much you loved it.”
He smiles then. “You do, huh?”
I smack him playfully on the chest. “Of course I do. It was your dream. And you’re so good at it.”
His arm goes around me and he squashes SJ and Sarah between us. “Well, honey, if you know how much baseball means to me then quadruple that. That’s what my family means to me. I hated leaving you all the time. And SJ’s weeball is starting up soon. I can’t miss that. I promise you I’ve thought long and hard about this. I have everything I want right here in my arms.”
Finally understanding, I kiss him until I’m breathless. “I love you.”
He smiles and squeezes me. “I love you too.”
“Ice cream,” Sarah hollers and we all laugh.
We walk into the ice cream shop with Shawn’s arms still around all of us.
THE END