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He blinks, almost like he’s waiting for the rest of the information.
“What about work?” he asks. “And your studio? I thought you were moving forward with Nick on plans to break ground in like…a month?”
I shake my head. “Nothing about that ever felt right,” I tell him. “I love doing pottery, but I can set up shop anywhere. I’ve already rented a space at a studio that’s about twenty minutes away, and I can keep doing my commissioned work and selling pieces. All my stuff is in a truck Leah’s driving out here as we speak.”
His eyes widen. “I can’t let you do this, Gabi. What about that whole conversation we had in your classroom? About not giving up your dream for the other person?”
“I’m not giving up my dream, Bishop. I wouldn’t let you give up on baseball just to stay in town with me, but this is different.”
“How?”
“Because this isn’t me giving up on what I want,” I tell him. “It’s me finding a way for us to both have what we want, without being thousands of miles apart.”
I watch him as he watches me right back, almost like he can’t believe I’m here, can’t believe it’s true. But it is.
“I love you, Bishop,” I say. “And when I think about my future, it’s you. It’s us. It’s forever, and I want that forever to begin now.”
He pulls me in and presses his lips to mine again.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” he whispers, his hands on my face, our foreheads touching.
“I can,” I reply, bumping my nose gently against his. “I only wanted to stay in Cedar Point because it was the only place I ever felt at home. But then I realized the truth.”
“What truth?”
I grin. “The place I really feel at home is with you.”
Bishop watches me for a long moment, his smile growing wider. Then he kisses me again, briefly, before tugging us both to our feet and beginning to walk me around the apartment, showing me our new home.
It feels magical.
Wonderful.
Special in a way I can’t describe.
And for the first time in my entire life, the voice inside me that wondered if I’d ever find somewhere to truly belong finally quiets.
epilogue
Bishop
… three years later …
I come to a stop in a parking stall near the entrance, and we sit together in silence, just staring at the stadium where it looms before us.
“Are you ready?” Gabi asks.
I snort. “Is anyone ever truly ready for something like this?”
The nerves are stronger than I was expecting, but I’ve heard that’s normal. I assumed I’d be coming into this with the kind of confidence I normally bring to anything I take on. Instead, I’m drawing in long breaths, trying to steady my racing heart.
It’s my first game playing for the Raleigh Rush. It’s been three long years of busting my ass at the Triple-A level, giving everything I have and more to the Carolina Blues. Then, earlier this week, I got the call. They had a permanent space on their 40-man roster, and they wanted me. Cue excitement and freaking out and telling all my family and friends and packing to travel. Gabi and I grabbed all the essentials and flew in yesterday, and the team will be arranging for a moving company to relocate us once we find a place in town.
It all happened faster than I thought it would, faster than I ever thought it could, and now I’m here, sitting outside the park, gearing up for my major league debut.
It’s really happening.
“Of course it’s really happening,” Gabi says.
