Page 107 of Catcher

He lifts his cup, and his gaze drifts over all of us before it lands on Garrett and me. “I ain’t gonna keep y’all long…” he says, voice smooth, “… but I’m gonna say what needs sayin’. Life’ll hand you good days and bad days. It doesn’t ask permission before it knocks ya down. The important thing is ya get back up…”

He pauses, and for a second, his expression goes softer. “I loved a woman once… with everything I had. Still do. Losin’ her near took me with it. But love like that is never wasted. It teaches you patience and tests your limits. It also teaches you lifelong lessons. Something it taught me is never to squander the love of a good woman. The second thing it taught me is she’s always right.”

Giggles and chuckles can be heard around the table.

Pop continues, “The love of a good woman will make you a better man. It teaches you how to hold on when the world tells you to let go.” His eyes flick to Garrett. “So, you take care of Ruby and never let her go.” Pop’s attention is back to me. “Ruby, you let Catcher take care of you. Takin’ care of a woman feeds a man’s soul, gives him life. Y’all choose each other every day, even when it’s hard. Especially when it’s hard.”

Garrett and I look at each other, and he gently kisses my lips. “Love you, baby.”

“I love you too.”

Pop raises his cup a little higher. “To Ruby and Catcher.”

“To Ruby and Catcher,” our family says in unison.

EPILOGUE

CATCHER

The morning sunlight spills through the kitchen window in soft gold bands, catching dust in the air and warming the old hardwood floors beneath my bare feet. The coffee pot gurgles behind me while bacon crackles in the skillet.

And somewhere down the hallway, Ruby mutters, “I swear to God if my feet swell one more size…”

A grin pulls at my mouth before I can stop it. Months ago, I didn’t smile much. Didn’t sleep worth a damn either. Back then, mornings felt like something to get through. Now, I wake up beside a woman who steals all the room in the bed and complains about pregnancy at six in the morning while wearing one of my old shirts stretched tight over her belly. Life is strange as hell, but for once, it’s the kind of strange that feels less like punishment and more like mercy.

I lean against the kitchen counter and take a drink of coffee while listening to her shuffle down the hall. The sounds are familiar now, comforting in a way I never saw coming—soft slippers scraping hardwood, sleepy grumblings under her breath, the little hitch in her breathing when the baby shifts and puts pressure somewhere uncomfortable. Even now, the fact that Ruby is carrying my child hits me square in the chest every time, as if my heart still doesn’t know what to do with having something this good.

Ruby appears in the doorway, looking half awake and fully irritated with life. My shirt hangs off one shoulder, her curls piled messily on top of her head, and her belly—fuck. My eyes go there instantly, round and heavy beneath the cotton. Living proof that somehow, I got lucky enough to be standing in the middle of a life I used to think belonged to other people. Something fierce and almost painful moves through me.

Ruby notices me staring. “What?” she asks, suspicious like she already knows I’m about to say something she won’t let herself enjoy.

“You’re fuckin’ beautiful.”

She snorts. “I look like a swollen marshmallow.”

“You look pregnant.”

“I feel pregnant.” She waddles toward the kitchen with a scowl that would scare most men. Doesn’t scare me, though. Mostly because I’ve seen her cry over pickles, threaten to stab Kiwi with a fork because he ate the last powdered donut, and still curl into me as though I’m the only place she can rest. I survive by staying adaptable.

Ruby braces both hands against the counter and sighs dramatically. “My back hurts.”

“Come here, I’ll rub it.”

“My boobs hurt.”

“Can’t help you there without getting yelled at.”

Her mouth twitches. “My ankles disappeared three days ago.”

I bite back another grin. “They did not disappear.”

“They absolutely did. I have cankles now, Garrett. Cankles.”

I lean in and kiss the side of her head. “You’re still beautiful.”

She narrows her eyes at me. “You’re obligated to say that.”

“Good thing it’s true anyway.” Ruby tries not to smile but fails, and that tiny almost-smile hits me harder than it should.