Page 100 of I Wish He Would

I make eye contact with Cooper standing at third. His lips twitch in a small smile before he shakes his head and mouths, Youths.

I set Alyssa down and grab the bat. “Come on, let me show you the dugout.” I step inside while Alyssa places her hands on the metal railing, looking in. I point out where we keep our bats and the drinks station. When I’m done with the quick tour, I cross back over to her.

“I love seeing everything from your perspective. It makes me have a whole new level of appreciation for what you do.” She gestures back to the field. “How do you block out all the fans when you’re out there? The booing. The chants. The groans when you strike out or make an error. It seems like it’d be overwhelming.”

I place my hands on hers and lean down to meet her eyes. “Easy. I remember you’re up in the stands.”

“I mean before we were dating.”

I run my thumb along the back of her hand. “That’s what I’ve always done. In high school and college, I’d think about my parents being in the stands and what they say about me since they know who I really am, and I’d focus on that to block out the crowd. But ever since being here, I’ve thought of you. You’ve always been that calm and steady presence for me. The person I’ve been able to lean on.” I shoot her a flirty grin. “Although, now I’ll be thinking of you for an entirely different reason.”

She giggles. “How am I supposed to concentrate during your games now?”

“By remembering we get to do more of this after.” I tangle my fingers in her hair and drag my lips teasingly across hers.

Her eyes slowly flutter open. “I could get used to this.”

“Good, because there’s going to be a lot of it in our future.” I stare into her gorgeous eyes and decide to take a chance. Love is a risk with no guarantees, but I’m not scared of falling alongside her when I know we’re going to catch each other every time. “There’s something I need to say that I should’ve told you at the wedding reception.”

Her gaze searches mine, waiting.

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.” She beams at me. “What kept you from saying it before?”

I round the metal railing and grab her hand, leading us back toward the tunnel. “You know I’ve been waiting to hear back from my agent about a potential trade. And it felt unfair for me to tell you that without knowing what my career could mean for me—for us.”

“I appreciate the sentiment.” Alyssa squeezes my hand. “But I also hope you know you can tell me anything. I don’t want you to ever doubt us. I want to be with you anytime, anywhere. Whether that means you’re playing for Louisville or Boston or across the country in Los Angeles. I’d be lying if I said I’m not a little scared about what that might look like, but we’ve made things work for three years as friends, and I know we have what it takes to go the distance as a couple.” She pulls us to a stop. When I turn to face her, the sunlight hits her just right on the field, giving her honey hair a warm glow. “We’re in this together, Slugger. You and me against the world, remember?”

“Us against the world.” There’s no fighting the grin that tilts my lips. “Does it also help that I just heard from my agent, and it’s looking like the trade is off the table for this season?”

She swats my arm. “You could have started with that.”

I laugh. “I didn’t want you to think I was only saying I love you because I’m staying here.” I cup her face. “Just to be clear, I would’ve told you I loved you regardless because I couldn’t hold it in any longer. I’m scared, too, Lyssa. Scared of losing you. Scared of moving too fast or saying the wrong thing. I’ve loved the person you are the past three years. How you’re a steady, safe place to land after a long day. How easy it is to be with you. I love how you make my space your own. How kind and thoughtful of a friend you are, like when you watered my plant for me because you knew I wouldn’t keep it alive otherwise.”

I laugh, wondering how I hadn’t seen it all along. “And I know I said I was only going to be focused on my career when we met, but you changed things for me. The quality time I spent with you this past week has meant more to me than any amount of playing baseball ever could.” I graze my thumb across her cheekbone. “And I know now with complete clarity that you’re the person I always want by my side. Because I love you. For all those reasons and so many more.”

Her entire face lights up, glowing brighter than all the stadium lights during an evening game. “I love you, too.”

“Come on, Bradford. Coach is going to have our heads if we’re not off the field and back in the locker room on time,” Dawson calls from the tunnel.

I place a quick kiss on her cheek, and we head through the tunnel. My teammates are waiting for us in the loved ones’ area. Alyssa gives them all quick hugs goodbye but hangs onto Hayden a little longer than the rest of the guys. It looks like she’s whispering something in his ear. I trust her fully, so I’m not jealous…but I am curious what they could be discussing.

When they step away from the embrace, Hayden smiles down at her and nods.

“What was that about?” I tug her closer.

Her eyes shimmer with mirth. “Guess you’ll have to wait and see.”

I pull her in for one final kiss as we hear a door open. I assume it’s going to be one of the guys yelling at me to hurry up. But it’s actually Henry, peering through the door connecting this foyer to the fans’ section of the stadium.

“It’s time to clear this area.”

Alyssa turns and waves. “Hi, Henry.”

The stoic brute of a man’s lips turn up into a rare smile. “It’s about time you two got together.”

We both laugh. She gives me one last peck before heading toward the door Henry’s holding open. Just before she exits, she turns back and shoots me one more smile. “Good luck out there, Slugger.”