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I reached for his hand that was touching my face. “I’m serious. You need to. Every second counts when it comes to rehab. You’re the one who told me that.”
He bent down and kissed me, surprising me, and I felt that kiss everywhere. “And I’m serious when I say that nothing matters more than you and me, right here.”
“Austin …” There was a little whine in my tone. I wanted this for him, to get back on the field, to play this season, to be a contender for that dang award he wanted.
“Please don’t get into an argument here. You just made up,” Brooke groaned, getting up from her seat at the booth.
“And wait for the making up till later—when we’re not in the room,” Lyria added with a wink.
Serena threw one arm over my shoulders. “Didn’t you hear what Austin said earlier? He can’t leave without you, sooo”—she knocked her shoulder against mine—“you should get packed.”
“What?” I asked, eyes wide.
Brooke took my other hand. “I’ll help. You’ll basically be living the Hollywood life while you’re there, and now that you’re an item, you should look good.” She was already dragging me out the door.
“Wait …” I threw a rushed glance back at Austin, only to see him grinning like a lovesick idiot.
My lovesick idiot,I thought with affection.
“For what?” Serena asked. “Get your butt on that plane before I fire you for noncompliance.”
Austin laughed at that one.
“Just so you know”—Ryanne turned to Austin, who was following me out—“I just got my concealed carry permit.”
I smiled at her, always needing to have my back. It felt nice though.
“I have no plans to get on your bad side, Ryanne,” Austin promised. “Rest assured, Sydney is in good hands.”
After we stepped outside, I lifted my head to flurries hitting my face. The world looked different now, and my body felt lighter.
Austin held me against him and kissed my nose. “Sunny California sounds good right about now.”
He pulled me in tighter, and internally, I sighed. I’d missed this man—myman.
“Rain or shine. Cold or heat. Anywhere with you sounds good to me.”
He closed the gap between us and planted one warm and passionate kiss on my lips that left me breathless.
Yes. Anywhere with him, I would be good too.
THE END
* * *
EPILOGUE
SYDNEY
FIVE MONTHS LATER
As I satin the stands with the sun shining brightly on my face and the light breeze brushing against my shoulders, I realized one thing. I'd never been so damn happy. I mean sure, I remembered when I was five and got Baby Feed and Change, the latest doll on the market that you fed, burped and changed. I remembered the immense joy I felt when I unwrapped that present, as though my heart was going to pop out of my chest from all the excitement. It had been a long time since I felt that way because, for what seemed like forever, I was operating on autopilot just trying to survive. Work, family, work again and family again was my routine. But sitting there as my knees bounced and the roar of the crowd engulfed me, my smile was as big as when I opened that present years ago.
It was opening day and thankfully I didn’t have to fly somewhere to see Austin play. It was easy to get wrapped up in the excitement, in the amount of energy that vibrated through the crowd and in the Tigers’ stadium.
His road to recovery had not been easy. Months ago, when I’d flown with him to California for his rehab, I’d thought we would be spending some time together. But by the time Dr. Carrington had worked him out all day, Austin was exhausted. He’d felt bad that he couldn’t spent as much time with me as he’d originally planned and thus he’d showered me with shopping sprees and massages. I never wanted him to think I was a burden, so I’d kept myself busy too. I’d taken Hollywood tours, tried new restaurants and watched movies by myself. Being in his arms at night was enough for me. I’d understood he was in California to heal faster, to get better so he could play this season and today was the end result—the fruit of all his hard work—and I was thrilled.
My eyes searched the stands behind me for Serena, who was my plus one today. Although I was seated with the wives and girlfriends, I still didn’t fully feel comfortable yet. I had met many of them during Spring Training and at other baseball functions, multiple times, but I still didn’t feel as though I belonged. Especially since the wives never took the girlfriends seriously, because we didn’t have a ring on our fingers so were not thought ofaspermanentyet.
