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My dad was never a professional baseball player, and I think part of him doesn’t want that life for me. Maybe he thinks I’m not suited for it. Archer was suited for it but got hurt. Me, I would be happy with a nine to five job if I was able to see my wife and kids every day. But I love baseball, and I’m fucking talented, so who knows?
I’m in awe. My dad is a loving man but he’s also fiercely competitive. “Thanks Dad. I’m not sure what the future holds.” I’m majoring in architecture with a minor in engineering, so I’m leaning toward using my degrees. It would be a monumental accomplishment if I could leave a lasting legacy on Kodiak Stadium.
“And Adalee, I’ll extend you a job offer the day you graduate. I’ve never seen a woman’s face sparkle over concrete studs and electrical placements.”
I wink at Adalee and clear my throat. “Oh, she loves electrical. She’s been trying to decide where to put the electrical closet.” Her face turns a dark shade of red and her eyes narrow.
We go upstairs to put our stuff away, changing out of the sweats we wore on the plane and into casual but nice clothes. Most of the time my mom doesn’t care, but on Thanksgiving, we must look nice. No hats allowed, which means I had to shower and tame my waves.
When I walk out of the bathroom, Adalee walks straight into my arms. “I’m sorry. I wanted this to be special, but I can’t hold it in any longer.”
“Are you pregnant?”
“What? No. I wanted to do something special for you, but we’ve been so busy and I… I… love you, Hagan Chatham.”
She gives me a fleeting glance before looking down. I tilt her chin and her gaze follows. “You love me?” She nods. “Likereallylove me?” This time as she nods, a scant smile appears. “Don’t be scared of loving me.”
Adalee lays her hands on my chest and says, “Hagan, please don’t hurt me.”
I cup her cheeks as my thumbs skim over her cheekbones to her lips. “Babe, loving me is the safest thing you will ever do.” She presses onto her toes, and we kiss until our lips are swollen and Hap bursts in. I whisper, “I love you,” before releasing her.
“Okay, okay love birds. Dinner’s ready.” Hap grabs Adalee’s hand, dragging her down the hall.
Our family has a tradition, like most families, to say what we’re thankful for, and my mom says,” I’m thankful the Lord brought Adalee into Hagan’s life and into ours.”
I watch as Adalee’s lip trembles and a blurry beautiful film covers her eyes. It’s not her turn but she speaks anyway. “I’m thankful for all of you. You’ve given me the best present parents could possibly give—your son. Hagan’s an incredible person, and I’m lucky he loves me. I didn’t make it easy on him. He told me he loved me weeks ago when we were here. He didn’t expect it back and gave me time to come to terms with someone loving me. Today, I told Hagan I love him, too.”
A stray tear falls over her cheek. I squeeze her hand, letting her know she doesn’t have to do this. Her eyes drop to mine as she spills her heartaches. “I haven’t sat at a Thanksgiving table for years. My dad and I went through the motions of having turkey and dressing, but it was a normal dinner with no fanfare. We never said we were grateful for anything because we weren’t. We dealt with losing my mom separately. Now, if anything ever happened… I have a family that will help me cope.”
My siblings and I are lucky to have wonderful parents, and I had never thought about it until I met Adalee.” I tug her under my arm as each member of my family says, “We love you. We’re here.”
Then I kiss her cheek and say how thankful I am for her, my family, for Mac suggesting I transfer, and for my new best friends, Joe and Logan.
When my family is settling down to watch some football, I sneak away and make a call.
ChapterThirty-Seven
Adalee
“Hurry up, Hagan.”You promised to take me to Navy Pier. We have one day left so he can show me the city. There’s so much to do here, and I want to walk the Magnificent Mile and do all the touristy stuff.
It’s been the best weekend. Thursday was Thanksgiving, then yesterday, we worked on our project a bit before heading to Sarah Jane’s house with Archer, Megan, and Harper.
“Don’t rush me, woman,” Hagan jokes as he places his ball cap on his head. The edges of his hair curl underneath.
I spring onto his back. “I swear, you take longer than me to get ready.”
Hagan takes me everywhere I want to go. We eat all the things we shouldn’t—like cotton candy, big pretzels with mustard, and soda. But my favorite is sitting in the Ferris wheel, closed in but looking out over the Chicago skyline. All I can think about is how small we are in this world. And how in just two months, my whole world has shifted. My life revolves around the man holding my hand and would be meaningless without him.
This would have been the quintessential time to tell Hagan how I feel but I couldn’t hold it in. But I want this to be special, so I squeeze his hand and look into his liquid browns and say, “Hagan, thank you. I don’t know what I would do without you.”
He pulls me onto his lap. “Same. It’s a good thing we don’t have to worry about that. Love you long time.”
“Love you long time.” He’s been mumbling that to me for weeks now, and I finally say it back. I’m sure of our relationship, and every word spoken between us makes me fall deeper in love.
Sunday morning, we fly home on the team plane. There’s no mile high anything because we work on our project non-stop because it’s due this week. We have everything we need; we just have to put it all together and type it up.
Hagan says he has a surprise for me tonight, and I can’t wait because he has the best surprises.
