29. twenty-nine
twenty-nine
Nora
February
“You ready?” Brooks asks me. I nod, focused on taking deep, steadying breaths as our plane taxis down the runway.
“Can I have a snack?” Ollie asks. He’s sitting between us in his car seat, and as much as I wish that Brooks was right next to me so I could bury my face in his shoulder during take-off and landing, I’m glad Ollie’s coming to Florida with us. It’s going to be a long travel day, but we’ve been looking forward to experiencing spring training with Brooks for a while now.
“Guess what?” Brooks says to Ollie. “After take-off, those nice flight attendants are going to bring you your very own snacks. Can you believe that?”
“Like what?” Ollie asks.
“They’ve got cookies. And granola bars. And chips !”
Ollie’s eyes light up, and I can’t help but smile. Brooks keeps both of us distracted as the plane picks up speed down the runway. The rattling and rumbling around me kicks my heart into high gear, but as I hold tight to Ollie’s hand and watch the plane rise off the ground below us, I know everything is going to be okay.
After seven hours of flying and one layover in Detroit, we finally make it to Fort Myers, Florida.
I’ve got crumbs in my hair, stains on my clothes, and have been climbed like a human jungle gym for the majority of the day, but we survived. Tears were shed, movies were watched, and snacks were consumed and spilled. Ollie only knocked over one entire cup of apple juice on our first flight, but our clothes eventually dried. We made it. I want to bend to kiss the ground when we emerge from the Southwest Florida Airport into the thick, humid air.
The sense of relief that fills me as Brooks kisses me while waiting for our rental car is consuming. For the first time in my life, I’m on the other side of the country, but being held in his arms, I still feel grounded. Safe. Home.
Brooks
Spring training feels like the fresh start I’ve been waiting for. Like I’ve been holding my breath, and I can finally let it out in one long, slow drag.
I’m surprised by how much I’ve missed this. Seeing the guys every day. Lacing up my cleats. The smell of wet dirt and fresh-cut grass and sun-warmed leather. The snap of the bat as it connects with the ball. My mind and body are ready to work and jump back into the routines of baseball season. I’ve put the work in to ensure that I’m able to enjoy playing the game again, and it relieves me when I genuinely do.
We’re having fun, enjoying ourselves without the pressure of massive crowds and media attention. There’s nothing high stakes about this. It’s us getting back into the swing of things, tweaking our lineup, and putting our skills to the test after a few months of training and working hard to refine them.
I bring Nora and Ollie to our morning warm-up the day after we arrive in Fort Myers, and the coaches allow them to come out onto the field to watch me work. Ollie’s all about it, chatting with my teammates and coaches, fielding rogue balls, and having a blast touching everything he sees. Nora’s chasing after him in my periphery, looking like a fresh-faced, dark-haired bombshell.
She’s wearing a jersey with my number on it. And the hat I gave her at the Harvest Market. I can’t stop stealing glances at her.
We rotate to the batting cages for hitting practice, and as I step up to the plate I give myself a mental pep talk. You’ve got this. No stress. Enjoy it.
“Yeah, Alden!” I hear Nora yell. I can’t help but smile.
“Work that swing, baby!” Miles adds.
I hit a lot and miss a few, but it’s all in good fun.
It feels good, being back on the field surrounded by palm trees and warm sunshine after a long, rainy winter. I’m ready for what’s to come this season, and I’m grateful to have Nora and Ollie here to support me. It makes all the difference in the world, knowing they’re out there in the crowd cheering me on at our game later in the day against the Tennessee Timberwolves.
I’m on cloud nine when I wind up doing two-for-two, a home run and a triple, and 3 RBIs.
“Dang, son,” Miles says to me after he belts a solo home run at the top of the fifth. “Where you been?”
The energy is good today, and we feed off each other. We end up winning 6-2.
I’m proud of how I played today, but the thing that gets my heart pumping and my adrenaline racing even more than a great game is the sight of Nora and Ollie waiting for me afterwards.
I pick Ollie up in one arm, then haul Nora close with the other and kiss her fiercely. She seems taken aback by my enthusiasm at first but quickly fits her mouth to mine and knots her fingers into my hair.
“My goodness,” she breathes as I smother her cheek with another kiss. “That post-win kiss is something else. Let’s hope you keep playing well so I can get a few more of these.” She goes in for another kiss and then giggles. “Bubblicious?”
“You know it, girl. Don’t lie,” I whisper into her ear. “You were checking me out on the field all night.”
She gives me a coy smile. “Of course I was.”
“It’s the baseball pants. They always seem to do it for you.”
“Your words, not mine,” she laughs.
“Good game, dude,” Ollie says, patting my shoulder. I’m so elated to have won and to have them here with me that I can’t help myself. I kiss Ollie on his soft little cheek, too. He wriggles and laughs.
He screeches and tries to get away. “You so scratchy!”
I nuzzle my stubble against him and revel in the sound of his giggles and the feel of Nora gathered in close. There’s nothing better than this.
During the first week that Nora and Ollie spend with me at spring training, we fall into a routine. I’m bunking up with a bunch of the guys at a hotel near our training facility (with Miles as my roommate), so Nora and Ollie are staying at a different hotel nearby. I bring them an early breakfast to their hotel room, and I can’t get enough of the sight of the two of them still in their pajamas with tousled hair. The day is filled with practice and intermittently seeing my two favorite people, who never fail to brighten my day. They come to my games at night, and then I join them back at the hotel later. Most nights when I arrive, Ollie is already asleep, so Nora and I sit out on the back patio and talk.
Nora spent the start of this year training Roman to take over her job at Delia’s Diner. She officially stepped down last week and now is free to pursue her dreams of being a full-time mom and part-time artist. Roman has promised us free meals at the diner for as long as he’s manager. I plan on leaving him extra-generous tips every time we visit.
On our fifth night in Fort Myers, we play an earlier game, so I’m able to shower and leave with Ollie and Nora immediately afterwards. I tell Nora I want to take them out to get some ice cream before Ollie needs to go to bed.
She has no idea that I’m about to give her what she asked for in December after the team Christmas dinner.
Tonight, I’m going to propose.
“I thought you said we were getting ice cream,” Nora says, looking out at the parking lot at Lovers Key State Park.
Ollie gasps from the back seat. “The beach!”
“That’s right, Ollie. You’ve been here for nearly a full week, and you haven’t set foot on the beach,” I say. “We’re going to fix that. Right now.”
Nora’s eyebrows fold in suspicion, but she gets out of the car and follows me and Ollie down the sandy path towards the beach. I’d scoped out the local beaches in advance and had chosen this spot knowing we could easily find a secluded area all to ourselves. The beach is a two-mile long stretch of powdery sugar-soft sand that tumbles into the warm Gulf Ocean. It’s perfect.
“We’re just in time to catch the sunset,” I say, tossing a smile back over at Nora. She takes Ollie’s other hand, connecting the three of us together.
I’ve played countless baseball games in front of an innumerable number of onlookers, but never in my life have I felt as nervous as I do tonight.
I secretly flew out my mom and the twins yesterday, as well as Nora’s entire family, enlisting their help to create a romantic setup on the beach where I’ll propose. We trek across the sand to the twinkling fairytale they’ve created in the distance, and I watch Nora’s expression shift in understanding as we draw closer.
There’s a candlelit walkway that leads to an archway decorated in foliage and flowers. I can see Sydney hiding partially behind the archway, waiting to step out and capture some photos. The rest of our family was instructed to remain out of sight until after I’ve popped the question.
Our feet sink into the soft sand, and I think I may have actually stepped into heaven. Nora looks absolutely stunning in the warmth of the sunset. We’ve come a long way in a relatively short amount of time, but I know the time is right for me to ask Nora to marry me. To braid the threads of our lives together into one unbreakable knot.
I’m ready.
I lead Nora up the candlelit walkway and watch her eyes fill with wonder. She takes in the scattered flower petals, the pink-tinged light from the setting sun, and the soft hush of the ocean waves behind us. And then finally, her gaze lands on me.
“Brooks,” Nora says, slowly following after me in a daze. “What is this?”
She’s sniffling already, and Ollie looks up at her in concern. She pulls him closer as we fall under the archway.
“Hey, Ollie,” I say. “Remember this box I showed you earlier?” I pull a small black box from the pocket of my pants, and Nora audibly gasps. I’m smiling so big that my face might actually split.
“What?” Nora says, her voice cracking.
“Do you remember what’s inside?”
Ollie nods excitedly. “A wing!”
“Should we show your mom?”
Ollie helps me pop the lid open on the box, revealing a ring with two diamonds, one marquise cut, the other emerald. The stones are angled together and set within a gold band that twists above one stone and below the other.
“Two stones,” I explain. “One for each of us.”
“This one is mine!” Ollie says, pointing to the emerald cut stone.
Tears are slipping down Nora’s cheeks as I get down on one knee. Ollie, totally unprompted, follows suit and kneels down beside me, looking up at his mom with his big, blue eyes.
“Nora Foster,” I say, surprised at the emotion swelling within my own chest as I speak her name. “I would be the happiest man on earth if you would let me take care of you and Ollie forever. You’re my favorite people, and I want to make you both mine. Will you marry me?”
She hiccups and nods. “Yes! Of course I will. Yes!”
Ollie helps me remove the ring from the box and slide it onto her finger. Then she bends down and tilts her head, her lips finding mine. I taste the salt of her tears and the joy in her smile.
“My gosh ,” she breathes as I stand up. “I can’t believe this. The ring is gorgeous. And so thoughtful.” She tears up again and gathers both Ollie and me close.
“I talked to Ollie earlier today,” I say, and Ollie nods. “And I asked him if it would be okay if I married his mom. What did you say, Ollie?”
“Yes!” he says, pumping his fist in the air. Nora laughs and gives him a squeeze.
“Tell you what,” I say, bringing Nora flush against me. “Once we’re married, I’ll put on those baseball pants you like every night, if you want me to.”
“I’d expect nothing less,” she says. Then she frames my face with her hands and presses a slow kiss to my mouth.