Epilogue April
NEXT BASEBALL SEASON
Tugging Hadley along by the hand, I spot our two reserved seats in a prime location for Spencer’s baseball game.
I’ve been a few times now, as a player's girlfriend, but this is a first—bringing Hadley. She’s never been to Spencer’s games because he thought she was too young and didn’t want people outside of Lake Spark to know about Hadley.
But when she took interest in tee-ball for exactly eleven minutes a few weeks ago, he decided that she can come to his game and see him in action.
Sitting down, I hand Hadley her hot dog, but she seems too interested in the big screen.
“Do you see your dad?” I point to Spencer warming up with throws to a teammate. He takes no notice of us, as he is deep into focus mode.
Dating an athlete is no joke. He was legit serious about the sex schedule. He can’t be too relaxed for a game. And his schedule is at times a challenge, especially when he travels, but I moved into his house a few months after he laid everything out.
Since it’s baseball season, Hadley spends most of it with her grandparents, but I’m putting in the effort to see her a few times a week since I got a job as a nutritionist for the school district one county over.
Spencer knows his end days of baseball are fast approaching due to his age, which means Hadley can stay with him for every season soon.
“How long is this?” Hadley asks before taking a bite of her hot dog.
“Hmm. Well, it can be kind of… long.” Not going to lie, football and hockey have bonus points for shorter games. “But I know where we can sneak into the fancy boxes and get cake.”
“I want caramel corn.”
“Good choice.”
I watch Spencer toss a ball to one of the team managers before he runs a few strides to our area of the field, and he hops up on the fence to wave to us.
I touch Hadley’s shoulder. “Look, someone came to say hi.”
Hadley waves her hand furiously at Spencer. A few teenage fans are skipping down the steps of the stadium to get to the net fence and speak to Spencer, but his attention remains on us.
I blow him a kiss before the mob of fans blocks our view. It doesn’t matter, Spencer has to get back to his team, as the game is about to start.
“These people came here to watch my daddy?”
“Yep. I mean, the whole team, but if you want to know a secret. Psst.” I pretend to look around for eavesdroppers and then lean close to Hadley. “I think they came to watch him because he is super good.”
“Like better than my tap dance?”
“Nobody is as amazeballs as you during that winter recital dance, but he's close enough.”
She smiles with her toothless front on display because she’s lost another tooth, which makes me snort a laugh because the fairy sent her a letter explaining that she will now be getting smaller surprises because the fairy is switching to e-pay and it's tax season.
It was a ridiculous letter but did the trick because everyone except Spencer agreed one hundred dollars was a bit too much.
“Where do you think my grammie and grandpa are?” Hadley wonders as she focuses on her hot dog.
“They're here. They were waiting for their burgers that seemed to take longer.” Spencer’s parents are always kind to me. We never talked about it, but I know they’re aware of what Spencer told me. Maybe one day they will share more when they're ready.
Spencer and I, according to some, are still in the early stages. It’s been over eight months since he showed up on one of my blind dates, and nearly a year since our hotel escapade, but our speed is a winning formula.
Still, I would have no problem if he were to surprise me with the next step because I feel ready, and everyone around me also confirms that I’ve chosen a keeper.
A few weeks later, I’m walking down the hall in the Dizzy Duck Inn. I was told by the receptionist that Spencer was waiting for me in the private dining room, as he is finally cashing in on his private-chef experience that he won at the auction months ago.
I toss my phone into my purse right before I reach the door.
The moment I twist the handle, my eyes are hit with a scene from a fairy tale.
I stop in my tracks, and my entire body stills as I soak in the setting.
The room is illuminated by candles everywhere and white fairy lights hanging from the ceiling. Champagne is on ice in a bucket near the table set with expensive white table linen.
The hue of light creates a glow, which only highlights Spencer’s satisfied smirk as he leans casually against the windowpane, yet he is dressed in nice jeans, a crisp white shirt, and a dark blazer.
“What’s going on?” I manage to say, but a smile is slowly dragging up my lips. My heart is beating so fast because this doesn't feel like a normal dinner.
He slowly walks my way, his eyes smoldering, and when he reaches me, he collects my hands knowing damn well he has thrown me off.
“This is where it all started,” he reminds me.
“You want to make another video?” I deadpan, but deep down I think I know what’s happening.
He laughs before walking me a few steps to the middle of the room. “I once heard you like grand gestures.”
I tilt my head back slightly. “Perhaps.”
“Damn it, I knew I should have gotten the hot air balloon,” he jokes.
“Depends. What is this?” I’m not sure that I’ve blinked in the last minute.
Spencer tucks his hand into his blazer.
I swallow. Oh God. He is really doing this.
He pulls out a little plastic treasure chest and holds it up between his fingers.
I’m slightly confused. “Hadley lost another tooth?” I kind of thought we just completed the last wave of missing teeth.
“Nah, but since she isn’t here, I had to incorporate her somehow.”
Breathe. We are back on track. Breathe.
Spencer is kneeling down.
“Wait.” I hold my palm up. “Does Hadley know you are here about to do what I think you’re going to do?”
He scoffs a laugh. “Babe, let me do my thing. I have one day off between games, so let me take advantage of that. We can talk logistics after.”
I ease into a smile again. “Okay. Do your thing.”
“April, to my dismay, you are by far more than I anticipated. The good kind of more. We took a chance, a lot of chances. But it was worth it. I kind of want to make sure that you can’t taunt any other man, and I enjoy having you around too much, so I’m hoping you will be my wife. Will you marry me?”
Tears sting my eyes, especially when his face has a slight shade of nerves. Does he really think I wouldn’t say yes?
My sight darts to the ring in the little pink plastic treasure chest, then I feel shock. “That’s huge, I mean the rock, the ring rock, not your rock.”
“Oh, okay, that’s where this conversation is going.” He still seems to be entertained.
“I’m going to sink when I go swimming!”
“Only if you wear the ring, because you agree to wear the ring, as in you say yes to becoming my wife. Preferably lock in that confirmation in the next few seconds or so, as I’m kneeling before you holding up a ring.”
I wipe away happy tears and smile ecstatically before I lean down and throw my arms around his neck. “Yes!”
He slams his lips onto mine. “Good decision,” he murmurs against my lips before creating space to slide the ring onto my finger.
Standing up, he pulls me up and loops his arms around my middle, with our eyes locked in a trance.
“You told Hadley once that you wanted a prince who went all out. I figured I would try this.”
“Listening to our prince talks again?” I give him a glare. “She’s in on this?”
“Not the specifics, but she helped me pick the ring. Something shiny for Queen Sparkly and a promise that she can wear the biggest pink dress there is,” he explains and brings my hand to his heart.
“A wedding full of tulle fabric it is,” I promise.
Then it dawns on me how different this experience will be.
I was engaged once, and everything felt like a compromise.
This time, I’m with a man who treats me like nothing is an ask, only a wish he wants to make come true, and I want to make him happy.
Our mouths find one another for a kiss.
“Tonight, we can enjoy our dinner, and tomorrow the whole world can know,” he suggests. He slides the back of his knuckle along my cheek, and I love the feathery touch.
I squint my eyes. “Why do I feel like the important ones already know?”
Spencer tilts his head to one side. “Okay, so I had to seek your uncle’s approval, Piper needed to give me intel on your ring size, Hadley was bursting to tell you all day, hence why she said she was taking Pickles to practice being a ring bearer, and Ford gave me the advice that I should get down on one knee when I asked.
So yeah, if you said no then this would be slightly fucking awkward. ”
I laugh and walk with Spencer hand in hand to the table. “Good thing I wouldn’t dream of saying no.”
He pulls my chair out, and I sit down. We both get settled in our seats, and Spencer pops the cork on the champagne.
I chortle a sound because last time we were in this room, we were arguing and drinking before we combusted later that night.
“Times have changed,” I say and accept the glass of bubbly he hands to me.
Tipping his glass to mine for a toast, he grins. “It was a good night.”
“Is that what we're toasting to? We made a video, and it was a good night?”
“An excellent night. The catalyst for us.” He clinks our glasses. “And if that’s the way we started, then imagine the ride ahead.” He winks at me.
“Cheers to that.” Because I couldn’t agree more.
We're standing outside the front door of our house, and he kisses my forehead. Last night, we enjoyed our dinner and then stayed at the Dizzy Duck Inn, this time waking in the same bed.
But now we are ready to see Hadley and share the news. Piper was watching her for the evening.
“Don’t be nervous.” He rubs warmth into my arms.
“I’m not. Well, I mean, I’m sure Hadley is excited, it’s just that before she and I were friends, and now I’m the stepmom. Stepmoms don’t get a great rep in her fairytale books.” I exhale a long breath.
“You’re more than a stepmom to her. You are the only mother figure she’s ever known. And I mean, if all else fails then just use the dog.”
I pull his arm from his humor. “Come on, smartass.”
When we arrive in the house, even Spencer stops cold. What should have been Hadley and Piper is now… a large group.
“She said yes?” Hudson is quick to start the question train. Piper tsks him.
“Can we see the ring?” Spencer’s mom asks.
“You have a glow,” my mother comments with her hands together.
I turn my attention to Spencer and quickly pick up that he had not planned this. Nor does he know what to do.
“Clearly people don’t have jobs to get to,” he mutters under his breath.
I smile awkwardly and hold up my hand to show my ring, which causes the room to erupt in cheers.
But the noise doesn’t deter us from searching for Hadley who is walking toward us. We both lean down to her level.
“I want chocolate cake for the wedding, and pink flowers, and pink shoes, and I think Pickles should be mine now since we are a family.”
I try to suppress my grin and instead offer her a serious look. “Of course, whatever you suggest.”
Spencer musses her hair before Hadley gives me a little hug that is good for the soul every single time. She also said we are a family now, and it’s such an amazing bonus to landing the man I want to marry.
She skips off, and I fan a hand in front of my face to ensure no tears fall because, damn, that was a heart-tugger.
Piper brings me a mimosa, and before long, I’m traveling between questions and answers.
It’s a good twenty minutes later when I get to steal a moment with my fiancé.
“I want him back,” I tell my uncle. “Besides, shouldn’t you be at training camp or something?”
Hudson holds his hands up in the air. “Whoa, message received. Just wanted to ensure he treats you well, do my spiel, and I’m expecting I’m still allowed to walk you down the aisle?
” He was supposed to last time around, but this time he seems actually excited at the prospect because of whom I’m going to marry.
“I mean, if you have time.” I pretend to be unaffected and cross my arms over my chest.
Hudson pulls me into a side hug. “He’s a keeper, April,” he murmurs. When he pulls back, he points a finger at Spencer. “I’m still going to be watching you.”
“Excited for the prospect,” Spencer calls out, unenthused, as Hudson walks away.
Walking into Spencer’s arms, I inhale the smell of his shirt, a subtle spicy scent. “I guess we’ll bask in this another time.”
“It’s okay. We’ll have plenty of moments together.”
We both stay in an embrace as I hug him tightly, and my eyes catch something outside the window. I do my best to figure out what I’m seeing. “Hey, Spence, what is Ford doing?”
“I’m not sure, Hudson said Ford was going to stop by.”
I jab Spencer’s arm. “No. Look outside. Is Ford with a woman?”
We untangle and walk a few steps to get a better view of outside. It’s definitely Ford with a woman. He has her thrown over his shoulder.
“Hot damn. I forgot to mention that Brielle is here.”
“As in his first love? The ex?” I double-check.
He chuckles under his breath. “Yeah, more like trapped in his house alone with him until further notice. I think he mentioned something about a fake ring, but you know how it goes.”
My mouth drops from the news. Maybe Ford is finally getting his second chance…