Epilogue
Shawn
It’s more emotional than I thought it would be to walk into the Laurels stadium with Blaze.
He’d told me on the drive down about coming here with his dad as a kid.
I’m gutted I’m never going to get to meet his parents, and I told him so.
We called my mom and dad on the drive, to say hi and to formally invite them up to Maine for the holidays.
I already made sure Marika would have room for them at the retreat.
There’s no space for them with us at Blaze’s.
Or I guess it’s our place now, since I’ve all but moved in, even though Brooke’s not quite officially moved out.
It’s a lot of musical chairs, but we’ll figure it out.
The stadium is filling steadily as we find our seats in the luxury box.
I called in a favor, and we’re sitting with some of the WAGs—wives and girlfriends—of the players, along with parents and other family members.
It’s great to see them again, and I proudly introduce Blaze to everyone as my boyfriend while he grins like he’s at Disney World on his birthday.
I decided to stay out of the team’s way until after the game. They lost game two, so they’re battling to come out ahead in this matchup. Whichever way it goes, it’s gratifying to be here without the burden of having to perform.
Right after the national anthem, a new face joins the crowd in the box.
“Callie!” I wrap my former agent and current friend in a giant hug.
“I didn’t know you were going to be here.
” I called her a few days ago to catch her up on the latest and tell her my temporary banishment to Maine was becoming a permanent way of life. She’d been thrilled to hear the news.
“Stop crushing me!” she says, laughing. “And I do have some skin in this game.”
She’s the agent to no fewer than four of the players taking the field right now.
“It’s awesome to see you,” I say. “And you can meet Blaze. Blaze, this is Callie Roman. She sent me to the retreat and changed my life. ”
He goes for a handshake, but she pulls him in for a hug. “I’m so very, very happy to meet you, Blaze,” she says.
“Same, I mean, Shawn’s told me how much you mean to him.”
“He did? The big softy.” She swats me on the arm.
“The same goes for you. He literally gushed about you. When he told me he’d found a new job, plus was planning to start a scholarship for Laketon students, was spending time at a local woodworking school, and met a dreamy Maine mountain man, I asked him how he’d managed to do all of that in about a month. ”
I’m too happy to be embarrassed. “I told her, you’d be surprised how much you can accomplish when there’s no internet to distract you.”
Blaze laughs, his cheeks pink, hip-checking me lightly. “I knew you’d come around on the no-internet thing.”
“So, Blaze, tell me your life story,” Callie commands.
While they’re talking, I steal some snacks, and the game begins.
It’s kind of cool to still have a small place in this world, even if it’s not the one I’m used to.
I can enjoy the pure fun that is watching the greatest game ever invented.
It’s double the fun watching Blaze watch the game.
His reactions to every play are more entertaining than the plays themselves.
“Having a good time?” I ask between the third and fourth innings, even though I know the answer.
“I’m having a blast. Thanks for making this happen,” he says, joy shining out of him. “It’s not too weird for you, is it?”
“It’s not. I think I can finally enjoy this for what it is.”
“That’s good to hear.” He glances at me as cheers echo around the stadium. “Can I kiss you?”
“Fine with me,” I say. So he does. And it’s more than fine. It’s pretty damn wonderful.
Thank you so much for reading Shawn and Blaze’s story!