Page 149 of The Path to Loving Him
I cry for the heartache, the suffering, the unknown.
I cry for the countless hours we spent together on the field.
I cry for the years of him working his way up the system.
I cry for the injuries he sustained, the coaches who didn’t believe in him . . . and the coaches who did.
And I cry for the perseverance, the resilience, and the strength he has had through this entire process.
He deserves this more than anyone, and I just hope he can prove it. I hope he can have his moment.
Ryland settles in next to me, a warmth I was missing. He brings his arm around me and pulls me into his chest.
All the anger, the frustration, the countless circles we’ve been running in, they’re all washed away as I bury my head into his chest and let out my tears. I let out my happiness. I cry for what’s to come, tears of joy streaming down my cheeks.
And he holds me the entire time, stroking my hair, pressing soft kisses to the top of my head, showing me that I’m not alone at this moment—a moment I’ve been waiting for, for so long.
After what feels like forever, he lifts my chin with his forefinger and forces me to look him in the eyes. Those green eyes penetrate me harder than ever before. “Congratulations,” he says in a soft voice. “You should be really fucking proud of yourselves.”
“Thank you,” I whisper. “I am.”
And then I rest my head against his chest again and let out more tears as I let the relief drain from my body.
He did it.
No . . . like Bennett said,wedid it.
With pajamas in hand, I walk over to Ryland’s house feeling elated, nervous, and sort of like I’m going to puke and cry at the same time. It took me a little bit to peel myself off the floor, but once I did, I thanked Ryland and said nothing else. He got the hint and headed toward the house to check on Mac, who was sleeping.
Bennett sent over the details of the game tomorrow when he stopped for some food. It’s a night game. His first big league game will be played under the lights, and the fact that the game is driving distance for me makes it seem like everything is aligning.
I walk into the house and glance toward the kitchen, and when I don’t see Ryland, I move right into the bathroom.
As I’m soaping up, I keep thinking about how when I get to the stadium, which we’re allowed to get there early and watch batting practice, I want to go to the team store and deck myself out in Bombers gear. I don’t really have anything because I wasn’t sure if he’d stay with the Bombers or move to a different team, but now that I know he’s been called up, I need a hat and a shirt and a sweatshirt and bracelets and foam fingers and everything you could possibly imagine.
God, I’m so freaking excited. Once out of the shower, I quickly go through my routine, brush my teeth, and lotion up before putting on my pajamas, hanging my towel, and exiting the bathroom with my dirty clothes. I find Ryland leaning against the counter, clearly waiting for me.
“Hey,” he says as his eyes give me a brief once-over.
“Hey,” I say awkwardly.
“Talked with Aubree and Wyatt, and they’re going to watch Mac for the weekend. They were thinking about taking her up to the Redwoods, one of her favorite places. Hayes also offered us his apartment in the city to stay so we don’t have to drive back late at night.”
“Oh wow, okay. That’s really nice of him. Um, were you planning on spending the night?”
“It’s about a three-hour drive, and we’re not going to want to do that after the game.”
“Right, okay. Looks like I need to pack.” I let out a deep breath. “Um, Bennett sent me the info. I can text it to you. We get to watch batting practice.”
“Really? That’s awesome.”
“And I told Bennett I’d take him to dinner after.”
“Not a problem. You two can do whatever you want after the game. I can give you the info to Hayes’s apartment so you know where to go after.”
“Oh, I didn’t mean you weren’t invited.”
He shakes his head. “I’m uninviting myself. You two deserve the time together.”
