Page 88 of Undeniably Perfect

“Do you like it?” I ask Kent as I sit down next to him.

He wraps an arm around me as he gazes into my eyes. “It’s perfect, just like you.”

I blush again.

“OMG, you guys need to stop that, you are too fucking cute,” Kylie says.

“Kylie!” both Mr. and Mrs. Moore scold.

She rolls her eyes. “Whatever, anyhow, when do you give your speechie thing, KJ?”

“In about an hour,” Kent says, glancing at Lanie who is talking to Clark.

Di’s the only other one with a date, some guy named Brad, who she has monopolized since they arrived. The Moores don’t seem to care though, they all just keep on chatting with each other.

Kylie leans over and starts telling me this brilliant idea she has for a fashion magazine, and I quickly get sucked into her thoughts, before I know it the head of the gala event is tapping on the microphone.

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I’m Heather Martinez, and I’m honored to be here tonight on behalf of the Hospital for Children to present awards to six of our most esteemed donors. Each of these individuals goes above and beyond in giving back to our hospital and also providing additional support, such as their John Hancocks on some very nice photographs by local photographer, Tabitha Crane. Make sure you place your bids on those, folks! I hear Kent Moore’s is getting particularly popular,” she says with a wink toward Kent, who blushes.

“I’d like to call up our six ambassadors to receive an award from the hospital at this time,” she says as Kent and five other people that I’ve come to know as clients all proceed to the stage. There’s a local congressman, an anchor for the local news, a professor, an actress who grew up in the area, and CEO of a major company that’s headquartered just outside the city. They all have ties to the hospital in one way or another. Heather presents awards to each of them and poses for photos, letting them each say a few words.

“And now, I’d like to present the ambassador award to Kent Moore. I’ve asked him to say a little something about our hospital as it has been an important place for his family. So please, help me welcome Kent Moore, our local World Series champion pitcher.”

Kent nods graciously as every stands and claps. Nate hoots and Ward elbows him, making me laugh. Kent clears his throat as everyone sits back down.

“Thank you, Heather. It’s an honor for me to be here tonight. The Hospital for Children has played an integral part in the lives of my family members. As some of you know, my sister had a common form of childhood cancer when she was seven. Thanks to the quick actions of the doctors at the hospital and the excellent care they provided her, she was declared cancer-free a mere year later. I can’t imagine my life without Lanie. And I know for so many other families, they can’t imagine their lives without their beloved children either.” He pauses and looks at his family, all of whom have tears running down their cheeks, even Clark brushes away a single drop from his cheek.

“I’m happy to announce that I’ve partnered with our team for next season. We will be providing special t-shirts to fans who pre-order them, and all the profits will go to the hospital’s fund that supports families with sick kids staying at the facility. For every t-shirt purchased, the team will donate an equal amount to the fund as well. So, thank you again to everyone at the hospital for all their hard work.”

Everyone stands and applauds again, as Kent walks down into the arms of his family. He hugs Lanie last and lifts her off the ground as she nuzzles her face into the crook of his neck and whispers something. He kisses her cheek and sets her back down. She smiles up at him and pats his cheek and he laughs at whatever she’s said. I snap a quick photo of them with my phone because the moment is too precious. I send it out in the family chat with a “nice speech” message.

The family chat. I’ve been added to the real Moore family chat since the day after the World Series. I can’t even believe I’m so lucky to have found Kent, let alone be made an honorary member of his amazing family.

Kent

As the evening comes to an end, I lead Tabitha out to side balcony overlooking the city. I need to rip off this Bandaid and tell her how I feel.

“What’s wrong?” she asks, looking at me with concern in her eyes.

I shake my head and cup her jaw, running my thumb over her cheek. She leans against my touch, while gazing up at me with those mesmerizing eyes.

“Absolutely nothing. Everything is perfect.”

“Then, why do I feel like you have something very serious to say to me?”

“Because I do.”

She tries to step back, but I grip her arms. “Tabitha…I…” I trail off as I look at her. I swallow my fears. If I can fucking win the World Series, then I sure as fuck can tell this woman how I feel. “I love you.”

Her entire body goes still. She doesn’t speak for the longest moment. I nearly panic at the length of the silence between us.

It’s the giant grin that slowly stretches across her face that has me sighing with relief. “I love you, too.”

I pick her up and spin her around. She laughs as she grips my shoulders.

“Thank god. I was worried you weren’t ready to say that or would feel weird about me saying it,” I ramble.

She places a single finger over my lips as I set her back down on her feet. “If someone would have told me a few weeks ago, that I’d fall madly in love with a ball player, I’d have laughed in their face. Yet, here I am, madly in love with a ball player, a world champion ball player.” She pauses and smiles. “And I can’t deny it any longer, Kent. I love you.” She looks out at the city. “I love Kent Moore!” she yells.

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