Page 97 of The Yips

“I think I’ve told you before, but you can have whatever you want,” Sam said.

“And I think I told you; this is a partnership. I might want an island wedding, but you might have always dreamed of a big wedding in a cathedral.”

“Kelsey, I would love to get married with only our closest friends and family. If you wanted an event with a thousand people with life-sized ice statues and your bridesmaidsriding in on the backs of a camel, I’d roll my eyes and then roll with it.”

“Wait, camels are on the table?” I asked innocently.

“What island?”

“Umm, outside of Cancun, I’ve never traveled off of the mainland.”

“Okay. My suggestion is St. John. That way, your family won’t need a passport if they don’t already have one.”

Sam scrolled through photos of the island and some of his favorite beaches. I could see my sisters standing around me, a tiny little altar on the beach at Trunk Bay.

“There, that’s where I want to be,” I said, pointing to the last photo.

“Perfect. Now let’s see if this planner can make it happen.”

“Sam, I love you. I love this life. And I can’t wait for the rest of it.”

“Speaking of waiting, look what came in today.”

Sam held out a small velvet box and flipped the lid, exposing a gorgeous solitaire diamond set in white gold. “Oh, Sam, I love it. It’s perfect.”

He slipped it on my finger, and we sealed our promise to each other with a heartfelt kiss.

Epilogue 1 - Sam

Kelsey had planned everything for the wedding, and my only job was to show up. We had chosen to have the ceremony during Tom’s Christmas Break. He and I had grown close over the last few months, and I wanted him to be able to attend.

We also agreed that we would never make Crew choose between us for holidays and would only seek a childcare provider for Crew when the other parents weren’t available. And yes, we had all agreed that I was equally a parent to Crew. Christmas Eve wasn’t my first choice for the ceremony, but it worked with Tom’s hockey schedule.

After a season of baseball travel, Kelsey and I committed to doing our best to travel to as many of Tom’s games as possible. Our nine-month-old little boy was crawling and restless and much less likely to sleep for the entirety of a flight. That sweet baby stage was over, and he had begun to push Kelsey’s buttons. I could see significant changes in our future; traveling with a toddler would be too much without hiring additional help. We’d also rented a place in Colorado to stay while Tom played at home; he planned to get a short-term rental in Boston for the summer. However, if we ever committed to moving outside the city, the Beacon Hill home would be available for him and even Kelsey’s parents if they chose to live there.

The Minutemen had a brief playoff run, winning both the wild card and then going on to take the division, but fell in the pennant race. My father had completed rehab, and the changes in him had been day and night. Once alcohol was out of the picture, my father was able to work on himself, and part of that work has led to a genuine relationship. We had initially agreed not to talk about baseball, though, in the off-season, he’d been able to work with me constructively to work on my mechanics and pitch delivery.

Kelsey had gotten more comfortable with asking for what she wanted. She stopped considering it as spending “my money” and realized I considered us a family. Tom provided child support, and Kelsey deposited every penny into a bank account for Crew.

She and Avery had broken ground on a small non-profit that provided child care to single mothers who worked in hospitality and other fields with non-standard work schedules. The Minutemen Boston Fund assisted in providing scholarships for women struggling to cover child-care costs and also worked on granting women with tiny wishes when they were facing other barriers to success. Kelsey still planned to finish school but had decided to wait to return until I retired.

“Are you packed?” Kelsey asked breathlessly. Crew had finally fallen asleep for the night, and Kelsey was racing around to complete all last-minute details. Our flight to St.Thomas was first thing in the morning; we’d meet her family at the airport. My family would meet us at the villa on St. John, which we had booked for the nexttwo weeks. She had left Monica to handle the shipment of all our wedding décor, dresses, and tuxedos, and we were left to pack only our vacation clothes.

“I’m ready,” I said, pulling her to my side. “My mother raised me to follow directions.”

“I have something for you,” she said shyly as she produced an envelope.

I opened an envelope, removed a white sheet of paper with clinical notes, and scanned it to see “IUD removal.” We had talked extensively over the last few months about expanding our family, and Kelsey knew that I was ready to welcome as many more children as she wanted once she felt ready.

“Are you sure you’re ready?” I asked, doing my best to hide my excitement.

“I am. I want Crew to have close relationships with his siblings.”

“Baby, but that’s not my question. Is this what you want? Or is this something you decided to do for me and Crew?” I asked, searching her eyes to see if I could identify even an ounce of hesitation.

“That came out wrong. That was part of my consideration, but just a part. I have a partner with you, and I can see my pregnancy experience as something not wrought with fear and loneliness but anticipation, love, and excitement. And I know that you will never consider Crew to be anything other than your child.”

“I wish I’d been there for you then, too.”

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