Page 76 of Home Safe

I know it the second the bat makes contact with the ball. I hear it in the sound. Feel it in the reverberation.

Home run.

Starters have been playing full games for over a week now, cut days are all behind us, and the roster is finalized. I came into the season knowing my spot with the Crowns was essentially secure, but there’s always that tiny kernel of doubt that needles you until the day final rosters are posted. I had ultimate peace today knowing I’d officiallymade the squad—knowing Ideservethis spot—but this walk-off home run feels like the exclamation point declaring that I’m back.

The roar of the crowd buzzes through my veins as I pump my fist in the air and jog the bases. Hopping onto home base with a flourish, Adrian is right there to ambush me with a celebratory half-tackle. Drew and Luke follow his lead, then the rest of the guys quickly form a mosh pit around me. You’d think we won the World Series, not a spring training game.

I love this game. The thrill of a good hit, the screams of the crowd, the camaraderie of my teammates—I love it all.

“Too bad your lady wasn’t here to see that,” Carlos teases, slapping me on the back.

“Guess I’ll have to do it again tomorrow,” I reply, grinning widely.

“Will she be here in time for tomorrow’s game?” Adrian asks.

I nod as we jog to the dugout to gather our stuff before going to greet fans and sign autographs. “That’s the plan. Pending no flight delays, she and Jason will be here to watch.”

“Are they sitting in the suite with the other WAGs?” Drew asks. “Lily didn’t mention it.”

“Nah, Danae isn’t ready for public attention yet. She and Jason are going to sit in regular seats and meet me after the game,” I say, stuffing gear into my bag.

“Well, if she changes her mind for any of the games this week, let me know. I’m sure Lily would be thrilled to show her the ropes,” Drew offers.

“Thanks, man. I’ll play it by ear and let you know.” As we make our way to the stands, I stay to sign more autographs and pose for more photos than ever, anticipating that I’ll be cutting time with fans short over the remainder of the week. Because starting tomorrow, I’m going to be racing away to spend every available second with Danae and Jason.

It killed me that I couldn’t be the one to pick Danae and Jason up from the airport instead of Sam. But we still had morning batting practice and workouts, so I couldn’t be there to greet them when they arrived. Not that Danae wouldwantme picking her up and publicly outing our relationship like that. I’m desperate to touch her, to remind myself that she’sreal. That she cares about me.

These weeks apart have been torture in more ways than one. I know the months ahead will still be chaotic, but at least we won’t have to go more than a week to ten days without seeing each other during the season. Whoever said “absence makes the heart grow fonder” must have gained that wisdom from painful personal experience. Because being away from Danae this long has made me crave her. It’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced in my life—this inescapable melancholy that a piece of my happiness is missing.

I begged Sam to bring them down pre-game and meet up outside the locker room, but in typical Sam fashion, she made a big show about reluctantly complying. I’m confident she’ll make it happen, though. Well, mostly confident.

Sure enough, about ten minutes before we have to take the field for warm-ups, Sam texts me that they’re here. I walk out of the locker room to the hallway, where I’m immediately bowled over by an enthusiastic hug from Jason.

Laughing, I pull him into my arms to lift his feet off the ground. “It’s good to see you, Fireball!” Setting him back down, I make a show of measuring his head against my waist. “Hold on a second—did you grow a couple inches while I was gone?”

He grins up at me, standing on his tiptoes. “I think so! I’ve been eating real good food like you said I should. I bet that made me taller! I can’t wait to watch you play today,” he says, swinging an imaginary bat. “I watched the highlights from yesterday—that home run was a-MAZ-ing!”

Nudging down the brim of his baseball cap, I tell him, “I’ll try to hit another one for you today. But first I need to hug your mom.”

I turn my attention to Danae, who’s looking more gorgeous than I even remembered, dressed in jeans and the Crowns t-shirt Jason picked out for her at Camp Wizard. Every one of my dreams anddaydreams have been filled with her face, but I still somehow forgot the delicate lines of her beauty. The sparkle of the gold flecks in her hazel green eyes. The copper-streaked brown waves of her hair brushing against the tops of her shoulders. The blush-pink shade of her lips.

Wrapping her in my arms, I pull her against me as tightly as I can manage, just shy of squeezing too hard. Burying my face in her neck, I murmur, “It’s so good to see you. To reallyseeyou.”

The tight grip of her arms around my waist and the way she nuzzles her face into my neck would be confirmation enough that she feels the same. But she also sighs, “Finally.” When she tilts her head to meet my eyes again, there’s relief in her gaze. A rightness to being together that I also sense in the depths of my being.

I’ve felt that rightness in Danae’s presence ever since the first time we met, before it made any logical sense. Like she was meant to be there all along—almost as though a phantom piece of herhadbeen with me all along, waiting for us to find each other for real.

I don’t care that Sam and Jason are standing right beside us. I don’t care if any other Crowns players or staff walk in and out of the locker room. I will not resist the weeks-long yearning to kiss those perfect heart lips.

One arm still firmly around her waist, I cup the other hand behind Danae’s head and gently press my lips to hers. The kiss is chaste in every sense of the word, given our audience. Nonetheless, passion and desire flood through me at record levels.

I think I love this woman.

At the sound of Jason’s dramatic, “Ewww!” Danae smiles against my lips. I dip her backward, never breaking lip contact. Jason’s moans turn into laughter, and I stand Danae upright again.

Time is ticking, and I know I need to get back into the locker room. I know I’ll see them after the game. Still, my heart is a stubborn mule when told to leave her for even a second. Placing both hands on her cheeks, I drink in the real-life, physical reality of Danae.

“I’m so happy you’re here,” I say. She leans forward to kiss me again, and I muster all my willpower to step away after a moment. “I’ll see youafter the game, okay?” I say to Jason, who gives me a high five for good luck.

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