Page 95 of Scars
“Yes,” she whispers, her voice cracking with emotion. She stands up and repeats yes over and over as she holds out her left hand. I slip the diamond ring along her slender finger and let out a sigh of relief that it’s a perfect fit. Before my next breath, I’m standing and pulling her into my arms, claiming her mouth, not giving a damn that we’re in the middle of the auditorium, surrounded by a crowd of people. We ignore the applause surrounding us. I bring my hands to cup her cheeks and keep her mouth on mine as the kiss deepens. She doesn’t resist when I push my tongue into her mouth.
Austin clears his throat, and Riley pulls back breathlessly. “Not that I’m not happy for you two, but I don’t think you need to get all down and dirty in front of everyone.”
Riley and I both laugh as we break apart. The man has a valid point.
“I can’t believe you went through all of this.” Riley stares at the ring as happy tears flow down her cheeks. I brush a few stray tears with the tip of my thumb.
“You’re worth it, baby. And even if I don’t win today, I’m a winner either way because you said yes.”
She wraps her hands around the back of my neck, and I do the same with her waist. “You have such a way with words.”
“Better get used to it because you’re now stuck with me, forevverrrrrrrrr,” I say, quoting my favorite line fromThe Sandlot.
Epilogue
Cooper
Itwasabeautifulsunny day, not a cloud in the sky. Two boys with a dream and the man who had stood by their side. The photo that stares back at me feels like an entire lifetime ago—the start of our senior year. When cleaning out Coach’s belongings, I found the photo perched on one shelf. Ellie told me to have it.
Someone knocks on the wooden door. “Hey, Coach,” a familiar female voice calls from the open doorway.
I look up to find Riley standing there, leaning against the doorframe in jeans and a Meadows Ridge Wildcats baseball T-shirt.God, this woman is gorgeous, and she’s all mine.Her brown hair is pulled back in a high ponytail, her sunglasses perched on her head. My favorite part of her outfit, though, is the shoelaces on her sneakers that arrived yesterday that have little baseballs on them. I can’t see them right now, but I know they’re there.
“Hello there, Future Mrs. Coach.” I make a face at how corny that sounds. I shake my head. “Yeah, sorry, that didn’t sound as good as it did in my head.”
I set the picture frame back on my desk beside the photo of Riley and me the night we got engaged. In the photo, I’m holding Riley in my arms while she holds her left hand out, showing off the ring. In her right hand is Austin’s and her trophy.
I may not have won the contest or the bet, but like I told Riley that night, I was a winner either way because she agreed to be mine forever. Although getting her to finally watch theItmovies would have been a much better time than sweating my balls off in the Wally the Wildcat costume at the girls’ bake sale earlier this month. Of course, North Carolina had a record high temp that day. I’m pretty sure that was Tanner looking down and laughing at me. I swear, sometimes I still smell that stench on my skin, but I’m sure it’s all in my head.
She giggles as she enters the office and walks around to my desk. “I still love it.” When she reaches me, I grab her left hand and kiss her ring finger, where her diamond engagement ring sits. Some days, I have to pinch myself to prove that this is really my life and I’m not just dreaming.
“I love you.”
She leans down and presses her lips to mine. “I love you, too.”
I pull her into my lap, and she lets out a little yelp before settling against my chest with her hands around my shoulder.
“You ready for this?” she asks as her fingers play with the curls at the nape of my neck.
Tonight is the opening game of the baseball season and my debut as the Meadows Ridge High School head baseball coach. Today also represents the first season that Coach Benson is not walking out onto that field. It’s weird, and I’ve spent more time deep in my head in anticipation of this game than I did before my first game as a professional player.
“Yeah, I was just thinking.” I pause.
“Sheesh, don’t think too hard. You might hurt yourself,” she teases, and I tickle her side. When she jerks to the side, her jean-clad ass rubs against my dick. I grip her hips to stop her from moving.
“Baby, stop wiggling like that because if you keep doing that, my dick is going to get hard, and the only way to fix that is to be inside you, and we definitelydon’thave time for that.”
I double-check the time to verify we don’t, and my shoulders deflate because there isn’t even time for a quickie. The last thing I need is to be late to the first game and smelling like my fiancée’s pussy.
“I’m sorry, what was it you were thinking?” she asks as she hops out of my arms and sits on my desk, facing me. I frown at the distance, but it’s probably for the better.
“I was thinking about Coach Benson and Tanner. I wish they were here to see this.”
She rests her forehead against mine. “Do you remember what you used to tell me when you played?” She places her palm over my heart. “You told me I was on the field with you, right here. That’s exactly where they are, too.”
Déjà vu washes over me as I recall that not that long ago, the dream version of Tanner had said those same words.
“Alright, well, time to get to work.” I stand and step between her thighs. She wraps her arms around my neck.