Claire squeezed his hand. "I can't pick someone else over Liam. No one else is Fin to me. He's the reason Fin and Fiona have such chemistry. It's real. That can't be faked with someone else."
Ray regarded them coolly. "So you're telling me that you're involved with each other."
"More than that." Claire glanced at Liam and brought their joined hands to her stomach. If she was ready to tell Ray about their news, he'd fully support her. When he nodded, she returned her focus to the screen. "We're having a baby."
Ray's eyebrows shot up his forehead. "Oh."
"I've been having some nausea that's been difficult to control but otherwise, my doctor said I can continue to do the gymnastics through the end of the season."
"Well, that's good. Your health comes first, but if she gave the approval, that's great."
Liam adjusted his seat on the couch, rocking the laptop so Ray's face blurred. "We're hoping to incorporate more into the Fin and Fiona storyline. If you look at the comments on the site, the fans love us. We can take it to the next level and get them involved. Run a contest where they'll get to appear in the next video with us. Have them help Fin plan a proposal, and vote on everything for the wedding which will take place during the last game of the regular season. It'll be a huge build up. I think we'd get a sellout crowd for Fin and Fiona alone, regardless of who the Riptide are playing on September thirtieth."
Ray ran a pen back and forth between his fingers. He was quiet for several moments and his face remained impassive. But then he nodded. "I can see how much this means to you both. You're right, Liam, you are the reason Fin is so popular. We do owe you for that. I give you my word. I won't hire anyone else for the rest of the season."
"Thank you." The tension in Liam's muscles released and the web of restraints around his heart broke. At last, he felt more like his old confident self.
"But if by some reason, you're not back to normal by next season's Spring Training, I'll have to look for a new Fin."
"I understand." He did. He totally did. But that wasn't going to be an issue. He'd make sure of it. "But I'll be back for sure. Opening Day is when we'll introduce the world to Fin and Fiona's baby shark."
Ray smiled. "That would be a great start to the new season. All right, you two, you have a deal."
Grinning, Liam tugged Claire to his chest. "Thank you."
Ray signed off and the screen went dark. Liam pulled Claire onto his lap. "We did it."
"I'm so happy he said yes."
"He's not stupid. I think he's already picturing the ticket sales and the merchandise opportunities for Baby Finley."
"Baby Finley?" Face beaming with her smile, Claire wound her arms around his neck. "I like it. And I love you."
He held on tight. "I love you too. What do you think about making Fin and Fiona's wedding coincide with our own?"
"Our own?" She pulled back. "You're asking me to marry you for real?"
"Will you? I don't have a ring but we can pick one out together. I want to spend the rest of my life with you."
Fresh tears sparkled in her eyes and she nodded. "Yes. I love you so much. I can't wait to marry you. We should do it on the same day as Fin and Fiona."
Happiness surged through him, but he kept his voice fairly even. "You want to get married on a baseball field, in front of thirty thousand people, dressed in a shark costume?"
Laughing, she brushed her hand through his hair. "We can leave the costumes and the crowd for Fin and Fiona. But I do want to marry you on the field where we first met, with our friends and families around us."
"I can't imagine a better way to begin our life together." He kissed her and then tapped her hip. "Let's take this someplace a little more private."
She sent him a teasing smile. "The balcony?"
Chuckling, he drew her to the hall. "The bedroom."
SLADE
HE CLOSED HIS BEDROOM door and watched Savanna cross to the window. Sunlight spotlighted her flowing hair, gold jewelry, and teal dress, she appeared part goddess, part enchantress. He perched on the edge of the bed, grateful for the chance to talk, desperate to somehow win her back, but at a loss as to how to begin.
She tucked her hair behind her ear and licked her lips. "I heard you didn't jump last night."
"Dom and Adam told me that I was being an idiot, but seeing Liam, ready to jump because I needed him and because he thought he'd lost everything, made me realize that it was a dangerous and unwise idea. I couldn't let him jeopardize his recovery. Seeing how my decisions, my actions could potentially hurt someone I love made me change my mind. See what everyone around me could see. If I can do it for Liam, I can do it for you."
She sighed and shook her head. "Slade."
"You said you didn't want me to do it, that it was dangerous, and that it really worried you. I was reeling from a lot of emotions last night, so I wasn't thinking clearly. I made a huge mistake in how I handled the whole BASE jumping thing with you. You were right. I should have stopped, then sat down and talked to you about it, like we've always done on anything we've tried. I'm sorry I messed that
