"Me either. I wish we could do it tonight so we could wake up already married tomorrow morning. You're home to me too, you know."
A rush ran through him at her words. "Then let's do it. We can fly to Vegas tonight. As soon as we see the baby."
Biting her lip, she tilted her head to the side, and studied their joined hands. "As much as I want to, I can't not have my parents at our wedding. They won't be back from their trip until next week."
"Right. And I want the guys there. And Tiffany, James, and the kids too." Pitchers and catchers were due to report to Spring Training in six days. He had to head to Arizona the following week. He needed to think. "Getting married during the season will be hard. We'll probably have to wait until November."
"I don't really want to wait that long."
"Then, we won't. As long as you don't mind waiting on the honeymoon. The team has two days off between the end of Spring Training and the start of the season. It's a weekend. We'll get married on that Saturday. It can be as small or large a wedding as you want."
Eyes sparkling, she shifted onto his lap and wrapped her arms around him. "Our first date was in a hot air balloon. We could rent a big one and have the wedding ceremony there."
"You're willing to recite vows with me at two thousand feet?" He was impressed. She'd continued to impress him on a daily basis with her bravery in trying things that gave her pause and in her ability to ground him when he needed it most.
"It'll be a full circle moment."
"It's perfect." He kissed her again, overwhelmed with love for the woman by his side.
After a phone call to her parents to share their news, they arrived at the maternity wing. Slade knocked on the open door to Claire's private room. "We heard there's a new addition to the Riptide family in here."
Liam grinned and waved them inside. "It's a boy. We have a son."
Slade rounded the bed to Liam's side, hugged him, and studied the tiny bundle sleeping in Claire's arms. "Congratulations."
Liam stroked his finger against his son's cheek, and then his gaze met Slade's. "This is Slade Devereux York."
Slade blinked. "You gave him my name?"
"It's only right that he shares the name of my brother and best friend, and if you're willing, his godfather." Liam smiled. "What do you say?"
"Dude." Swallowing hard, Slade grabbed him in a hard hug. Family. All his life, he'd thought he'd missed out on having one. But he had people he belonged to and who belonged to him. And now, this brand-new, very special bond that would link Liam and him forever. "Saying thank you doesn't seem like enough. But thank you."
Liam patted him on the back and dropped his tone to a murmur. "Love you, bro. This is proof that you're stuck with me forever."
Chuckling through his tears, Slade pulled back and wiped his eyes. "Good."
"Want to hold the baby?"
"What if I drop him?"
Savanna's chuckle eased his worry. "Isn't that my line?"
"You won't." Liam lifted the baby from Claire and placed him in Slade's arms.
Slade stared at his sleeping namesake and brushed his finger over the baby's tiny hand. "Hey there, little guy."
Little Slade turned his head and then wrapped his hand around Slade's finger in a surprisingly strong grip. Slade couldn't speak over the lump in his throat. He swallowed hard against the hot tears burning again below the surface. Liam's arm draped around his shoulder and he met his gaze. He didn't have the words to describe how he felt or how to tell Liam and Claire how much the gesture meant to him. But Liam seemed to understand.
Beside the bed, Savanna bent to hug Claire. "Congratulations."
"Thank you." She grinned right before nabbing Savanna's wrist. "Don't move so fast. What's on your finger? Is that what I think it is?"
His new fiancée nodded. "But today is about you and Liam and your beautiful bundle of joy."
"It's about all of us." Claire waved her down for another hug. "I'm so happy for you guys."
"That's awesome." Liam clapped Slade on the back and then leaned in, lowering his voice. "Did you ask about the house?"
Savanna's musical laughter lit up Slade's heart. "He did, and I'm happy we'll be next-door neighbors."
Slade passed the baby back to Liam, and then slid his arm around Savanna. She kissed his jaw and wrapped her arms around his waist. Feeling like the luckiest guy in the world, he held on tight.
A short time later, Dom and Adam and their wives came in and the room filled with cheers and congratulations and well wishes for the new family and for Slade and Savanna.
Slade glanced around the room, smiling at the people he loved and would do anything for without question. As a kid, he dreamed about making it to the big leagues, having a family of his own, and someone to love him. People who would never leave.
He had it all. His dream had come true.
<<<<>>>>
Thank you for reading!
If you enjoyed the book, please consider leaving a review. Reviews, even one-sentence long, help other readers find my books.
Don’t miss the other books in the Game of Love series:
REKINDLED - book 1 in the series
Weary of small roles in low-budget films, actress Gemma Norwood isn’t sure if her heart still lies in making movies, but giving up would be admitting failure and throwing away her dream. An escape back to her hometown, a snow-covered small town in the Catskills, is the perfect place to contemplate her life. Even if the chances are pretty good that she’ll run into the one man who broke her heart. She can handle it. After all, she is an actress.
Winter is the worst season for pro baseball pitcher Adam Hudson. It gives him
