Perfect Catch(80)

Chapter Thirty-Five

Three months later

Liv chased Kevin down the beach, squealing with delight even as her knit hat fell off and landed in the wet sand. Her uncle dodged out of her grasp but was intentionally running slower than he was capable of.

Alice hugged her sweater around her and got to her feet to collect the fallen hat, otherwise Liv was bound to forget it, and there would be tears later when they realized it was long gone to the Atlantic surf.

She watched Kevin and Liv race down the beach, little chunks of sand kicked up in their wake. Kevin plucked up Liv and pretended like he was going to throw her in the ocean, and the girl screamed bloody murder, her shrieks mixed with full-on belly giggles as she slapped at his arms.

Returning to her place in the sand, Alice threw the hat to Alex, who caught it one-handed and placed it on top of their bags.

They were coming to the end of their three weeks on the Florida coast, staying at a cute cabin Alex had rented following the end of the World Series. He hadn’t talked much about it since game seven had wrapped, and honestly they’d had better things to discuss in the meantime.

Three weeks with all the people who mattered most to her in the world was as close to heaven on earth as Alice was likely to find, even if it was November and the ocean far too cold to swim in. She didn’t want to ruin the perfect glow of the vacation by reminding Alex how the series had gone.

He’d been there. He was perfectly aware about the loss.

It had come down to the Felons and the Braves when the dust of the postseason had settled, and all the blogs and sports stations were saying the Felons were heavily favored to win. They’d had a more solid year, and both their pitching staff and offensive players had been more consistent throughout the season.

They’d won the first three games, and the stats on that sort of thing made them almost a sure bet to win the fourth and take the series in a sweep.

But the funny thing about stats was they weren’t always right.

The Braves won game four. And the next two as well, leaving the series tied up at three games apiece.

It came down to game seven.

Alice had been at the game, driving up to Atlanta to meet Alex’s sisters and his parents. It hadn’t been her dream way to meet the rest of his family, especially not given their rocky relationship and the fact they’d only been reunited a couple of months. But there was no way in hell she was missing game seven of the World Series.

Liv had been beside herself she couldn’t come.

Alice sometimes saw the ninth inning in her dreams. She was convinced that game would go to the grave with her as one of the most memorable events in her life. And most heartbreaking.

None of it was Alex’s fault.

The final pitch, bottom of the ninth, delivered by Miles only two weeks after he’d come back off the disabled list, hit the dirt and went wild.

The winning run came home.

Walk-off victory for the Braves.

The home-team crowd had lost their minds, and the whole Atlanta team had stormed the field. It was a victory for the ages, absolutely. An unforgettable win.

It had just been for the wrong team.

Alice leaned into Alex, grabbing his arms and wrapping them around herself, snuggling into his warmth.

“Back to the real world tomorrow,” she said.

“So they tell me.”

Kevin and Liv had settled down into a more quiet pursuit, investigating the shells that littered the water’s edge. Kevin was explaining something about the shell in Liv’s cupped hands, and the kid was totally rapt.

Alice wasn’t ready to go back to normal life. They’d spent these three incredible weeks together, and in that whole time they’d barely talked about what would come after. During the last two months of the season, they’d been a typical long-distance couple, but now the season was over until February, and they still hadn’t figured out what was going to happen next.

It was too soon to talk about moving in together, way too soon. Yet they’d proven during their stay at the cabin that they shared a companionable ease in close quarters that gave her hope for the future.

“I’ve been thinking…” he began.

“That’s a dangerous pastime.”

“Tell me about it. My brain has been in agony all day.”

“I bet. So what have you been thinking?” Her heart kicked up its pace until she was sure he must be able to feel it hammering.

“Well, awhile back I pointed out Georgia and Florida aren’t all too far apart.”

“You did.”

“So close, in fact, I’m told they share a border.”

“You don’t say.”

“I do. Liv knows all about the states.”

“She does.”

“And, funny thing, I have to spend about six weeks every year in Florida already.”