by Aven Ellis
I’ve also met Brady, who lives in San Diego in the offseason. He’s different from Brody, both in appearance and demeanor. He’s talkative, like me, and a lover of love, always searching for it but never finding it. If he lived closer, I’d play matchmaker for Addison, but since he’s playing ball in Chicago now, there’s no point. Brady did get called up to stay after spring training, and nobody was more thrilled than Brody to see his twin’s dream finally come true.
But the twin connection is real. They can finish each other’s sentences. Brody will get a feeling about Brady, like he’s upset or something, and sure enough, when they get a chance to talk, Brody was right. It truly is an amazing bond they have.
Speaking of bonds, my family has embraced Brody as one of their own. Ethan and Brody bonded over their struggles in school, and they talk all the time now. Mom and Dad consider Brody part of the family already. They go to a lot of baseball games with me, and since Brody’s family doesn’t celebrate holidays, he spends every holiday in Bethesda. I still can’t get over his face when he got to help decorate the Christmas tree this year. It was like his five-year-old self came to life and when Mom brought out Christmas cookies fresh from the oven, he declared it one of the best days he’s ever had.
“What are you thinking?” Brody asks, interrupting my thoughts.
“About how far we’ve come since we had our first date here a year ago,” I say, “and how lucky I am to be loved by you.”
Brody sets his cup of cereal down and takes mine from my hand and puts it aside. He begins to stand up, and I stare at him in confusion.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
He extends his hand to me, and I take it. He pulls me up so we are standing under a blooming branch of cherry blossoms.
Brody takes my hands in his, and his eyes lock on mine, his expression serious.
I suddenly realize what he’s going to do.
He’s going to propose to me.
I mean, I think he’s going to propose to me.
I could be wrong.
But I could be right.
Oh my God, I could be right!
“Hayley,” Brody says, his voice soft, “I started to fall in love with you right here, under these trees. As I listened to you talk, as I smelled your perfume, as I heard your beautiful laugh, I had a feeling I wanted forever with you.”
I’m shaking now. My hands are trembling in his, and Brody squeezes them in reassurance.
“Then I kissed you,” he continues, “and it was magic. Because I was kissing you. Nobody else makes me feel the way you do, Hayley. I fell in love with you on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. You are my world. You make everything brighter. You bring laughter and light to my life every day. You inspire me. You challenge me. I want forever with you.”
Brody reaches into his jacket pocket and then drops on one knee in front of me.
“Hayley Elizabeth Victoria Carter,” he says, his voice thick, “will you do me the honor of marrying me? Will you be my wife?”
Brody opens the velvet box and shows me the ring.
I gasp. It’s no ordinary ring.
It’s a huge pink round diamond set in platinum, surrounded by tiny pink diamond cherry blossoms.
A cherry blossom ring.
He designed a ring to symbolize our love story.
In our DC.
“I will marry you!” I cry in complete joy. “I love you, Brody Jensen. I want to be your wife more than anything in the world!”
Brody grins. “So yes?”
“Yes!” I say, nodding happily. “Yes, yes, yes!”
He takes my hand and glides the ring onto my finger.
“We’re engaged,” Brody says, rising from his knee.
I’m so excited I begin jumping up and down, and as soon as he’s standing, I leap into his arms and plant a huge kiss on his lips.
“I love you, I love you, I love you,” I say over and over between kisses.
Brody laughs, and I do, too.
“We’re going to get married,” I repeat, wanting to say the words a thousand times over. “I get to love you for the rest of my life.”
“Let’s get married after the season ends,” Brody says. “I can’t wait to be your husband.”
I nod enthusiastically. “Yes. A winter wedding.”
“Here. In DC.”
“It has to be in DC,” I say, placing my hands on his face. “Can we have Astro doughnuts at the reception?”
His whole face lights up. “Yes, that’s a must.”
“Oh, and a cereal bar,” I say, thinking of what our celebration will be like.
“That’s a definite yes,” Brody says.
“I have so many ideas,” I say, excitement filling me.
Brody cocks an eyebrow at me. “Have you already been planning our wedding in that beautiful brain of yours?”
I feel my face grow warm.
He totally doesn’t need to know about my secret wedding Pinterest board.
“Maybe,” I sheepishly admit.
Brody grins. “I love it, and while I can’t wait to hear about all your ideas, this grown-ass man wants to kiss his fiancée now, is that okay?”
Joy fills me as Brody brushes his lips against mine. I kiss back the man who is going to be my husband, under the tree where we shared our first kiss.
I know no matter where life takes us, no matter what the ups and downs are, I’ll share it all with this man, this baseball player who has stolen my heart.
And I know I’ll always be safe at home with him.
THE END
A note from the author:
Wondering what happened to Katie and AJ? Look for their story in a Swing and a Miss, Washington Soaring Eagles #2.
If you enjoyed this book, you might enjoy my other romantic comedies:
Connectivity
Surviving The Rachel
Chronicles of a Lincoln Park Fashionista
Waiting For Prince Harry (Dallas Demons #1)
The Definition of Icing (Dallas Demons #2)
Breakout (Dallas Demons #3)
On Thin Ice (Dallas Demons #4)
Playing Defense (Dallas Demons #5)
The Aubrey Rules (Chicago on Ice #1)
Trivial Pursuits (Chicago on Ice #2)
Save the Date (Chicago on Ice #3)
Hold the Lift (Rinkside in the Rockies Novella)
Sugar and Ice (Rinkside in the Rockies #1)
Reality Blurred (Rinkside in the Rockies #2) Coming Soon