by Tracy March
“I guess that was pretty cheesy,” he said.
The crowd laughed and cheered.
“We’ve kinda been through this before, but that was just for practice.” He winked at Liza and sucked in a deep breath. His heart thudded so loudly he figured the mic was probably picking up the noise. “But this time it’s for real.” Cole pulled the ring from the Cracker Jack box and it sparkled under the stadium lights. “I love you, Liza. Will you marry me?”
The crowd became way too quiet as Cole stared into Liza’s eyes, waiting.
She gave him the most gorgeous smile he’d ever seen and said, “Yes.”
The crowd went wild as Cole slipped the ring on Liza’s trembling finger. He got to his feet, took her in his arms, and kissed her.
While he’d been working at stealing home, she had quietly stolen his heart.
…
If it were possible to burst from excitement, Liza figured it was about to happen to her. She couldn’t believe she was the larger-than-life girl up on the scoreboard who’d just gotten engaged to Cole. Engaged to Cole! In front of all these people!
She hadn’t hesitated to say yes. Despite what had happened to Wes, and her fear that something similar could happen again, she’d instantly agreed to take a risk with Cole. She had no doubt that her heart belonged to him.
The crowd still cheered as Cole—looking wicked baseball-sexy in his uniform and cleats—led her over to the Nats’ dugout, her legs a little wobbly. His teammates rushed them, huddling around and showering them with buckets of bubble gum. Liza finally knew firsthand how exhilarating it was to be in the middle of one of their celebrations. This one was hers, too.
As the guys headed back to the dugout, she said to Cole, “You’ve amazed me twice tonight.”
He drew his head back and grinned. “Just twice?”
She laughed, her smile lingering. “You stole home.”
“Just for you.”
She cocked her head. “And a little bit for the Nats?” She smoothed her fingers down his muscular arm and squeezed his hand. “I’m willing to share you, just this once.”
He raised one eyebrow. “Oh, you are?”
The teams headed out onto the field, and Liza had to let him go. She gestured for him to lean down and she cupped her hand around his ear to make sure he’d hear her. “I hope you win.”
Cole stood straight and kissed her lightly amid more cheers from the crowd. His lopsided grin melted her heart. “I already did.”
…
Cole was so amped that his proposal had been a hit with Liza and she’d agreed to marry him. She was going to be his wife! He used to think of that word as strictly four-letter. Now he couldn’t wait for Liza to become officially his.
But there was a World Series at stake, and he was ready to make it two-for-two and lead the Nats to victory. But the Orioles didn’t make it easy. They answered with two runs in the top of the eighth, and the Nats went scoreless in the bottom. Cole hadn’t envisioned going into the ninth tied 2-2, but here they were. He kept taking deep breaths to settle his nerves, and his teeth were sore from chewing so hard on his bubble gum.
The Orioles went two-up, two-down in the top of the ninth, but their third batter took advantage of a mistake by the closing pitcher and slammed one into the center-field stands, giving the Os a 3-2 lead. The next batter popped the ball to the shortstop and the inning was over.
Cole hadn’t lost hope, because he had faith in his team. He was batting fourth this inning, so hopefully he’d get a chance to score. All they needed was one to tie, two to win.
The Nats’ first two batters struck out swinging. After two nerve-racking close-call strikes, the second batter tagged a blooper for a single, giving the Nats a lifeline. With the tying run on base, Cole came to bat, adrenaline pumping.
World Series on the line… Team counting on me…
A wicked curveball fooled him and he fanned it.
The crowd was on their feet chanting, “Crush, Crush, Crush.”
But the umpire called another close strike that Cole would swear was low in the zone.
One more strike.
Cole took his stance. He and the pitcher stared each other down, the noise in the stadium deafening. First the windup, then the pitch.
The second the fastball was released, he knew the pitcher had made a mistake. It torpedoed over the center of the plate, in the middle of the zone, and Cole scorched it off the screws. As soon as it left his bat, bedlam erupted in the stadium, and Cole knew the Nats had won.
Chapter Twenty
Dizzy with mixed emotions, Liza got ready to leave the box suite her parents had rented for the Series. Everyone there was still stunned by the Orioles’ shocking loss. She hugged John and Sylvia good-bye, her heart heavy for them, and for herself. Then she and Paige walked to the door.
“You know that voodoo baseball magic you said Cole believes in?” Paige asked glumly.
Liza nodded. She’d told Paige almost every detail about the night Cole had first said he loved her.
“Well, it must work. I mean, this was totally his night. I’m sorry the Os lost.” Paige grabbed Liza’s hand and had a long look at her engagement ring. “But that was one wicked-romantic proposal.”
Liza grinned. “It was, wasn’t it?”
Paige’s eyes welled with tears.
“Oh, sweetie.” Liza hugged her tightly. “It’ll happen for you soon, too.”
Paige pulled away and sniffled. “I’m not sad-crying for me, silly. I’m happy-crying for you.”
The atmosphere changed the second Liza left the suite. There was a big-time party rocking in the stadium. This was the Nationals’ first World Series win, and their fans reveled in the ultimate celebration. Liza was thrilled for Cole and his team, yet totally bummed for herself, her folks, and the Orioles. She’d never experienced so much excitement and disappointment within an hour’s time.
I’m engaged to Cole.
She still couldn’t believe his fairy-tale proposal, but the big, sparkly diamond on her finger proved it was real. Her hands were still shaky, but her heart soared, thinking about a future with him. She wouldn’t get Frank’s donation, and she might soon lose the job she loved, but she had Cole, and things would work out somehow.
She’d wanted to give Cole time to celebrate with his team, talk to the media, and do whatever it was that World Series MVPs do afterward, so she’d been surprised to get a text from him less than an hour since the end of the game.
Meet me in the Nats’ family room. Love, Your Fiancé.
She replied: On my way!
Liza wished she could’ve thought of something clever, but she was lucky to get three words typed considering her trembling fingers. Moments later, her phone chirped, and she checked the tweet.
Cole Collins @ColeCollins
@LizaSutherland said YES! #marryme
He’d attached a picture of them at home plate, him on one knee. Liza thought her heart might burst. Oblivious to the crowd, she practically floated toward the home side of the stadium. Several people recognized her from the proposal and congratulated her as they passed. Some just pointed and stared.
Just before she made it to the secure clubhouse area, a fifty-something brunette woman dressed in full Nationals regalia—including a Cole Collins jersey—clutched Liza’s arm and pulled her aside. Liza’s eyes widened.
“I just want to tell you,” the woman said, “you’re the luckiest girl alive.”
Liza grinned. “I am, aren’t I?”
The woman nudged Liza with her elbow. “I just love Cole,” she said, as if she’d known him personally for years. “You give that handsome boy a kiss for me, will ya?”
Liza smiled graciously, imagining this might happen from time to time. “Yes, ma’am.” Gladly.
The corridor leading to the clubhouse and family room was strangely quiet, considering the home team had just won the World Series. But she was sure the party was happening close by—with hootin’ and hollerin’ and spraying champagne in a huge room covered in plastic. She hurried toward her own celebration with Cole.
Liza neared the family room, but before she rounded the doorway, she heard Frank’s voice coming from inside, and then Cole’s. Her heart hammered. He was going to be her husband, and Frank would be her father-in-law.
She stopped outside the door, in case they were having a meaningful father-son moment. They needed times like this to bond. She couldn’t wait to see Cole, but she had the rest of her life to be with him, and their relationship was solid. Sacrificing a little time to Frank was the least she could do.
“…and I couldn’t believe you stole home,” Frank said. “Hell of a play.”
Liza leaned against the wall, imagining how much it must mean to Cole for Frank to be so thrilled with him. What athlete wouldn’t want to impress his agent…and his father?
“MVP,” Frank said.
Liza heard what sounded like a slap on the back, but she couldn’t be sure.
“It’s pretty surreal,” Cole said. Liza loved how humble he’d become.
“Between what you’ve done in the Series,” Frank said, “and what you’ve done with Liza, you can be pretty darn sure the Nats are gonna offer you a new contract.”
“You think so?” Cole asked.
Liza furrowed her brow and inched closer to the doorway.
“You made it look like you were settling down all right, but I never expected you to ice the cake with that proposal during the seventh-inning stretch,” Frank said. “I’m surprised they’re not in here wavin’ a new contract at you right this second.”
Liza’s stomach knotted.
“And the little lady will never know your relationship had anything to do with you getting a sweet new deal,” Frank said.
Heat radiated in Liza’s face with the thundering pulse of her heart. She stepped slowly into the doorway, her legs rubbery.
Frank stood with his back to Liza, but Cole faced her. He sat casually on the arm of a leather chair, still wearing his uniform, soaking wet. She could smell the champagne all the way across the room. He stood quickly when he saw her, and his eyes flashed with panic.
Liza swallowed hard.
“What?” Frank shook his head and turned to see what had caught Cole’s attention.
“How long have you been standing out there?” Cole asked her nervously.
Liza moved closer to them, hurt and reeling, and said quietly to Cole, “Long enough to hear that you used me to get a contract.” Pressure built in her throat. “Long enough to know that everything you said to me and everything you did was completely fake.” Tears burned her eyes. She shrugged weakly. “You’re just an MVP liar, because you definitely had me convinced.” A tear slid down her cheek and she angrily swiped it away.
Cole tried to take her hand, but she stepped beyond his reach. He winced. “Liza, I—”
“Don’t even try to spin it anymore. I should’ve gone with my gut instincts about you because, you know what? They were right.”
“It’s not what you’re thinking,” Cole said gently, looking at Frank for agreement.
“As if having him back you up is going to help.” Liza cut her eyes at Frank.
“I think we can talk this thing through.” Frank nodded unconvincingly. “There’s just been a little confusion.”
Liza tugged the engagement ring off her finger, grabbed Cole’s wrist, and dropped the ring in his hand. Her heart broke, thinking that was the last time she would touch him. But he wasn’t her Cole, anyway. The guy standing there was the real Cole. Her Cole had simply been an illusion.
“Here’s your ring back,” she said. “You’ve done enough damage, so leave me alone. There shouldn’t be anything confusing about that.”
“But—” Cole said.
Liza held up her hand, refusing to listen to another lying word. She couldn’t stand to be in the room with him and Frank another second. She was about to lose it, and she wanted to be far away from them when she did. She made it to the door, then turned and glared at Frank. “You can send your check to the foundation. Because I didn’t fall for Cole. I was lying, too.” She shook her head. “That was a half-million-dollar sucker deal.”
She walked out the door and left her future behind.
…
Cole stared at the door, hoping Liza would come back, but knowing she wouldn’t. At least he wouldn’t if he were her.
He sank back onto the arm of the chair and dragged his hand down his face. The Nats had won the World Series—the World Series!—and he was MVP. Liza had agreed to marry him, and all the stars had lined up straight.
But taking Liza out of that mix diluted the excitement of the rest. How could he celebrate anything when he’d just lost everything?
“I’m sorry, son.” Frank stood with his hands in his pockets, a pinched expression on his face. “I shoulda watched my mouth there.”
Cole shook his head. Frank was right, but Cole couldn’t shove all the blame on him. He should’ve made it clearer to Frank that he’d fallen for Liza along the way, and that his pursuit of a contract with the Nats was a totally separate thing. He figured Frank had seen that, but they’d gotten so sidetracked with the father issue… Hadn’t it been obvious that he was in love with her?
“What was that about a half-million-dollar sucker deal?”
Frank lumbered over and sat in the chair opposite Cole. “I’ve been in the business of matchin’ players and teams for many years, and I know a good match when I see one.” He cocked his head and shrugged. “Now they don’t always work out—for all kinds of reasons—but that doesn’t mean the chemistry wasn’t there. Lots of ’em do, though.”
“Are you getting to the deal part?” Cole’s patience thinned. How could everything have gone so wrong so fast?
Frank scowled, as he’d done many times over the years when Cole had gotten snippy with him. “After that proposal stunt on your first date with Liza, you called me and said we needed a plan B.”
Cole’s gut twisted, thinking about how shallow he’d been.
“But I knew a little bit about Liza and her folks,” Frank said sheepishly, “as you’ve found out. Salt-of-the-earth kind of people. I was sure you two kids would make a fine pair. And I guess part of me wanted to make it up to John and Sylvia…and to you. I figured you datin’ Liza might be just the thing that got y’all back together after all these years.” He rubbed his forehead and frowned. “After all my mistakes.”
“So you made some kind of deal with Liza?”
Frank nodded slowly, frowning. “She didn’t trust me when I told her you were falling for her.”
“I guess not, considering what she knew about me at the time.”
“But I knew better,” Frank said confidently. “So I told her I’d give her a half-million dollars if she dated you for the rest of the season and didn’t fall for you.”
Cole blinked several times. “What? You were going to pay her a half-million dollars if she didn’t fall for me?”
Frank nodded. “She thought it would be easy money since she was tied up with her memories and all—really a sad situation. Plus, she wasn’t too keen on your reputation with the ladies.”
Cole understood, to a point. But the idea that she would take Frank’s money now made his stomach turn. It just didn’t seem like something Liza would do, and it was hard for him to believe his judgment of her had been that far off. “So she’s expecting you to pay her a half-mil now?”
“No, not her,” Frank said. “She wouldn’t take the deal for herself—and it took a hell of a lot to get her to agree to it at all. The money goes to th
e foundation, so those needy boys can go to baseball camp.”
Now Cole felt guilty for even thinking she’d made the deal for money for herself. The Liza he knew would never do that. She’d had nothing to personally gain from going out with him. Her heart had been with Wes, and there’d been no reason for her to believe Cole was falling for her, outside of Frank’s hype. Cole’s reputation had ensured that.
He still didn’t like the idea that Frank had meddled, and that Liza had dated him because of a deal. But he had fallen for her and been lucky enough to win her heart—only to crush it to bits. His own heart broke, thinking about the pain he’d caused her. Pain she’d tried to protect herself from and certainly didn’t deserve. He couldn’t believe things had worked out like this. He’d finally found a home with her—and John and Sylvia—but now he’d lost them, again.
The only hope he had was to make Liza believe he loved her despite the path he’d taken there, and that he couldn’t live without her now.
Cole slid the engagement ring onto the end of his pinkie finger and twisted it around slowly. “I love her, Frank.” He shrugged one shoulder and made a sweeping gesture around the Nats’ blessedly empty family room. “None of this baseball stuff means anything to me without her.”
“Whoa,” Frank said. “Let’s not get carried away on emotion. You’ve worked hard to get where you are with this team. You deserve to be a World Series MVP, and you deserve a helluva new contract. Give it a little time, and I betcha this thing with Liza will work out.”
There was only one way Cole could think of to make that happen, but he wasn’t going to risk telling Frank about it. He had some media people he’d promised to talk to, and some celebrating to do with his team—whether he felt like it or not.
…
Liza didn’t tell Paige what had happened. She didn’t tell her parents or anyone else. She let them all think she was blissfully celebrating with Cole. A World Series win, an MVP award, their engagement. What a night it could’ve been.