Long Ball(35)

“I love you.” I say as I walk, not caring that the entire world sees or hears. “I love you more than the sun loves the sky.”

Megan is already wiping away tears. She’s crying and then I’m crying. I collapse to one knee, not bothering to wipe away the tears. I want her to see them. I want her to really see how important she is to me.

“Megan, you are everything to me. You are the sun, the stars, and the moon. You are the first thing I think about when I wake up, the last thing I think about when I fall asleep. You are my drive on the field, the reason I get up every day and try to be a better man.” I hand her the flowers and pull the ring box out of my pocket.

“Oh shit.” Megan whispers.

“I know I looked like an idiot. I know you thought I was going to be like everyone else. But I’m not, Megan. I want to be your husband, your lover, and your best friend. I want to be Cora’s dad for the rest of my life. I want to kiss her good night and kiss you good morning. I want to spend every away game counting down my hours until I see your sweet face. I want you to be by my side for the rest of my life.”

“But you…” she trails off.

“I’m not saying these things to get you to forgive me. I’m saying these things because I mean them, because I need you in my life. Megan, my life was meaningless before you two entered it. I drank too much, partied too much, bounced from girl to girl, always looking for something and never finding it. You are my home. You are my forever. My vows mean everything to me, and I vow to love and cherish you for the rest of my life.”

“You can’t be serious,” she whispers.

“I know you feel it, too, Megan.” Around us, people have cleared a circle. I spy a few phones out, people recording or taking pictures. It’s incredibly romantic in front of these huge fountains, which is exactly why I picked this spot. “From the moment we reunited, we have been like lightning shooting across the sky. Only, this isn’t temporary. This isn’t something we hit and quit. We are intense because we belong together. We are powerful because we belong together. We light up the sky because you are by my side.”

I crack open the box. It’s a 1.5 carat solitaire, bright and shining just like my gorgeous Megan. It could have been bigger, but those didn’t feel right. Megan isn’t flashy and expensive. Megan is hometown comfort in sweatpants and beers on the back deck. Megan is my abuelito’s arepas instead of a five course dinner. She’s perfect.

“You are everything important in my life, and everything I’ve ever needed. Please, Megan, make me the happiest man in the entire world and be my wife, from now until the end of eternity. Will you marry me?”

When I meet Megan’s eyes, I know we’ll be together for the rest of our lives before she says anything. And yet, when she finally whispers, “Yes”, I’m so happy I jump to my feet whooping and nearly fall into the fountains.

She’s laughing, pulling me out of the way of the water, and we finally, for the first time in over two weeks, kiss. It’s like planets colliding in that moment. The world stops turning and time stops spinning and the only thing in that moment is her and me, together.

Applause and cheers from all around us break us out of the spell. We kiss again and Megan stares at me with a sense of awe. “I love you,” she whispers.

“I want to marry you today.”

She spits out a laugh and looks at me like I’m crazy. “Today? Are you insane?”

“Yes and yes!” I spin her around just in time to see Kate, Cora, and her parents making their way through the Plaza.

“Is that my….” Megan turns to look at me, tears spilling down her face.

“I called them yesterday, asked them to come down. Told them it was a special occasion. Your dad is a really nice guy.”

“Mommy!” Cora squeals and runs for us. She embraces us both and shakes my hand. “Did she say yes?”

I can’t answer because the smile on my face is too big and my heart feels like it’s going to explode. She hasn’t let go of my hand, even to pick up Cora, but I still can’t believe, after everything, this woman agreed to marry me.

We are meant to be together. I always knew this. But now it’s really going to happen, and it’s almost too much to take in.

“Jamie.” A gruff man who reminds me of every single Nebraskan cowboy I’ve ever met sticks out his hand. Megan looks just like him. His face is lined and fierce, but he’s blinking back tears. “This is the only time you’re ever allowed to make my little girl cry; you understand?”

“I would never dream of it.” His grip is firm, but his expression softens as he embraces Cora and Megan together. Her mother pulls me into the group for an enormous hug and it hits me—this is my new family. All of us, together.

The only thing that would make this day better would be if my family could be here. My mom made me swear to Skype with them later and Camila swore she’d be down as soon as she finished an interview. She offered to move it, but I wouldn’t let her. It’s time she pursued her own dreams. We have the rest of our lives to come together as a family.

Everyone is clustered around, talking and hugging and laughing. Cora leaps into my arms and kisses my cheek. I have never felt this content, not ever. Not even when I got called up to the majors for my first game with the Royals. Not even after my first major league home run. This tops everything.