Total pages in book: 40
Estimated words: 37344 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 187(@200wpm)___ 149(@250wpm)___ 124(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 37344 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 187(@200wpm)___ 149(@250wpm)___ 124(@300wpm)
"Bailey Greene, you are my everything, and the question I need answered is simple—will you marry me? Will you make me the happiest man on the face of the earth by being mine forever?”
An expectant hush falls over the mass of humanity in front of the stage. My heart is beating so hard, I expect to find internal bruising, and my mouth is suddenly drier than the Sahara. Ben looks up at me with those intense silver-blue eyes and a grin curling the corners of his mouth upward. I clutch my hands to my chest, trying to slow it down enough to let me speak, but I’m having trouble finding the words. Tears spill from the corners of my eyes, and all I can do is nod. And when I do, my chest suddenly fills with air, and I find my voice.
“Yes,” I cry. “God, yes.”
The eruption of cheers from the crowd is so loud, I won’t be surprised to find that it registered on the Richter Scale. As Ben jumps up and pulls me into his arms, we’re suddenly mobbed by his teammates, all of them embracing us, slapping us on the back, and offering their congratulations. Confetti and balloons fall from the rafters over the stage and the music booms while Ben holds me tightly.
“I love you,” he says. “And I am going to spend the rest of our lives together making you the happiest woman in the world.”
This is not what I expected to happen today. We’ve both been so focused on our jobs, we haven’t even discussed marriage. But somehow, the latest crazy chapter in the insane book of my life just feels…right. It feels good. It feels inevitable. Ben and I are a perfect pair in almost every way possible, and we bring out the best in each other. The thought of getting to spend the rest of my life with him fills my heart and my soul with yet another previously unknown level of joy.
I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve all the blessings that have flowed my way, but I’m not going to question them. I’m simply going to be thankful and strive every day to prove that I deserve them.
“You already have,” I tell him.
EXTENDED EPILOGUE
BEN
Five Years Later
“Are you okay? You look nervous.”
I smile at Bailey, who’s standing beside me, holding our four-year-old daughter, Aria, on her hip while I hold our three-year-old Anastasia in my arms. Ani, as we call her, fusses and fidgets, pulling on my tie and grabbing my face. I look into my youngest daughter's sparkling green eyes and smile. They’re Bailey’s eyes. She laughs and grabs my nose.
“Honestly, I’m more nervous right now than I was before my first game,” I admit.
“You’ve earned this, baby,” Bailey says. “You deserve the recognition and adulation.”
“My whole team does. It’s not just me.”
“And your team is going to be out there alongside you, and to a man, they’d say the same thing. They’d agree that you deserve this,” she presses. “Relax. This is your night. Soak it in.”
I smile at her, and though the tightness in my chest eases slightly, it doesn't disappear completely. Bailey always has a calming effect on me. But not even she can completely erase the unease I feel being in the spotlight. She’s my rock, though, and has been from the start. There isn’t anything I can’t get through with her by my side.
“This is your night,” she tells me again. “Enjoy it.”
“I’ll try.”
We’re standing behind the curtain that blocks off the tunnel from the court where the ceremony is taking place, listening to some of the speeches being given out on the floor. It’s standing-room-only out there with fans crowding the stands. VIP guests, team legends, and my teammates are all out there as well. Tonight, the organization is retiring my number and unveiling the statue they commissioned for placement in the Garden of Champions out in front of the arena.
It’s an enormous honor, but honestly, I could do without all the pomp and circumstance. The organization, though, loves its ceremonies. They love to honor their former players.
After leading the team to four titles in six seasons, I decided it was time to hang them up. I’d accomplished everything I set out to do at the beginning of my career, finishing among the all-time greats in most of the important categories. There didn’t seem to be anything left for me to do.
I likely could have kept it going for another season, maybe two, before the wear and tear finally broke me down, but I decided it was time to leave on my own terms. The last thing I wanted was to be one of those guys who stayed at the party too long. One of those guys who took a little bit of the shine off their legacy because they couldn’t let it go and wound up playing like a shadow of their former selves. I’ve seen it happen far too often and decided that wasn’t going to be me. My legacy would remain intact.