Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 91683 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 458(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91683 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 458(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
Maria’s not needed in the same way she was before I moved in, but we find a rhythm that works well for everyone. Luke transitions her to more of a house manager and gives her a raise, though she still helps a lot with Harper. If Luke is traveling, Maria and I will tag-team after-school duties. She’ll start prepping dinner while I take Harper to ballet, or she’ll sit at the kitchen table with Harper and help with homework while I pack her lunch for the next day. Once or twice a week, my mom will come over after school to hang out and cook with us too. It’s a real party then.
A little over a year later, I’m walking on the sidewalk, heading to the grocery store, running through a mental tally of all the things I need to get done while Harper’s at school. We’re hosting my family for Sunday dinner. Oh yes—everyone. Luke insisted since we have more room than my parents. Everyone’s excited about it. Me? I’m scrambling trying to make sure I have everything we need, all those last-minute items I know I’ll forget. Did I get olives? I thought I saw some in the pantry, but now I’m second-guessing myself.
I have my head down, checking the notes app on my phone when I hear my name called. I look up to see a woman right in front of me on the sidewalk. In fact, had she not stopped me, we would have run directly into each other.
“Chloe.”
I pause, taking her in, and I can’t immediately place her. I’ve met so many people in the last year, moms from Harper’s school, wives and girlfriends of other baseball players, Tate’s friends—my world has drastically expanded.
Then it sinks in.
Angie. Angie from Fig & Olive. Angie from Fig & Olive whose butt cheeks were pressed against that refrigerator door!
“Oh my god. Hi!”
She looks taken aback that I’m so happy to see her.
“Hi. Wow…it’s been a while.” She shakes her head and continues, “I’m actually so glad I bumped into you.” Her follow-up smile is uncomfortable to say the least.
I chuckle. “Yeah?”
“Yes.” She takes a step closer and lowers her voice. “You have no idea how much I regret my actions from last year. What I did with Miles—” Her face contorts into a mask of disgust. “Had I known what an asshole he is…what a complete and utter jerk…” She shakes her head and sighs. “But…that’s no excuse. It’s completely beside the point, actually. I should have never been the other woman in your relationship, and I feel so guilty about hurting you like that. I’m sorry. I really am.”
She reaches out to squeeze my forearm, and I see in her eyes how much pain she still carries over her actions. I don’t condone what she did, but I’m also not in a position to judge her for it. I can’t absolve her of her guilt, but I can certainly help her move on.
“You know what, Angie? To be quite honest…it’s kind of the best thing that ever happened to me.”
She looks disbelieving. “Seriously?”
Behind her, at the grocery store entrance, I spot Luke waiting for me. He’s out on the sidewalk with his baseball cap tugged low and his hands tucked into the pockets of his shorts. He scans the crowd, probably hoping no one will notice him. When he sees me, he breaks into a heart-stopping smile, dimples and all. Then, as if my soul was not already always-and-forever his, he gives me a little wave, and I can’t help but wave back. God, I love him.
“Seriously.” I sidestep her, eager to get to Luke. “Consider yourself officially off the hook. Good luck with…everything.”
Then I walk away without looking back, partly because I don’t owe her any more of my time and partly because I’m laying eyes on the hottest man north of the equator. Hell, maybe the entire world. And he doesn’t even know it! He couldn’t care less! He gets a trim only when his hair’s a little too long. He shaves his stubble only because he knows I like it that way. His muscles serve a purpose on the field, but beyond that, he wouldn’t be pumping iron in the gym for the hell of it. He is the least self-absorbed man I know, and it means he’s all the more handsome because of it.
Luke is still playing in the MLB. His final season didn’t go as planned. The Pinstripes narrowly missed their opportunity to make it to the World Series, and the night he got home from the stadium after the hard loss, wearing a look of utter defeat, I was waiting for him, ready with a proposition. Before Luke could broach the subject of staying with the team for another season or two, I gave him my blessing. More than that, I encouraged him to do it. He’s still at the top of his game. He has so much more he wants to leave on the field. His legacy isn’t complete, and we can all feel it.