Sure Bet (Out of Left Field #1)

Epilogue

Brooke

“ S hould I have worn a tie?” Liam pulled down the visor to inspect himself in the mirror. “Seems like something that warrants a tie.”

My fingers drummed on the steering wheel, and I glanced at him long enough to give a reassuring smile. “You may have made a grave error in your choice of casual, but your shirt is clean, and navy is a complementary color for your features.”

“Shit.” He collapsed back in the passenger seat and sighed. “I knew the first day of school warranted a tie.”

“If you’re not attending some elite preparatory academy with aristocratic parents and a toxic, hot bully making your life miserable, only to chase you through the woods one night when you inexplicably answer a text message from an unknown number to meet there.” I sucked in a long inhale and blew out on the exhale. “Then there’s no need for a tie.”

Liam grinned and pried one of my hands off the wheel to kiss the back of my knuckle. “Is that our next read?”

He nipped at the pads of my fingers, a welcome distraction from the multi-lane traffic at a standstill on I-5. Liam claimed I was a lunatic to insist on driving him to campus on his first day of school when I would get stuck in rush hour on my way to the university and again when backtracking to the lab. It was worth it. He’d been so nervous about today. Fear-frozen smiles riddled all the pictures I forced him to take before we left.

“Oh, I have our next read lined up.” I tapped my phone and winked. I had some surprises for him on this beautiful September morning. Despite the gridlock, the view of Lake Union, crowded with white sails and boats, made me smile. Or perhaps it was the company. “I don’t know if I should play it when we’re so close.”

“We’re stuck in the middle of the Ship Canal. We’re going nowhere—for a while.” He smirked. “You just don’t want to get horny when I’ll be coming home late.”

Yeah.

I batted my lashes. “My libido is fine and not an issue.” Lies. It was out of control . “And if it were—which it’s not —” More lies. My desire for Liam bordered on obscene. “My pleasure is a sacrifice I’d make any and every day if it means you’re doing what makes you happy.”

That was true.

“Doing you makes me happy, but yeah, I think this internship is going to be…” He sighed and smiled, dropping his head against the seatback. “I think it’s the start, Brooke. Eli is kind of who I want to be when I grow up.”

In addition to a full class schedule, Liam accepted a position as an intern for Eli Valenti, a successful sports agent. Eli relocated to Seattle a few months ago and agreed to mentor Liam as a favor to Brenden, but that was clearly bullshit because the two talked on the phone daily and got together almost as much.

Liam missed Brenden now that he was playing in the minors in Tacoma as a Thunderhawk—whatever that is—and there were whisperings he’d be traded to California. My love was not happy about it. Though Brenden’s wife crossed her fingers and toes that the trade would happen. At least, that’s what she complained about over dinner when we visited their new townhouse last weekend.

Liam had elbowed me when Karen got up to grab another bottle of wine.

I wiped my face with my napkin and quietly murmured, “You’re right. Soul-crushing dragon.”

Karen had returned with a chardonnay, and Liam and I spent the rest of dinner whispering and snickering about white whine ‘with an h’ until we left. Then we drove home laughing loudly about it.

Poor Brenden. But I was grateful for him because not only was he a ride-or-die to my favorite person, but he also suggested Liam pursue a baseball-adjacent career in the first place.

Eli offered a wealth of information for the next steps in building a career around baseball, even when Liam no longer played himself. Well, sort of. He joined Antonio’s intramural league and transformed the game. Though Liam would brush off his talent, the rest of us were star-struck. I cheered every Thursday evening at Cal Anderson and was a total cleat chaser.

Antonio and Michael had become good friends over the summer, and not just because they owned one of the boats out on the lake. I’d made a concerted effort to expand my social circle and take the lead as senior engineer to restore the camaraderie in the lab.

I even convinced Dr. Coleman to meet for coffee once a month in the ground-floor cafe! We were basically best friends now, though she still terrified me.

Liam’s suggested method of shadowing Dr. Coleman and annoying her to be forced to deal with me was spot on. ‘How do you think I landed you?’ he’d said with a waggle of his eyebrows.

Liam would be busy in the next couple of years, finishing his degree. A combination of education, networking, and gaining experience in the industry. It required commitment and persistence. He had those qualities in spades, and these days? He agreed.

“Eli recommends law or an MBA for an advanced degree. There are accelerated MBA programs.” He scratched his freshly shaved jaw. His skin was so smooth it didn’t scratch my thighs this morning when he woke me up by peeling off my panties and having me for breakfast. “Eli studied law, but I’m thinking of an MBA. I’ll need it if I want to work with major league teams.”

He blinked and glanced at me for reassurance. We’d discussed this many times over the summer. Liam’s long-term plans, our long-term plans. But his future was intertwined with mine, just as our past had always been.

“Then you’ll do it, my blossoming lotus flower.” I squealed when he squeezed my thigh.

“I love it when you call me that.” I recognized the rough edge to his words. Liam’s libido was just as insatiable. He adjusted himself and leaned closer to the window. “It makes me feel like I can do anything. Like a superpower.”

I would never tire of seeing that smile on his face—the authentic one. And though he had bad days, and sometimes I did too, it always came back. We weren’t perfect, but we fought hard for ourselves and each other.

I once thought I wouldn’t get the heart-pounding, all-encompassing kind of love. Fine was good enough when I believed nobody noticed me, anyway. But when Liam encouraged me to notice myself, I fell in love. With him, yes—and thank god he loved me back. But I fell in love with who I am and found confidence in embracing those pieces. I loved Liam as fiercely as I loved myself. In my eyes, he could do anything because he was my everything.

“I love you, Liam. Don’t let anything hold you back. Whatever the next steps, we’ll take them together.”

He snickered. “Not everyone is happy about that.”

I groaned and dropped my forehead to the steering wheel with a thud. “Shana is not unhappy for us. She’s unhappy about finding new roommates.”

Liam and I wanted to build a life together, and my best friend and his sister would always be part of that, but the condo was getting a bit crowded now that Shana cut back on some of her side hustles to pursue her dance studio dreams.

Last month, she walked in on Liam in the kitchen, leaning against the counter. A total non-issue, except I was on my knees pleasuring him at the time. In my defense, she wasn’t supposed to be home, and I always disinfected the surfaces afterward.

But beyond a rendezvous in a public space, Liam and I wanted a house of our own, and we’d found it, buying our first home a month ago. We were due to move next week.

“Shana will be fine,” I said, sitting up with a groan to see that traffic hardly inched forward. “And the house is halfway between the lab and the university. We couldn’t have bought in a better location.”

We wanted to get married someday, file joint taxes, and complain about inflation. We wanted a life together, and we were building it.

He bit his bottom lip and shook his head, blushing and glancing away. “I didn’t think I’d be worthy of a great love, Brooke, but you’re the greatest. You’re the light you on fire kind of great, makes all the other shit worth it kind of great, will love you when you’re a broken failure kind of great.”

“You’re not, and have never been, a broken failure, Liam.” I rubbed his knee, trying to catch his eye, but he stared at his hands.

He shrugged, picking at his nails. “I know, but I felt that way, and you loved me through it.”

“I’ll love you through anything—forever, unquestioningly, stubbornly.”

He smiled, lifting his gaze. “I know. Your bullheadedness is exasperating.”

“I like to think it’s inspiring.” I patted his hand, whooping a moment later when we moved four car lengths. “I make no apologies for being merciless and fierce when it comes to keeping you. I love you.” Traffic crept forward, but we didn’t move. “And I love that this asshole in front of us just keeps letting every single car in front of him in so we can live on this bridge.”

“Ruthless,” he murmured. “Why don’t you play the next read? Channel that energy into something more productive. Cemetery chases sound fascinating.” He raked his teeth over his bottom lip and deepened his voice. “If that’s what you’re into. A more modern mounting.”

“Of course.” I smacked my forehead, feeling like an idiot. I’d been so excited to download the audiobook for our drive as a first day of school gift to Liam. I glared at him. “And I can deal with my libido.” My eyes flickered over his. “But I’ll take any mounting.”

I hit play, and the narrator cut off Liam’s delighted laugh with the introduction.

“Defiant Thorns of Desire, a sequel to Forbidden Fruit in the Orchard. Written by Ann Wood. Narrated by Thomas Thistle.”

Liam’s eyes widened, and his face lit up like a Christmas tree. He clapped once and hissed, “ Yes . I knew it. For hundred and fifty-fucking-seven pages, Brooke, and I knew it.”

I hummed my agreement.

“Beyond the trimmed hedges of the garden, the steadfast groundskeeper stood with clenched fists. The pads of his fingers dug into his calloused palms as he watched Princess Penelope saunter away with the dashing nobleman, Sir Arrick.

“A surge of regret clawed at his heart; the weight of unspoken words heavy upon his lips. He lamented his silence, cursing the boundaries of class that restrained his love.

“But as the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in hues of rose and gold, resolve ignited within Groundskeeper Murphy. With a determined gleam in his eyes, he vowed amidst the whispering breeze that he would no longer linger in the shadows. No longer would he be a mere observer of the breathtaking allure of the princess.

“Tonight marked a new beginning, a declaration of his undying love. As she rounded the orchard and up the stone stairs to the estate, Murphy followed. Conviction echoed in each step he took along the garden path. Princess Penelope belonged to him, and he would defy any obstacle or challenge any foe to claim her as his own.”

Liam smiled to himself. “He fought for her.”