Page 93 of The Triple Play

I struggle to sit up. “Who’s taking him?”

“Relax,” Griff says. “I put him in a taxi myself.”

I sag back down. “Good.”

Turning my head, I look up at Olivia who’s shifted to sit upright, leaning her back against the headboard. “Did my dream really come true earlier?” I ask, taking her hand in mine and tangling our fingers together.

She’s blushing, and that's all I need to see. I manage to get myself sitting up and lean in, stopping when my lips are just shy of touching hers. “You love me?”

I hear something drop to the floor and realize Griff heard me. My lips quirk up in a grin. “You better tell him, too, so he doesn’t get jealous.”

“You’re trouble,” she whispers right before kissing me quickly. “But yes, I do love you.”

She turns away, going to her knees and reaching out for Griff’s hand. “And I love you, Griffin. I love both of you. Equally. The same, but different. I can’t imagine not being with both of you, now and always. I know it took me a minute, but I promise you, there’s no hesitation, no question in my mind. I love you.”

“Liv.” Griff’s voice is full of raw emotion as he cradles her cheek in his hand. Even I can see the wonder and love written all over his face. “Baby, I love you. And at the same time, that doesn’t even come close to describing how I truly feel. My heart belongs to you. My world starts and ends with you. You’re mine.” He glances at me with a wry smile. “And his. You’re ours.”

I want to make a joke about him upstaging me with that little speech, but I hold back. This is their moment, and respecting that is the only way this is gonna work.

And it is going to work. The three of us, we’re meant to be. I’ve always known it, and now, finally, they do, too.

Took them long enough…

39

OLIVIA

“Holy shit, look at all this! Six different flavours of slushies? Come on, how am I meant to choose?!” Denver is worse than a little kid as he stares up at the concession stand menu.

“Did you seriously not know what was offered for snacks in your own stadium?” I laugh as he shakes his head in amazement.

“When I’m here, I’m not thinking about snacks, Pix. I’m thinking about strikeouts. Oh, I want a hot dog.” He moans. “With onions and cheese sauce.”

“That sounds disgusting. Don’t expect to be kissing me if you eat that.”

“Noted. No hot dogs. How about a chicken burger? Will you kiss me if I eat a chicken burger?”

“As long as you skip the onions,” I tease.

“Deal.”

So far, we’ve been approached no less than five times by fans eager to meet one of the players. And the bulk of the crowd attending today’s game hasn’t even arrived yet. We got here early so the guys could give me a tour of the facility and introduce me to the team.

Any nerves I had at being introduced as their girlfriend disappeared when we only received positive reactions. Although, they were probably more focused on Denver’s bare face than anything else.

He shocked the heck out of us yesterday when he walked out of the bathroom with no moustache gracing his upper lip.

In the locker room, his teammates crowded around him, demanding an explanation. Even though I’d already heard it, I laughed under my breath while hearing him tell them.

“I’m on the IL, so no need for the lucky ’stache. Don’t worry, I’ll grow it back before I pitch again.”

Isla was there as well and gave me a smug look before hugging me and whispering, “I knew it.”

Denver was all laughs, joking with his teammates, right up until they had to take the field. I’m not sure who else noticed, but I definitely saw his jaw clench, and the pain that flashed across his face was more than just physical.

Which is why I dragged him up to the concourse to get some snacks. Today he gets to watch from the stands with me, tomorrow he’ll be in the dugout, and then the next day, he goes with the team for an away series. He won’t be playing for a while, but the guys explained that the team feels it’s important to keep everyone on the starting lineup together as much as possible for morale and team connection.

Once we have our food, we make our way to our seats. Denver stops to sign some jerseys and take photos with some fans, but once we’re sitting down, the hubbub around him mostly settles.